A Grand Celebration

As we move forward and modernize, history can be forgotten. Or demolished. Nowhere has that been more evident than in New York, where gorgeous landmarks have been razed to the ground for more "progressive" and modern buildings. The old Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, and the Manhattan Theatre are just memories, supplemented by grainy photos that only hint at their former grandeur.

Today, the most famous building to have narrowly avoided that same fate is celebrating its 100th birthday, and a new book by Sam Roberts details its history and an unprecedented fight to save it in the '60s and '70s.
In 1913, the Vanderbilt family financed the 48-acre train Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, fashioned in over-the-top Beaux Arts style. The keys were handed to the station manager on this exact date, and trains began to roll out across the country.
The building was meant to reflect the grandeur and wealth of the city (and of the Vanderbilts, of course), and includes a fabulous signature clock with its faces made of opals, the largest piece of Tiffany glass in existence, and a ceiling painted sky blue and featuring one of the most discussed errors in history – constellations that are reversed from their actual position in the night sky.
Among the most famous of its lines was the 20th Century Limited, a super-luxury train that ran between New York and Chicago, offering an ultra-premium service that was unparalleled for its time. Today, its 63 tracks offer local-only trains that travel throughout New York and its environs. And, oddly, Grand Central is also one of the biggest shopping destinations in the city.
According to the book Grand Central, though, today's 700,000 daily visitors (yes, I said daily) almost missed out on a trip to this top landmark. In the late '60s, Grand Central Terminal was destined for the dustbin, with a decrepit interior and its permanent cast of homeless people and drug addicts. You can almost imagine the real estate barons standing off to the side and twisting their mustaches in anticipation of getting their hands on the prized lot.
Thanks to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the site was saved with a ruling by the Supreme Court that cities had the right to preserve historic buildings.
After several renovations and restorations, Grand Central Terminal is back to its former glory (despite a small mark on the ceiling where a 1957 rocket installation miscalculated the fit).
The book Grand Central is not only a fun read of the history and little-known facts of this most-famous station, but it also offers stunning and intimate photos that are worth the price alone.
Here are a few photos from my recent trip to Grand Central, just to whet your appetite.

Sign of the Times

You know I like a good typo. But when it appears in a national publication that should know better, I get a little testy.
Recently, New York Times Magazine had a doozy. Every time an article referred to a D-list actor named James Deen, it changed his name to James Dean (see article on the right). Oddly, it only happened when the writer used Deen's full name. This despite the fact that a second reference, which was "Deen," followed (very closely). Now you know the writer didn't do this - it must have happened during fact-checking and proofreading.
So this tells us, boys and girls, that either someone was asleep at the wheel, or that New York Times Magazine was using the all-powerful spell check instead of a human proofreader.
Maybe the powers-that-be don't care that they look like idiots. But I remember a day when the New York Times was held up as the pinnacle of journalism, a true goal to aspire to as a writer and editor.
I have a lot of friends who work at that newspaper, and they are absolutely fabulous at their jobs. But they are also stretched to the max in the pursuit of the tightest margin, rather than the tightest article.
While I love the Wild Wild West that has become Internet "journalism" because it's given us a lot of fun and funky writing, I don't think that means we should ignore the basic rules that set the foundation for writers. And that goes double for print publications.
James Dean the icon should not be mistaken for James Deen the "porn star." I guess we should just be thankful it didn't turn into Paula Deen. She would not be amused, ya'll.

Thursday Thought: Books and Food

So why a blog about food and books? Well besides the fact that they are two of my favorite things, I do think that they have a similar effect on us.

A good book, like a good meal, elicits emotion and memory. Well-written characters remind us of people we love - or hate. Amazing meals can send us into euphoria, just as a bad meal can literally make us angry and resentful.
In an interesting take on the relationship between food and books, a New York Times illustrated column showcased the "brain fuel" that great authors use to keep them in the writing groove. Titled "Snacks of the Great Scribblers," the column pointed out that F. Scott Fitzgerald liked canned meat and apples (ugh), while Franz Kafka preferred a very cozy glass of milk. It's worth a clickthrough for the illustrations alone.
Characters in books are often associated with favorite meals and special dishes, like Sue Grafton's sleuth Kinsey Milhone who loves peanut butter and pickle sandwiches or Quarter Pounders. And the recent hit The Help features a pivotal (and very funny) twist with a pie - I won't give away what makes it "funny."
Good meals can be plot points, or inspiration. Good books can be inspiring, and engrossing.
See? Books and food - they go together like...well, you know.