Grand Central decadence on a Wednesday night

Last night, my friend R and I left work early and spent the better part of two hours enjoying one of the great luxuries of our office neighborhood: Grand Central Station. Here's the rundown on what to do there.

Oyster Bar aside, there are tons of pleasures to be had in and around the station: a craft beer store, an olive oil shop and an incredible food market oozing with fresh fish, bright flowers and luscious chocolate. The market - through mortifyingly expensive - is my favorite place in the station.

First we taste-tested, and ultimately purchased, some gorgeous 24-month prosciutto de parma and a chunk of stinky goat at Murray's Cheese. Then we hit the spices. Displayed in rows of lovely little pyramids, they are first sniffed, then approved and then encased in tins to go. 

And OH the colors - tumeric yellows and ancho reds and bright dill greens. Swoon. 

Up next: one of the most expensive cocktails in the city at the Campbell Apartment, an old-world New York bar also located inside the station. The place is the former private salon of tycoon John W. Campbell; it was restored to its original opulence in 1999 and now plays host to the suit-tie-steak-scotch crowd on a nightly basis. R's singapore margarita (made with fresh pureed ginger) beat my glass of wine by a mile.

Final pitch: if you've never been here - or if you're a tourist in the city and not on a tight budget - this place is worth a visit.