The city's most fascinating stories are often attached to places so familiar that nobody looks up.
The subway's most beautiful ghost
New York's first subway line opened on October 27, 1904. Its showpiece was the City Hall station, with curved tile arches, skylights and brass chandeliers. It closed in 1945, because its sharply curved platform could not handle the longer trains. The station is still there, and you can glimpse it from the 6 train when it loops around to head uptown. The New York Transit Museum has offered tours of it at times, so check their site before you plan a visit.
The whispering arches at Grand Central
In the passage outside the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal, the low tiled arches create an acoustic trick. Stand in one corner and whisper into the wall, and a friend in the opposite corner can hear you clearly, even though the room is busy. It is free, it works, and it is great for a surprise.
The ceiling that is "backwards"
The main concourse of Grand Central has a painted ceiling of the night sky with the constellations of the zodiac. A well-known story says the painter placed them in reverse. One explanation is that the sky is meant to be seen as if from outside the heavens, looking in. Whatever the truth, it is a good reason to look up.
The library lions
The two lions outside the New York Public Library's main branch are named Patience and Fortitude, after the qualities Mayor Fiorello La Guardia thought New Yorkers needed during the Depression. They have been guarding the steps since the building opened in 1911.
A route for a rainy afternoon
Start at Grand Central, whisper at the Oyster Bar arches, then walk to the library to greet the lions. All of it is free, and all of it is indoors or close to it.
