The magic of Grand Central Terminal
The Main Concourse, Grand Central Station, New York City
Every time I go to New York, I end up spending an inordinate amount of time in Grand Central station. Mainly, because we usually end up staying nearby, and it is a handy throughway to other avenues. But it’s also because it’s kind of a magical place. It is like something out of a movie, and it probably has been in many. Every time you walk through it, there are stories happening all around you.
I’ve photographed the inside of the station before, and always got some good results, but on the most recent trip, I only took a few photographs inside, as I didn’t really have the time. I took a few shots outside too. To be honest, I hadn’t truly paid much attention to these until recently.
Under the Pershing square bridge outside Grand Central Terminal, New York City
I was going back through my substantial and growing backlog of shots when I realised that I hadn’t really done anything with these, and as I was looking at them, I realised that a couple of them were kind of awesome. On the face of it you may not agree, but if you stop and look at them, there’s so much going on in them.
On the shots of the information desk, there’s a huge amount of activity going on around, as one person waits causally for whatever she’s waiting for. There are people taking photos of each other, there are people just passing through, while others are waiting to speak to someone at the counter. It’s like the woman with headphones is looking bored while all around there’s the chaos of life. If you look carefully in the background, you can see somebody straining their neck to look at the magnificent ceiling.
People swirl around the clock and information desk in the centre of the Main Concourse, in Grand Central Terminal, New York City
A slightly wider shot of the same scene. It shows the difference a second can make. While the framing of this is probably a little better there’s not as much interesting activity.
The opal clock over the information desk is a piece of art. I remember taking the tour of Grand Central on a previous visit, which was a fascinating experience in and of itself, (it’s where we learned that it’s Grand Central Terminal, not station!) and the tour guide discussed the clock.
Often referred to as the "meeting point" for countless New Yorkers, this four-faced clock has been a silent witness to millions of reunions, departures, and casual rendezvous. Each clock face is made of opalescent glass, commonly mistaken for solid opal, and its value is rumoured to be around $20 million. The brass and marble structure it rests on fits perfectly with the Beaux-Arts architecture that defines Grand Central, creating a timeless look that has captured the imagination of visitors for over a century.
The Opal Clock over the Information Kiosk, in the centre of the main concourse, in Grand Central Terminal, New York
But my favourites of my newly rediscovered photos are the wide shots I did from the balcony (also the entrance to the Apple Store). Here there is just so much happening and at first, you don’t even notice. If you look closely, you can see people posing for photographs, people rushing to their destinations, and people having conversations on the phone. On the bottom right is what, I think, is a tour group (as it appears to be similar to the one we did) There are even some soldiers standing guard underneath a huge US flag. I had set these to use a longer exposure, about a second, and relied on the camera’s stabiliser, which worked a treat - because it contrasts the people in motion and those standing still.
The hustle and bustle of the main concourse, Grand Central Terminal, New York City
Panorama of the main Concourse showing the full extent of the main hall and the magnificent roof
I also tried to do a panorama too, but I had trouble assembling it. It was the only way to really get the whole vista in. It’s a little distorted, but it works in its own right.
And this is all just the main concourse. There’s so much more to the station, as the wonderful tour we took that time informed us. As I said at the beginning, I only had a short time to photograph on this trip, so there are only a. few photos here. However, the next time, I’ll try to capture more of the hustle and bustle of what is definitely one of the city’s best landmarks.
For now, here’s some more of the grand central magic to enjoy! (Sound On)
A busker in Grand Central Terminal, NYC
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