This latest (and first solo) trip was my 4th visit to New York, so I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the city. Still, I had never been there around Christmastime and was striving to explore more neighbourhoods and get a more local’s perspective – all while still re-visiting the major sights in all their Christmas glory.
This visit was 11 days long – enough for me to feel that I had gotten a good feel for the city. I was often asked why I didn’t stay for Christmas or New Year’s Eve; I don’t have any family in New York that would warrant me to want to stay over Christmas, and I did not feel the desire to stand outside in the freezing cold for 10 hours, 10 blocks away from the heart of Times Square, to “see” the ball drop. Anywho –
I arrived in New York on the morning of December 10, 2014, with it looking quite like Vancouver – raining. As I awaited for my hotel room to become available, I started my adventure.
My instinct told me to head to Grand Central Terminal, so, in the thick of morning rush hour, there I went. What I discovered during my various to-and-fros from Grand Central Terminal is that a permit is required should you wish to set up a tripod. As you may have noticed, the above photo certainly looks like it was taken from a tripod, yet all I did was set my camera on a railing, prop it up a bit to capture more of the ceiling, and expose the shot for about 5-8 seconds. Same effect!
I feel that in many of the gigantesque buildings in New York, you truly cannot understand the enormousness of the room unless or until you yourself are there. Oftentimes, I find that even photos cannot do a place justice. (More on this in future posts about Carnegie Hall and Cathedral of St. John the Divine!)
At Grand Central Terminal around Christmastime, there is the Grand Central Holiday Fair. Nestled in one corner of the station are various vendors selling their unique goods. I took a peek but nothing stood out to me.
And who can forget the iconic Apple store at Grand Central Terminal? I’ll be honest – I was incredibly unimpressed. The “store” – I’m not sure if you can even call it that, there are no doors! – looks amazing in professionally-captured photos, but I didn’t feel the grandiose-ness in person. It just felt like a couple of tables scattered around with a big Apple logo.
Of course, being situated in Grand Central Terminal, this Apple store no doubt is in a truly iconic location and receives a lot of foot traffic, but I left feeling underwhelmed.
I hope you enjoyed a look into my experience visiting Grand Central Terminal – more to come soon!
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