Grand Central Holiday Train Show is back for its tenth year (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex
Grand Central Terminal Shuttle Passage
Shuttle Passage next to the Station Masters’ Office
Open daily through January 16, free, 8:00/10:00 am – 6:00/7:00/8:00 pm
Admission: free
718-694-1600
www.mta.info
www.grandcentralterminal.com
The Transit Museum’s tenth annual holiday train show in Grand Central is, as always, a sheer delight. Created by Lionel and TW Design, the display features such city monuments as the Empire State Building (complete with King Kong), Philip Johnson’s AT&T/Sony building, and Grand Central itself, surrounded by a gaggle of little shops. The streets around the buildings and the lighted Christmas tree are filled with shoppers, cabs, policemen, buses, and commuters, all preparing for the holiday season. There’s also some cool track work going on, as well as a special dockside delivery. As a sign of the times, there’s also an Emergency Rescue Unit red train. At the back of the display, Santa and his reindeer fly over a snow-covered mountain as the North Pole Central roars on. Finally, along the walls, the museum has reached into its permanent collection, pulling out such classic gems as the 1928 Pocahontas, the 1938 Broadway Limited, the 1954 Emperor Chief, the 1975 Hiawatha, the 1927 American Legion Limited, the 1927 Lone Scout, and the 1936 Blue Comet. And as a bonus this year, there are also more than two dozen New Yorker magazine covers depicting the winter season. Part of the fun of the Holiday Train Show is that it turns everyone, no matter what age, into a little kid again, their eyes wide with joy. And while in Grand Central, be sure to stop by the Grand Central Holiday Fair, which continues through December 24 and features more than seventy-five vendors selling alternative art, jewelry, ornaments, winter accessories, home décor, and many other items. And after skipping last year because of budget cuts, the Kaleidoscope Light Show is back, sending playful seasonal images onto the Grand Central ceiling December 1 – January 1 every half hour from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.