Appointed station

Palladino’s Steak & Seafood (Midtown East)

RESTAURANTS • First Person

Grand Central Terminal, first opened to the public in 1913, has always been one of New York City’s crown jewels, but the structure’s modern era didn’t come into being until its massive makeover during the ’90s. From 1994-1998, Grand Central underwent renovations that nearly doubled its retail space, including the addition of the basement food court, additional restaurants, and the pièce de résistance, the restoration of the Main Concourse ceiling.

At a weekday lunch last week, I looked up at the ceiling’s array of golden stars and constellations, taking it all in anew, with that measure of awe that New York City still inspires. It’d been nearly a decade since I’d last sat in the same spot, on the west balcony overlooking the Main Concourse floor, when it was Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, which opened as part of that 1990s revamp.