The Grand Central Whispering Gallery: Where It Is and How to Make It Work

Where it is: head down to the lower level and find the domed intersection of walkways in front of the Oyster Bar. The low arch is lined with cream-colored Guastavino tile, the same vaulting the Oyster Bar sits under.

How to do it: one of you stands in a corner of the arch, the other in the corner diagonally across, roughly 40 feet away. Both face the wall, close enough that you're nearly talking into the tile. Whisper. The curve of the vault carries the sound overhead, and your friend hears you as if you were standing next to them, while people walking through the middle hear almost nothing.

What we'd add: it's a busy passage at rush hour, and the trick works best when it's quieter, so go mid-morning or later in the evening. It takes about five minutes, which makes it an easy add-on to a train or a walk through the main concourse.

We're three blocks south of the terminal, on East 39th Street between Park and Madison, so Grand Central is a few minutes on foot for us. If you want somewhere to sit afterward, the Raines Law Room is on our ground floor and open to anyone who walks in.