“…If there is one constant about Grand Central, it is certainly my awe every time I enter the main concourse. I have certainly been there a million times, but I am still always amazed. There is a little part of me that is envious of all the Metro-North employees that are employed in this beautiful building, and see it every day. I’ve taken photos here a million times as well, and I don’t think I am ever pleased with any of them, for they never seem to do the place any justice. Beauty can be found throughout – not just in the concourse or on the front façade. The little details always captivate me, from the stylized GCT monogram, to the little sculptural acorns that can be found all over – a symbol of the Vanderbilt family.…”
~~ iRideTheHarlemLine Blog
Hard to believe, New York City’s most historical landmarks and business train station in the country, Grand Central Station, www.grandcentralterminal.com turns 100 today.
Exactly 100 years ago, the keys to Grand Central were first given to the stationmaster on Feb. 1, 1913.
Formally named Grand Central Terminal (GCT), but popularly called Grand Central Station, is a commuter rail terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue (89 East 42nd St.) in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States.
Built by and named for the New York Central Railroad in the heyday of American long-distance passenger rail travel, GCT is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms, which total 44, and 67 tracks along them.
The tracks are on two levels, both below ground, with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower, though the total number of tracks along platforms and in rail yards exceeds 100. The terminal covers an area of 48 acres.
Today will begin the celebration which starts with the West Point Brass and Percussion Band performing the world premiere of “Grand Central Centennial Fanfare.”
Grand Central was once a long-distance train terminal but now serves commuters going to and from New York’s northern suburbs via Metro-North Railroad. A New York City subway station also connects to the building and the complex has dozens of shops and restaurants, including the venerable Oyster Bar.
According to the travel magazine Travel + Leisure in its October 2011 survey, Grand Central Terminal is "the world's number six most visited tourist attraction", bringing in approximately 21,600,000 visitors annually
Several of Grand Central’s businesses will be offering special 1913 deals to celebrate including a 75 cent cocktail at Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C. and a 19 cent slice of cheesecake at the Oyster Bar.
Celebrations will be planned throughout the year, including a performance by artist Nick Cave on March 25-31 and a parade of historic trains on May 10-12.
Other Resources
► Grand Central Station Wikipedia
All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.
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“ iOS 6 The world’s most advanced mobile operating system.”
~~ Apple Banner, June 11, 2012 WWDC, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
The Apple digital banner at Moscone Center (photo above) showcased the new iOS logo with the caption: “The world’s most advanced mobile operating system.” The creative revision for iOS 6 Logo is the use of water ripples vs. the droplets from iOS 5 in 2012.
The next four days will be a whirlwind of innovative, integrative, technologies at The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)2012 at downtown San Francisco's Moscone Center.
Tickets to the event were $1,599 and sold out in 1 hour and forty-three minutes. Shortly after that, scalpers were outside selling tickets to many willing to pay thousands more during this grand opening. Live streams of the event will be available on Apple's website.
The minimum age requirement dropped to 13 years young from 18 years illustrating the trend in more 13 year old Apple software developers. Of course eligible members between 13 and 17 years of age must have their parent or guardian purchase tickets.
Apple CEO Tim Cook began with compelling statistics of software on Apple's gadgets. “The App Store has some 650,000 apps, over 30 billion downloads to date, and payments to Apple developers a total of more than $5 billion,” Cook said. The theme this year was not about new product hype but more about mobility, interoperability and the impact this will have from a usage perspective on people’s lives.
"Designed by Apple from the ground up, Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning Flyover feature.1 All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever."
~~Apple Web site, iOS6 Preview page
The main iOS 6 improvements are Apple's own mapping application, switching from Google Maps, that will have a 3D map app, deep integration with Facebook, and enhanced photo-sharing features.
Last year’s WWDC keynote, Apple revealed more about OS X 10.7 Lion, and debuted iOS 5 and iCloud. This year, the event unveiled latest mobile iOS 6, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and the new line of laptops.
Next up was Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing who unveiled the new MacBook Pro, describing it as “The most beautiful computer we’ve ever made.” Known as the New MacBook Air, it weighs less than 4.5 lbs, is less than .71” thick, and has high definition retina display, so sharp that you don't see the pixels.
The "beautiful" laptop will retail in July starting at $2199 and will be a new industry standard for screen sharpness with higher screen quality, a 15-inch screen, 4X resolution of previous models, better video quality, and a much longer battery life.
Developers are already able to download a version of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, which narrows the gap between the PC and phone software packages, making Mac personal computers work more like iPhones.
SIRI will not be just for your car but also speak to your iPad and iPhone. There are also added virtual assistant features to SIRI which interprets voice commands and talks back to the user and is integrated with other apps – for example, you can have voice commands integrated with Yelp and Apple Maps.
Also, according to Apple, the new version of its Mac operating system, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, will go on sale next month for $20. The update brings features from Apple's phone and tablet software, like the iMessage texting application, to the Mac. There is a broader integration with social media, not just Facebok and Twitter but sharing info from devices, friends devices, etc.
So what was not mentioned at this year’s event? The Apple TV and specifically what new features will come with iOS 6, or when it will be released to consumers.
For more information, visit this FoxNews link
Other Resources
►MacRumors, June11, 2012
► imore.com, Apple releases WWDC 2012 schedule, Keynote set for Monday, June 11, 10am PDT
► Apple expected to show fresh software.
► Phil Schiller unveils new MacBook Pro
► Fox News
► Apple.com
► HuffingtonPost Tech: Apple WWDC 2012 Liveblog
► CBS News: Apple WWDC 2012: Apple announces next generation MacBook Pro with Retina Display
► Huffington Post: Apple's WWDC News: Which Announcements Clicked, Which Products Clanked And Everything Else You Should Know by Jason Gilberg
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