We had whipped out our iPhone and made more than a dozen calls in apparent futility. But, finally, a source close to the M.T.A. oh-so-quietly nodded yes, and just like that we planted the first seed and watched the Apple Grand Central rumor grow. 

A month later, our sources said the rumor was off. Indeed, a 16,000-square-foot store on the balconies of a landmarked Beaux Arts terminal had always seemed a tad ambitious. Our hearts sank. We thought about trading our MacBook for a Dell. And finally, we moved on. 

But now The Journal reports that the M.T.A. is trying to lure the world's sexiest tenant back to the terminal.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is looking for new tenants for a marquee space in Grand Central Terminal, and computer giant Apple Inc. has expressed interest in putting a store there. 

It seems that restauranteur Charlie Palmer plans to close his Métrazur restaurant July 1 and the M.T.A. wants to bring in a marquee retailer to help revive the terminal. To which we have only to ask: When will it end?  

lkusisto@observer.com