August 04, 2004

Going places you're not supposed to go. Toronto drain tunnels and beyond!
posted by spackle 20 years ago
  • This post has made my day. In particular, the Paris catacombs article fascinates me. I tried to show this to my wife and she just clucked her tongue and walked away. She is definitely of the "If they don't want you to go there, you shouldn't go there" philosophy. No appreciation!
  • the Paris catacombs article fascinates me I've been. You should.
  • I want (and have for awhile) to see some of the old tube stations in London - occassionally you hear rumours of tours, and whatnot, but I know of none, and they are boarded up tight. I walk by the Strand station frequently, and sometimes, on the Northern line between Angel and Old Street I think I can see flashes of some larger space...I want to see it, those old stations shut up and off, with the lights flicked out but everything else untouched. Also usufruct is a brilliant word, but those extraneous umlauts? Cluttery. Nifty post and nice to see Toronto from a new perspective.
  • I'd hit it.
  • spackle, thanks for a fascinating tour of so many strange places; exotic to see into the spaces underpinning our lives.
  • Damn fine post. Makes me want to grab my flashlight and hit the road.
  • So, Wolof, was your catacomb experience similar to the one described? It sounds harrowing.
  • I wish I had the guts to go exploring more often. I'm at a new college for my phd and from my previous (admittedly minor) explorations of my BA and MA schools I know that college campuses are full of all sorts of weird places. (the basement of my freshmen dorm was an old bomb shelter for example).
  • you can also visit Seattle, I've been to Edinburgh (and recommend the tour) and would love to visit Moscow.
  • was your catacomb experience similar to the one described? Sorry, only did the tourist catacombs. (Takes about an hour, from memory.) I think 10 hours underground in the dark would drive me spare. You can also do a great tour of the sewers.
  • "like an underground amphitheatre, with terraces cut into the rock and chairs". I was twisting my brain into pretzel shapes trying to imagine terrace rock-cut chairs, but realised I was being stupid.
  • That sentence got me too. I was reading it to #2 and had to reread it to figure it out.