Last weekend Karen and I did something I’ve had on my To Do list for a long time: go on the Atlantic Ave. Underground Subway tunnel Tour. The tunnel is officially the oldest subway tunnel in the United States and the only way to get there is to climb down the manhole in the middle of Atlantic Ave. and Court Streets. How cool is that?
Anyway, on to the highlights…
We got there expecting maybe 10-15 people and came upon this line and arrived and saw this:
and half the people had already climbed down below! Here’s the entrance in the middle of the major intersection:
I was ready.
Karen descended first.
Once you climbed down you were in a very low-ceilinged area filled with dirt with this little hole in the wall in front of you.
“Watch Your Step”
Here’s the other side of that hole:
We got down there and found the giant tunnel filled with people. Taken out of context, it looks like a scene from Cloverfield.
The climate was about 25 degrees warmer than the surface and replete with condensation.
Here’s a good view of how far the tunnel goes.
And here’s a quick look at my badass spelunking face!
In all seriousness, it’s a great tour if you’re into Brooklyn + general New York City history. It takes about 1.5 hours and the guy who gives it has a great personality that adds a lot of color to the historical events that led up to the tunnel’s discovery more than 25 years ago.
