"They were going to tear it down." I heard somebody saying that as I rode the escalator up and took in the splendour of those amazing chandeliers. Grand Central is a now the famous cautionary tale following the worst-case scenario of Penn Station - an even grander architectural marvel turned into a grim, dark, shopping mall. The bullet the city dodged was a thirst for modernity that led to all sorts of stylistic aberrations in the quest for convenience. Wood gave way to aluminum siding and stylish department stores run by white-gloved sales people were abandoned in favour of neighborhood strip malls that started out ugly and haven't aged well. Hardwood floors became shaggy broadlooms and glass turned into plastic. It took Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a woman for whom practicality was never an obstacle to style, to save the building and convince the city that the timeless outlasts the now.