15 Little Known New York City Fun Facts
New York City is full of history and fascinating stories. Do you want to impress your friends or family? Here are 15 little known New York City fun facts and best of all, you can actually visit most of these places on this list!
There is an archway by the Oyster Bar and Restaurant in Grand Central Station known as the Whispering Gallery. If you are standing in the right spot, you can hear even a whisper from a person on the other end of the archway despite how crowded and noisy Grand Central can be.
There is also a hidden track in Grand Central Station, Track 61. It was originally used for freight and later it was used to transport important guests like President Franklin D Roosevelt to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Looking for a fun place to dine for Halloween? The Campbell Apartment (also in Grand Central Station) and One If by Land, Two If by Sea are both rumored to be haunted.
Cleopatra’s Needle is the oldest man made object in Central Park and it is also the oldest outdoor monument in NYC.
The High Line Park was built on abandoned elevated train tracks. There are also similar plans for the Lowline to be built in an abandoned trolley terminal below Delancey Street.
The original City Hall subway station is off limits to the public but you can see it if you stay on a downtown 6 train as it makes its loop to go uptown.
Also along the green subway line (4/5/6), there is an abandoned 18th Street train stop it was deemed redundant when the Union Square station expanded. You can still get a glimpse of this station as the 6 train passes Union Square stop to the 23rd Street stop.
Four parks in Manhattan, Madison Square Park, Washington Square Park, Union Square Park, and Bryant Park all used to be cemeteries.
The lions that stand guard by the main branch of the New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) are named Patience and Fortitude.
Bethesda Terrace and Fountain in Central Park is one of the most iconic film locations in New York City. It is featured in a number of films ranging from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York to the more recent, The Avengers.
The Beastie Boys once lived at 59 Chrystie Street in Chinatown which is now a bus stop and the music video for Three MCs and One DJ was filmed in a building on Mott Street.
Alleva Dairy in Little Italy is oldest Italian cheese shop in America.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor in the heart of the Bloody Angle (which was once where more people died violently than any other street in the United States) is the oldest dim sum restaurant in Chinatown.
Continuing with the theme, Fraunces Tavern is the oldest bar in New York City and it may in fact be the oldest surviving building.
Finally, the Cyclone in Coney Island can go as fast as 55 miles per hour and it was the world’s fastest roller coaster until April 1976.
