Underground Train Tunnel

After seeing this scene a month ago, I was intrigued. What could induce people to climb down a manhole in the middle of Atlantic Avenue? In this well-organized adventure into an underground train tunnel, two rent-a-cops control traffic around the open manhole. A generator roars above ground to light a string of lights within the tunnel.This is the line for the first tour. A second line for the second tour was lined up when we left.
Information about the tunnel is available at the website. In short it was built in the 1800s to haul goods under Atlantic Avenue. It was then abandoned for other routes and eventually sealed off. The tour guide found the tunnel in the early 80's and has spent his life since talking about it. The history is fascinating but the tale of the tunnel's discovery was just as long and not that exciting. I could have had more history. The tunnel is cool, since it's always sealed off. It was a welcome difference in temperature from subway platforms in August. It's uniform and straight, running for half a mile. The walls are lined with rock dug from Manhattan and the arched ceiling is made of brick. Flashlights came in handy. Honestly, there isn't much to see after five minutes, except more darkness. At $15 it's a little expensive, but the novelty of climbing down into an old tunnel in the middle of Atlantic Avenue will keep the crowds coming.