On any given weekday at 9 a.m., the Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse bustles with the arrival of rush hour commuters, but this morning was extra packed due to the station's Centennial Anniversary (and the seductive promise of steep discounts on food and merch).
A gala event, titled 100 Years Grand, opened with a re-dedication ceremony featuring appearances by Mayor Bloomberg, Caroline Kennedy (whose mother Jackie Kennedy Onassis was a major advocate for the station's revitalization in the 1970's), former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, actress Cynthia Nixon, and beloved former Met Keith Hernandez. Bloomberg took the opportunity to compare how New York City almost lost Grand Central Terminal in the 1970s, "at that time the whole city was crumbling, and then we elected Ed Koch. And he was a civic savior for our city in desperate times."
Andrew Favilla, who says he has worked at Grand Central for 36 years (he's currently in the Rules Department at Metro-North), marveled to us, "I've been fortunate enough to see the transformation over the last 30 years here in the building, and it's absolutely tremendous. When I first got here, it was dimly lit, and it smelled, and nobody wanted to be in here. After the renovation and with the maintenance in the building, it's become a centerpiece of New York City. it's a beautiful place to be."
The ceremony is part of a series of events continuing throughout the day which include food at 1913 prices, a Guinness book of World Records induction as "‘Largest Station by Number of Platforms" and many performers, from an electronic violinist to the the Knicks City Dancers. Perhaps the most adorable were the 100-plus elementary and middle school students who performed several ballroom dances as part of their curriculum in the Dancing Classrooms program.
