The crowds seemed to be bigger than ever this past Sunday for Bob Diamond's famous tour of the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. Folks were lined up all along the length of Trader Joe's at Atlantic and Court Streets in Cobble Hill.Maybe they came after reading the recent article in the Brooklyn Eagle suggesting that the tunnel is haunted. (Seriously.)
Every once in a while a group would detach and move to the center of Atlantic Avenue, protected from traffic by a few sawhorses and a couple of plastic barriers (just a bit more substantial than the simple orange cones used in days past).Diamond discovered the long-lost tunnel -- which runs under Atlantic Avenue between Boerum Place and Hicks Street) in 1981, after hearing about the legend of a Civil War era rail tunnel on a radio show. After an eight-month search (during which he was repeated advised by City officials to give up on his lost cause) he dramatically uncovered, intact, the world's first subway tunnel.
Once you actually see what you're getting into, it might give you a moment of pause. You do have to climb down a hole which leads deep under Atlantic Avenue!
But you can (probably) do it!(These tours are for the relatively hardy. Wear sneakers and bring a powerful flashlight.) Also, visit the web site of Diamond's Brooklyn Historic Railway Association.
Some video and photos of the interior here.
- Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Is Probably Haunted
- What's Behind the Wall? Atlantic Ave. Tunnel Mystery
- Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue Tunnel: What's Behind the Wall?
- Let Them Laugh: Bob Diamond's Brooklyn Trolley Idea Gains Traction
- Mole People Back in Brooklyn?
- Lineup For Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tour
- Brooklyn Spelunking: Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tours Return
Photos by MK Metz
Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.
I was on this tour and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done! Afterward I told Bob Diamond that he is the coolest guy in NYC, and I meant it. I really appreciate what he's doing to protect this awesome piece of history and share it with the world. All New Yorkers should take this tour. My only complaint about it was that a good half of the attendees last Sunday seemed completely uninterested in anything Bob had to say and instead talked - loudly - through the entire thing, making it harder for the rest of us to hear. Why did those people bother coming?
ReplyDeleteSome people just follow the wave. They drift from one thing to another but never get it.
ReplyDelete