New Yorkers are bustling through Grand Central Terminal, and no, not all of them are late for the train.
Grand Central launched its first scavenger hunt this week, encouraging locals to explore the 106-year-old terminal’s history while uncovering its hidden secrets.
The hunt, composed of six clues found on the Grand Central website, requires paying attention to details of the station, according to Meredith Kurnov, the director of marketing for Grand Central Terminal.
“Something that we’re always trying to do is educate people on the nooks and crannies of the building that people don’t often discover,” Kurnov, of Brooklyn Heights, says. “Logically, the average Grand Central visitor is a commuter and they come in the same entrance and go out the same way every day. We’re trying to figure out how to get people to discover the rest of this enormous building with its myriad passageways."
That comes in the form of a hunt that’ll have you buzzing around Grand Central looking for the answers to clues like, "How many of the Vanderbilt Hall chandeliers float above Great Northern Food Hall?" Visitors who complete the hunt on July 10 or 18 within a designated two-hour window will receive a Grand Central Terminal tote bag, and be eligible to win a prize back featuring more than $100 worth of gift cards.
A table will be set up outside the station master’s office with employees checking the answers to the clues and handing out prizes between 4 and 6 p.m. on July 10 and noon and 2 p.m. July 18. The first hunt was completed on July 2.
The totes are in line with New Yorkers’ style — simple and black — with one adornment: the Grand Central logo. Two years ago, the logo changed from the information clock tower to a monogrammed "GCT" that the marketing team noticed engraved into the stonework of the building.
“We feel like that’s what it was always supposed to be. It’s right there in the stonework,” Kurnov says.
One lucky hunter on each of the three days will receive a golden ticket in their tote, which means they win the bonus prize of the day. The prize features gift cards to one of Grand Central’s restaurants: Agern, The Campbell Bar, or Cipriani Dolci.
“In some ways … people still often think of Grand Central as a transportation hub and a historical landmark, but they don’t realize that it has all of these other amenities to explore," Kurnov says.
At the prize table, station visitors and hunt participants can also sign up for a raffle. The prize is a gift basket with valuable goodies, including a $150-off card to Vineyard Vines, chocolate chip cookies from Central Market New York and a box of assorted treats from Li-Lac Chocolates.
Kurvov has worked at Grand Central Terminal for seven years and says even she discovered new details of the building while developing clues for the hunt.
“It’s an opportunity for people to stop, breath, take a minute in our crazy New York City world to take in those details."
