Friday, November 17, 2006

Link of the Day

Here's a link to those places that may haunt your dreams or, perhaps, entice you as you drive through an old Rust Belt city. Abandoned factories. Worn-out, empty 3-flats. Tunnels that appear to go nowhere. Sewers and drains. I'm referring to not-so-licit amateur urban "archeology", which appears to have more than a bit of a following in this country and elsewhere. Wikipedia has a good article on the subject.

(In the case of Chicago, there's that narrow gage railroad that runs throughout the Loop connecting with the 3rd basement level down in most major buildings; Sarah Paretsky featured it several years ago in one of her V.I. Warshawski detective novels. It's right up there with Floor 3-1/2 in the City-County Building where the Board of Election Commissioners used to store their records.)

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:34 AM

    I couldn't raise the link--pooh

    Hermano

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  2. Lord, I'd forgotten all about that railroad!

    The depth of mystery below street level in Chicago is stunning.

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  3. Hermano -- the link is fixed -- I tested it, which I should have done earlier.

    k -- that's one of the things that fascinates me about Chitown. Did you ever read any Paretsky? She brings the grubbier parts of the city to life for me! I love her.

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