The joke goes ‘who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but NYers can't agree on the punchline
Most people have heard the joke 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but New Yorkers and tourists at the famous Morningside Heights landmark this week couldn't agree what the punchline is.
The obvious answer is the so-obvious-it-can't-be-correct 'Grant' as in Civil War general and former US President Ulysses S. Grant. But maybe it's also 'Grant and his wife' — or no one at all.
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8 Most people have heard the joke 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but New Yorkers and tourists at the famous Morningside Heights landmark couldn't agree on what the punchline is.
Robert Miller
8 A group about to go on a tour of Grant's Tomb, located in Riverside Park, Upper West Side.
Robert Miller
'Actually, he's entombed. He's not buried!' said S.F., who was visiting the tomb on the Upper West Side on July 23, the 140th anniversary of Grant's death.
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'It's Grant and his wife, Julia,' S.F. added. 'I don't know whether his dog is in there or not.'
'Definitely not Grant, but somebody,' joked Abdullah Hashimi, 19, who was visiting the tomb from nearby Columbia University on July 23, the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. 'Just because it's Grant Tomb, it could be anybody!'
8 'Definitely not Grant, but somebody,' joked Abdullah Hashimi, 19, who was visiting the tomb from nearby Columbia University on the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. 'Just because it's Grant Tomb, it could be anybody!'
Robert Miller
Lifelong New Yorker Pat Sopak, 75, said the punchline has changed over the years — to maximize it's punch.
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'It's too weird. It's obvious,' Sopak said. 'It's constantly updating.'
Grant was a Republican from Ohio, but lived in the Big Apple for several years. The former Union Army hero's 1885 funeral was reportedly attended by 1.5 million at a time when the city's entire population was 2 million.
8 'It's too weird. It's obvious,' Pat Sopak, 75, said about the punchline. 'It's constantly updating.'
Robert Miller
8 Inside Grant's Tomb, a 150-foot-tall monument in Riverside Park that opened on April 27, 1897, after fundraising from the Grand Monument Association.
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8 The 1885 funeral was reportedly attended by 1.5 million.
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But the 150-foot-tall monument in Riverside Park didn't open until April 27, 1897, after a fundraising effort by the Grand Monument Association.
Today it attracts about 110,000 visitors per year and is run by the National Parks Service.
Park Ranger Miranda Allen said she's asked about 'who's buried in Grant's tomb' nearly everyday. She attributed its origins to 'You Bet Your Life,' the Groucho Marx-hosted quiz show from the 1950s and said it was written as an easy question for Marx's contestants who might need redemption.
8 Park Ranger Miranda Allen said she's asked about the joke nearly everyday.
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8 'In order to be buried, you have to be in the ground,' Allen said. 'Since the remains are in sarcophagi, so they're actually above ground. So no one is buried in Grant's Tomb,' she said, joking the correct answer is 'no one.'
Robert Miller
'However, they didn't consider the semantics of the question when they wrote it. So, when you're asked 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' it's easy to assume, well, it's Grant. Sometimes we'll get 'well, actually it's Grant and his wife.''
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Allen said the joke's on them though — the correct answer really is 'no one.'
'Because in order to be buried, you have to be in the ground.' Allen said. 'And given that this is a mausoleum, since the remains are in sarcophagi, so they're actually above ground. So no one is buried in Grant's Tomb.'
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I am a man of my word. I don't recommend doing this but I said I would so I did. While counterintuitive to our mission of improving sidewalk etiquette and educating the world on the core principles of awareness and consideration, I hope it brought a smile to your face. Appreciate all of you supporting me on this journey, more to come on the road to 100K. #fyp #fypシ #nyc #newyorkcity #nyclife #foryoupage #foryourpage #targetaudience ♬ original sound – Matt Bass 'Anything above that is, like, 'Wow, this person's moving with some urgency — they've got some purpose in those steps,' he said. 'Stay on the right, generally, and go around the light posts if there's room on the curb – that's not off limits. If you're carrying things, don't wave them around; like, groceries and shopping bags don't need to take up that much width. Think about the real estate,' he advised. 8 It's not that he whispers, but he prefers to keep his voice low to avoid harassing random pedestrians — effectively bypassing awkward interactions for both parties — but keen-eared New Yorkers sometimes pick up his commentary regardless. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post To be clear, his metric system is not numerical. Rather, it relies on a robust vocabulary, sharp sense of humor and his very own invented walking jargon — pointed terms like 'scaffolding hogs,' 'chain link fence' and the dreaded 'drifter.' Though he emphasizes awareness, consideration and efficiency, he knows those aren't hard and fast rules. Compassion and respect are also important, he said. @mvttbvss The prop sub-series continues, this one was less effective than the air horn (obviously 😂), I'm sure the comments will agree it was less entertaining as well but at least I did it. Comment what you want to see next, I'll do my best to deliver for you 🫡🤝🫶 #nyc #newyork #newyorkcity #fyp #nyclife ♬ original sound – Matt Bass It's not all commiseration in Bass' comment sections, either. According to him, he has some regular haters — but he chalks most of the criticism up to bitter 'bad walkers feeling called out.' As a result of TikTok's unique algorithm, random users — and more often than not, they appear to be non-New Yorkers — often stumble onto Bass' page, where they issue wise words of advice on how to get around bad walkers. 'Just say excuse me' or 'I usually go around' are two of the most popular proposals, and depending on their attitude, sometimes warrant a pithy 'Thanks' from Bass. Not that there's nothing wrong with being a slow strider, he added. Really, the art of being a good walker is awareness. 8 While tourists unaccustomed to New York sights — and speeds — are often featured in the series, Bass finds that students and other large groups of people often tend to lack awareness. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post 'It's hard to capture with exciting commentary, but slow, good walkers exist. There are people who have good formation strategies when they're walking with a group,' he said. 'I saw this the other day, like, actually the slowest group ever, but they were walking in a single file line under the scaffolding. 'I was going, like, 'Thank you, you're the best' — like, I should have given them flowers.' TikTok commenters come to Bass' bad walker series for his quick-witted, amusing commentary, but it seems as though many of them stay for his insights on how etiquette and mutual respect impact the city's sense of local community — a seemingly rare notion in the contemporary moment in time. Hundreds of users have asked him to go to cities around the world — Boston, London, San Francisco, Chicago and Venice, to name a few — and even more have requested commentary videos filmed inside stores with notoriously irritating customers like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Costco. He plans to accommodate at least some of the asks. If nothing else, Bass is a man of the people — and an excellent walker.
