The Hole, Revisited

The Hole has been visited many times before by many people.  I recently stumbled upon "The Hole" on another person's blogspot.  He's got some really great stuff on there.  Anyway, known as "The Hole" this neighborhood lies on the Brooklyn/Queens border and is somewhat 20-30 ft below grade.  When it rains, water tends to stay there and collects, making somewhat of a swamp kind of thing.  The area is kind of weird, besides the fact that its sunken into the ground and all.  Less than a block away you see gorgeous houses that have a lot of property to them, but then you also see these dilapidated houses.  The Hole has been labeled as a "reputed mob dumping ground.  Once nearly 200 bodies were found in a development in The Hole.  Here you will find how The Hole is now, if anything has changed throughout the years.

I honestly have no idea what the thing on the right is.  It sits in an empty lot rusting away.

Street lays flooded.  It stays flooded because this area is technically under street level, so this area has no drains or sewers.  Every time it rains usually a pool of water will collect in various spots.  The water got at least ankle deep.

Ducks make use of the little pond created by previous rain falls.

An old dodge lays on a blocked off, dead end street,

Row of abandoned houses

Here is the inside of one the"abandoned houses." The entire structure collapsed internally, but the exterior is still standing.  In front of the house we came across two dirt mounds and a funky kind of stench.  A man with a shopping cart walked by us and told us not to go inside, as he claimed that he owned this property,

A mini steam roller sits parked in front of a residents house.  Wonder what it was used for... then again what else would it be used for.

A burnt out car sits in front of an abandoned house.

Something seems... out of place here.

Another street is flooded.

Salvation lies outside of The Hole.  You can see how the street level rises as you would get out of this place.

Beware of dog...or cat?  The hole is home to many, many cats that roam around.  We saw a colony take shelter in an abandoned car.

Another abandoned house sits around.

As we walked out of the hole, we saw a couple of cowgirls casually stroll by traffic.

It Exists Under Queens

Under Queens is something quite unusual.  It's been there for quite a while and has been discovered many times before, but still not a whole lot of people know about it.  I'm talking about a long forgotten bridle path that resides near the Union Turnpike.  Supposedly it was built in 1933 and was part of an old bridle path for horses.  I guess eventually it just faded away like the rest of the past and became forgotten.

Looking into the tunnel.  It's pretty short actually...

Looking away from the tunnel

The other side of it

An old tricycle found at the other end of the tunnel.  Who knows how long it's been there.

The Polo Grounds... Station

Stairway to nowhere

 Nestled under the Major Deegan Expressway, this station is practically buried 50 years in the past.  The Sedgwick Avenue Station sits cold and abandoned under the Major Deegan in the Bronx.  Ever since the Polo Grounds Stadium went, demand for the Polo Grounds Shuttle line eventually discontinued, along with the 9th Av El.  This station was just left abandoned and to rot away with time.

These many pictures were taken in November of 2011.

One of the many abandoned cars that lay here next to the station.  Looks like it's at least from the 90s.

One of the many pieces of graffiti that cover this station

What is left of an old entrance in the station.

Many pieces of garbage and also sleeping bags from squatters lay on the old platform. 

Another bricked up entrance at the far back of the station. 

This is what lies under the Major Deegan Expressway.

Someone's pleasure spot... 

A CN (Canadian National) work hat lays on an abandoned piece of track not too far from the station. 

The Bay Ridge Branch

          Long ago, New York was a place that thrived through rail transportation.  People used it to transport freight all across and people.  When the automobile became the more favorable option, rail use started to decline, and in some places fall into abandonment.  While the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch isn't quite abandoned (It's owned by New York Atlantic Railway which transports freight), it is a reminder of what once was.  The Bay Ridge Branch is quite surreal in some parts, especially when trees are in full bloom.  Come and take a trip down the the Bay Ridge Branch.

The following photos were taken over two separate days in October 2011.

                                             Looking down the line.

                                                                                      

KEF

                                                                The (F) train at one point crosses over.

A basketball sits laying under an overpass. Who knows how many kids over the years lost toys and such that ended up down here.

A random bucket lays right in the middle of the tracks.

This is an escape route along the way.  Surprisingly it's relatively sturdy, after all, it's just cardboard and wood supporting you.  Most of the ways to get in along this section are in fact in peoples backyards, so be careful, and don't do anything dumb.

Random cat on the tracks.  Funny how this random lady came up to me as I looked down at the tracks from the street, and told me stories of how she's seen vicious pit bulls along the tracks.  Thankfully none were encountered here.

From street level, this looks like an old metal trestle from who know how long ago.

Running under an overpass

Wonder how old these tags are from...
Can also see a homeless camp.

Trash and graffiti.

Looking down to infinity...