An Abundant Life - The Old And The New

It seems fitting that I would find myself writing about The Campbell Bar as the end of the year turns from an old page to a new one. I learned about this glorious space when they first opened, and though time and again I would talk about making plans with friends to go there, the first time I walked in was on an anniversary of sorts with one of my longest time friends when she was visiting over Labor Day Weekend, and she offered to treat me to any number of wonderful places that were some my choice and some hers. I suggested The Campbell Bar because I thought she would like to see it - I knew I'd been wanting to go for years and from everything I'd heard it would be just the sort of place that is special enough to spend time with a good friend while also being a sight seeing adventure. It was both of those things, so beautiful and relaxing to sit there, so luxurious with its old paneling and rich design, and the food and the cocktails were lovely and delicious too. It is the kind of place that makes you think of Old New York while still being chic enough to be new and exciting, and the food and cocktails, the service and the atmosphere remind you that you live in a place that has a history of being the Greatest City in the World for good reason. Outside the plush and hushed inner sanctum, the hustle and bustle of New York City's 42nd Street rushes by, and an elevator away is the stunning and invigorating Grand Central Station, a place that captivated my childhood sensibilities enough to be the focus of a requested vacation trip there with my mother in the bygone years ago when I'd never seen it before. I had three requests that vacation - to climb the Statue of Liberty, to go to Wall Street, and to take a train from Grand Central Station. At the time when we climbed Lady Liberty, we could go all the way up into the crown, something that I've never done since and that cannot be done any more. Wall Street I've found myself in and around for many different reasons over the years, and Grand Central Station too, and each time I am near any of those places, I remember my long ago childhood dream and how each one fulfilled its promise to a romantic heart.

Over the years Grand Central Station has been transformed into something even more exciting and vibrant. With the cleaning of the overhead mural and the addition of gourmet shops, luxury goods and a food hall it has become a regular destination for many people who might not otherwise be traveling by its trains. But it is those trains that make it what it is, a transportation hub to places beyond, with always that feeling that train stations have that something exciting could happen and new places could be found with their new adventures. When the Campbell Apartment opened, it had long been hidden away and forgotten. During the time of the many excavations and repairs and construction projects and renewals that were begun by the efforts of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the years before my first trip there, it had become a space that was unused and unseen by the public. Originally known as The Campbell Apartment, it had been the private office and reception hall of Jazz Age financier John W. Campbell, and was carefully and thoughtfully restored by the excellent Gerber Group under the direction of internationally renowned design firm Ingrao Inc. When it opened as The Campbell Bar, it was an astonishing discovery to know that this loveliness had been there all along, a sight that brought back the days gone by when people of all sorts of businesses traveled through Grand Central on their way to and from making New York City the great city it is today. My father and grandfather traveled that way, stopping at the Oyster Bar and having Clam Pan Roast with Gin Martinis or Perfect Manhattans on their way to and from Westchester County or Yale and New Haven. It was a different time then, and when I visit the Campbell Bar, I can still feel the promise of those nearly forgotten days which brings me to my own present and future and reminds me of why I know that New York City is and always will be the best and greatest place there is.

The Campbell Bar is part of a trio of beautiful spaces which also includes The Campbell Palm Court and The Campbell Terrace. All of them unique and lovely experiences, with a beautiful combination of historic and contemporary design features that create a feeling of elegance and comfort. Tonight, on New Year's Eve, The Campbell Bar will be hosting a Black Tie Ball. If you're a history buff, a lover of luxury, or you just like to dress in your finest, I can't think of a better place to ring in the New Year and start it off in style.

The Campbell Bar

Grand Central Station

Level B
Just Off 43rd Street

New York City

https://www.thecampbellnyc.com/

Blessings,

Jannie Susan