New York City is one of the busiest places on Earth, but it also might be one of the most considerate of that fact. According to The New York Times, every commuter train leaving the famous Grand Central Station departs a minute later than scheduled, in order to give those caught in traffic or just running late an extra 60 seconds to catch their train. Considering the fact that approximately 900 trains leave the station every day, that's a pretty big break and a big commitment. For decades, employees have been given the "real" departure times, and the secret has been kept that way for a good reason: If riders knew they had an extra minute, they might slow down and -- ouch -- miss their train anyway. And before you start planning to arrive a minute late, keep in mind one thing: Train conductors have the option of leaving at the publicly scheduled time if no one is waiting on the platform.
Great facts about Grand Central:
- Grand Central Station is a misnomer; the station's real name is Grand Central Terminal.
- It took 10 years to build the train station, which was designed in the Beaux-Arts architectural style.
- The 48-acre station sees 750,000 people pass through its doors every day to leave from one of its 44 platforms.