Take a free 90-minute walking tour of Grand Central and the surrounding neighborhood, run by the Grand Central Partnership (grandcentralpartnership.org). The tour, which takes place only on Fridays at 12:30 p.m., meets in the sculpture court at 120 Park Avenue, directly across from Grand Central. Reservations are not needed.
Join the tour run by the Municipal Arts Society (mas.org) offered every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Meet the tour guide at Grand Central's central information booth on the Main Concourse. Although the tour is officially free, there is a suggested donation of $10 per person for this tour.
Download an audio tour of the terminal offered by MTA Metro-North Railroad. The tour, created by media company Orpheotour is available through the iPhone App Store or the Android Market. If you don't have an MP3 player, you can rent a headset at the "GCT Tour" window on the Main Concourse daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Look for, or ask about, the "whispering gallery," an intersection of four walkways on the dining concourse, near the Oyster Bar. If one person stands on one side of that intersection and whispers into the wall, someone standing way on the opposite side can hear exactly what's been said.
Visit the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store (mta.info), which offers changing exhibitions about the history of train travel and a large selection of transportation gifts, toys and memorabilia.
Make reservations at Cipriani Dolci (cipriani.com), a well-known Italian restaurant on the West Balcony that was named among the best in the city by "New York Magazine." Here you'll enjoy delicious pastas and signature Cipriani dishes like beef carpaccio and chicken curry. The restaurant has a popular Sunday brunch as well.
Check out Michael Jordan's The Steakhouse NYC (michaeljordansnyc.com), serving some of the best steaks in New York here, including every cut imaginable. Try the garlic bread with Gorgonzola fondue, the creamy corn soup and crab cake, along with a large list of domestic and international wines.
Soak up the history by dining at the Oyster Bar & Restaurant (oysterbarny.com), a New York institution that has been in Grant Central since the terminal opened in 1913. The Oyster Bar still serves an overwhelming assortment of oysters, from locations as far afield as Washington State. The extensive seafood menu features little necks, cherrystone clams, brook trout, black cod filet, broiled grouper, monkfish tournedos, Nantucket Bay scallops and many more choices.
Stop in at the Grand Central Market for the best in gourmet foods, including coffees, spices, cheeses, breads, pastries, chocolates, meats and produce. Grand Central Market also carries a line of prepared foods that you can take home for dinner.
