Another side of New York
I just wanted to post a video that went on the internet 2 months ago. Some of you may have seen it as it was posted on the popular site Gizmodo. It’s about this urban explorer, Andrew Wonder, who taped this adventures of sneaking into out-of-use subway stations, a city sewer, and on top of the Williamsburg Bridge
I thought it was great that he did all this. Personally, whenever I’m on the 6 train going downtown, I sort of have the urge to try and stay on once it reaches City Hall because rumor has it that there’s a lot of things to see past the the City Hall station (perhaps graffiti or some great architecture).
3 responses so far
This project is incredible. There is an entire subculture of people using the city as a big playground/museum. I find his expression “it is the piss test” very illustrative of the thrills one gets when using the city in an illegal fashion.
I find the part on people living under the city most fascinating. We all know that the real estate in NY is skyrocketing, but those people could ironically say that they live in Manhattan. So here is raised the question of stereotypes associated with the place where one lives in NY. It is also inspiring to think that maybe one day there will be a legitimate city under New York City. With some urban planning imagination maybe we can get to create livable places for those who are faced with an underground life.
The idea of a livable world beneath the surface, or underground, is really fascinating. Thanks for sharing! There are a couple of great American novels that call attention to the existential possibilities underground in NYC: Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and Thomas Pynchon’s V. Both are big books that deliver big ideas. A small book, packed with complexity is Fydor Doestoyevsky’s Notes from Underground. Its not about New York, but it does make a person think.
If anyone is interested in reading more about underground living, I would suggest you read “The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City.” Also, you should also watch the documentary “Dark Days” by Marc Singer. The first 10 minutes of the documentary are up on YouTube. It really goes deep into the underground world and really opens your eyes.