Rather than canoodling in a dimly lit cocktail bar booth, young Gothamites are flocking to a long-lost corner of Grand Central Terminal to privately lock lips.
Back in the day, the Biltmore Room, better known as the “Kissing Room,” allowed travelers to steal a goodbye smooch from a loved one without clogging busy train platforms.
In its heyday, the historic alcove, designed in 1913 and once tucked beneath the now-shuttered New York Biltmore Hotel, even featured a cheeky warning: “no kiss longer than five seconds.”
But after years stuck behind construction walls, the Kissing Room — now located on the commuter hub’s main level, near the Grand Central Oyster Bay bar — is back in plain sight, bigger than it once was. And NYC historian John Friia, who has spent years digging into Grand Central’s hidden past, says once New Yorkers spot the mysterious “Biltmore Room” sign, the history hunt begins.
“So many of us carry these storybook visions of romance, and this city keeps making room for them,” he told The Post.
Friia says the space feels ripe for revival now since it reopened in May 2023 after years of renovation to include the LIRR at Grand Central.
“Whenever younger New Yorkers discover any aspects of New York City’s history, I think it is incredible because so much of our city’s history and identity has been lost or forgotten,” he said.
For Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Noelani Buonomo, 25, stumbling upon the Kissing Room with her boyfriend Dustin Chase, 27, felt like a throwback antidote to swipe culture.
“As the world becomes increasingly digitized, it’s so important to maintain spaces that are specifically built for analog connection,” the Brooklynite said.
“I think we can always use a reminder to slow down and connect with our partners.”
The UX designer admits the irony isn’t lost on her — she met her boyfriend, Dustin Chase, on Tinder — but says their relationship quickly jumped offline, with museum dates, film photo shoots in Central Park and city wandering.
Learning about the Kissing Room’s romantic past made those IRL moments feel even more meaningful.
“It’s bittersweet, too. It also makes me think about the context of the era, since it’s my understanding couples would often greet each other as one returned from war,” she said.
“I think it also speaks to the humanity of the city … It’s awesome to have a reminder that underneath a busy and commercialized city, there’s an underpinning of something really human.”
That sense of history-meets-heart is exactly what’s captivating younger New Yorkers, says Friia.
“To understand why the Kissing Room existed, you have to remember the time it was around,” Friia explained to The Post.
“The idea for the room was simple: a space to show affection to your loved one boarding or departing a train while not disrupting the flow of people constantly rushing around Grand Central.”
Back then, public affection was tightly policed — literally.
“The kiss could not last longer than 5 seconds, absolutely no tongue, and you only kiss in the ‘Kissing Gallery,’” Friia said.
“Even the chief engineer of the Grand Central Terminal, George Kittredge, referred to the room as the ‘perfunctory peck spot.’”
Friia says his fascination with the Biltmore Room started with a detail most commuters walk right past.
“Whenever I traveled out to Long Island, I would enter Grand Central Madison from the Biltmore Room and notice this chalkboard sign with train times behind glass. It really piqued my interest, so I started to do some research on it,” he said.
The board — a relic from Grand Central’s pre-digital days — still displays the names of trains that once ruled the rails.
“The names of the trains that are currently on the board are the same trains you would have found departing or arriving from Grand Central in the 1960s, like the Murray Hill, Yankee Clipper and the Knickerbocker.”
For Sunnyside, Queens, resident Jenna Murray, the romance of the Kissing Room lies in the anticipation — something she says modern dating often lacks.
“I think it’s romantic that New York once built an actual room in Grand Central just for kissing,” Murray told The Post.
“Something we’re missing in modern day is the excitement of anticipation. Having a certain time you had to meet someone and a space meant just for that feels really sweet.”
The 30-something photographer and her husband, Brian Murphy, met working at a bar near Grand Central and spent years sneaking off on low-key dates inside the terminal — including the iconic Oyster Bar on the lower level.
“I love that couples kissing goodbye before getting on trains was actually a real thing and not just something from old movies,” added Murray, who told The Post he is in his early 40s.
“Knowing the space was meant for that makes it feel more special.”
More than a century after its creation, the Kissing Room is once again doing what it was built for — carving out a pocket of intimacy in the middle of New York’s constant rush.
In fact, lovebirds will have even more of a chance to connect — and smooch — in the Kissing Room this weekend: The venue will host a joyous, no-pressure” speed-dating event (RSVP is required) and Valentine’s Day-themed “curated market” from 3-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13.
As Friia put it, in a city that never stops moving, this forgotten corner offers something rare: permission to pause.
“In those small, perfectly romantic moments, the city keeps rushing past, but time feels like it belongs only to you.”
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