No sympathy. They had a magnificent station, one of the largest and most magnificent public spaces in the world, but they tore it down 50 years ago because It wasn't modern. Typical New York arrogance—destroy any idea or social grace that wasn't invented last week:
The main waiting room, inspired by the Roman Baths of Caracalla, was the largest indoor space in the city a block and a half long with vaulted glass windows soaring 150 feet over a sun-drenched chamber. Beyond that, trains emerged from bedrock to deposit passengers on a concourse lit by an arching glass and steel greenhouse roof.—The Destruction of Penn StationThis may sound unfamiliar for present-day residents of New York City, who know Penn Station as a miserable subterranean labyrinth.
The Original:
I'm a NYC commuter but since I come from Connecticut, I'm blessed in that I get to come into Grand Central every day. The Metro North does a very good job. It's almost always on time and very rarely are there any delays. I do pay $388 a month to ride it though (not including parking at the Westport station which is another $325 a year.
Below is what I see twice every day. And my office is just across the street.
That is astonishing. Was it torn down to make the terminal function better? Having lived and traveled there, I agree, it’s the most uninspired terminal in the world, ever. Hot and sticky and ugly. This photo of the old terminal is beautiful. Grand Central has an open, airy feeling, but not this grandeur.