Due to its tragic demise, the first Pennsylvania Station has been overshadowed in American consciousness by its Eastern counterpart. However, upon its completion in 1910, it was arguably one of the grandest structures in the United States.

Passengers from Long Island, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania would have departed from the Pennsylvania Railroad and entered into McKim, Mead, and White's Beaux-Art masterpiece. The enormous station was modeled after the public building of Rome, its architects inspired by structures like the baths of Diocletian.

With its soaring arches, spacious halls, and refined waiting rooms, the 1910 Pennsylvania Station was thought to be one of the finest examples of architecture in New York. Upon its demolition, Ada Louise Huxtable wrote for the New York Times "The tragedy is that our own times not only could not produce such a building, but cannot even maintain it."

While Pennsylvania Station was lost, thankfully Grand Central Terminal survives. Built by the New York Central, Grand Central was completed three years after Penn Station.

The interior of Grand Central was designed by the architecture firm Reed and Stem with Warren and Wetmore doing additional design work. Initially, the two levels of the terminal denoted intra-city travel and commuter trains, but this ended after intra-city travel stopped servicing Grand Central. The most iconic space is undoubtedly the Beaux-Art main concourse with its sweeping ceiling mural depicting constellations. Conceived by Warren and the artist Paul Cesar Helleu, the mural was initially painted on to the ceiling, but was damaged over time due to water and accumulation of grime. A replacement copy was installed on plates in 1945.

Those entering on the lower levels of Grand Central are treated to graceful vaults. While these are lower than the soaring arches of Penn Station or the Grand Concourse, the Guastavino tiling and detailing make the lower halls as dignified as their larger counter parts.

The Atlantic Terminal was the latest of the three and the most modest of the three. The second depot opened in 1907 and was an expansion on the previous depot. Servicing a freight and mail, it certainly exceeded the size and grandeur of other Long Island Railroad stations. While it might not match Grand Central or Pennsylvania Station in beauty, it provided Brooklyn with a major terminal.

However, the Atlantic Terminal took its lumps. As profits dove, the Atlantic Terminal suffered greater neglect and decay. Soon the terminal was inhabited with meat markets and dry cleaners. Large portions of it were even demolished. However, it has survived to this day and, following major renovations, has maintained its status as Brooklyn's transit hub.

However, trains aren't the only mass transport ferrying people into New York. In 1947, the Port Authority approved plans for a bus terminal to be erected near Penn Station. Built-in the international style, the new terminal was completed in 1950. Its warm bricks were evocative of the Works Progress Administration, its clean design was intended to be modern and functional.

However, the Port Authority Bus Terminal was quickly found wanting. With massive amounts of traffic, it became a locale famous for its grime and criminal activity. As New York fell upon tougher times, the Port Authority and its surroundings were known as hot spots for danger. Moreover, while the demolition of Pennsylvania Station became synonymous with the failure of preservation, the Port Authority became renowned as a failure of public building.

Not only was the Port Authority unsafe, but it was also found guilty of an even more damning crime; being ugly. People found its brick and international style to be boring and plain. Not only were its corridors crime-ridden, but they also accumulated dirt, scant natural light made hallways and spaces gloomy and unwelcoming. Subsequent renovations meant to improve the terminal only exacerbated its problems. Compared to New York's magnificent train stations, the Port Authority bus terminal was a grubby replacement.

If Pennsylvania Station was New York's Past, and the Port Authority offered a grim view of the future, the TWA Flight Center was a breath of fresh air. Opening in 1962, the terminal was designed by Eero Saarinen for Trans World Airlines.

The design mixed architectural styles with expansive windows, sleek curves, and striking white concrete. Saarinen sought to make it airy and avian, evoking the nature of flight. Passengers purchased tickets in the main hall and proceeded to their flights down red-carpeted tubular hallways.

Unfortunately, most airline terminals today don't look like the TWA. However, the Flight Center demonstrated that there was space for beauty in transportation's future. If the Port Authority was drab, the Flight Center was an exciting look at the future: the Jet Age captured and distilled.