# Time stops at Grand Central **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764 "2008-02-15T17:18:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/1 "2008-02-15T17:18:49Z")
Take a look at a cool idea. [http://current.com/items/88830919\_time\_stops\_at\_grand\_central](http://current.com/items/88830919_time_stops_at_grand_central) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/2 "2008-02-15T17:25:41Z")
Okay, that is way too cool. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/3 "2008-02-15T17:28:41Z")
The group doing this is Improv Everywhere. They do [lots of neat stuff](http://www.improveverywhere.com/missions/). ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/4 "2008-02-15T19:09:49Z")
That was pretty cool. I wonder if they were inspired by the Grand Central Station scene from the movie **The Fisher King** where everyone starts ballroom dancing with eachother for a few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/5 "2008-02-15T19:18:28Z")
I saw this the on another board the other day; very cool. One commenter noted that the people taking photographs of the event will have a tough time explaining them. “See! This guy here, was perfectly still. But these people were moving, and this one… I guess you had to be there.” ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/6 "2008-02-15T19:43:26Z")
I was kind of wondering myself why anyone would take a picture of the “frozen” people, or film them…maybe it’s a New York thing! Very cool vid and idea. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/7 "2008-02-15T19:54:53Z")
Well, filming at least makes sense, but pictures would definitely be a little tricky… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/8 "2008-02-15T20:12:46Z")
[QUOTE=HelloKitty] I was kind of wondering myself why anyone would take a picture of the “frozen” people, or film them…maybe it’s a New York thing! Very cool vid and idea. [/QUOTE] It’s a New York tourist thing. I surprised no one kicked one of them in the nuts or anything 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/9 "2008-02-15T21:45:45Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] I surprised no one kicked one of them in the nuts or anything 😃 [/QUOTE] …or started helping themselves to wallets and such. 🙂 Very cool performance. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/10 "2008-02-15T21:50:10Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] I saw this the on another board the other day; very cool. One commenter noted that the people taking photographs of the event will have a tough time explaining them. “See! This guy here, was perfectly still. But these people were moving, and this one…\*\* I guess you had to be there\*\*.” [/QUOTE] No, your account was quite funny. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/11 "2008-02-15T21:54:12Z")
I definetly want to find this thread when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/12 "2008-02-16T00:41:32Z")
Improv Anywhere is so awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/13 "2008-02-16T00:51:48Z")
I love guerrilla happenings. Especially the kind that screw with you on a basic level like this. It would be perfect, though, if at some point someone dressed as a typical commuter drone enacted a freakout, spewing hysterical abuse at all the people Not Acting Normal. ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/14 "2008-02-16T02:31:06Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] I love guerrilla happenings. Especially the kind that screw with you on a basic level like this. It would be perfect, though, if at some point someone dressed as a typical commuter drone enacted a freakout, spewing hysterical abuse at all the people Not Acting Normal. [/QUOTE] I dunno. I think that what’s great about it is that it’s all so, well, peaceful. A single guy carrying on would draw attention to a single spot and take it away from the situation as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/15 "2008-02-16T02:35:05Z")
OK, good point. I guess I was thinking of it all as performance art, with some point to make about the society we live in. But that’s pretty tiresome to most of us. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-stops-at-grand-central/437764/16 "2008-02-16T03:14:45Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] It would be perfect, though, if at some point someone dressed as a typical commuter drone enacted a freakout, spewing hysterical abuse at all the people Not Acting Normal. [/QUOTE] They tend to emphasize the harmlessness and surrealism of their stunts, so a freakout would be kind of anathema for them. In these things their rule is also that everyone must play everything completely straight. It makes it that much funner.