When I arrived in NYC earlier this month, Grand Central Station was kicking off its golden anniversary celebration. After seeing it for myself, there’s no doubt, it’s a marvel worth celebrating.
Yes, it’s an iconic New York landmark that happens to be an architectural beauty (hey, it’s even the world’s number six most visited tourist attraction), but it’s more just another pretty facade.

My hotel was situated over Grand Central, so it was simple to slip down there whenever I got the chance. The writer and storyteller in me was attracted to Grand Central because it’s like a bookless library. Okay, okay, I know that sounds silly. Let me try to explain. Grand Central houses a century full of stories–maybe not the kind recorded in bound volumes–but a million unspoken stories. I think of the people who have met there, cried tears of joy there and some who were left waiting there. I imagine the stories of loved ones who were reunited there and some who have even wed there. If only those beautiful blue ceilings could talk.

What about the “Grand Central Station” in your life? Do you have a favorite people-watching spot? Let the lives passing by you spark new ideas and quirky, authentic details for the stories you write.

I have always loved to sit in ferry and railroad stations and watch the people, to walk on crowded streets, just walk along among the people, and see their faces, to be among people on street cars and trains and boats. – Ella R. Bloor