
Abandoned island in the middle of NYC - zmitri
http://backspac.es/r/62JmCbXLb8/abandoned-island-in-the-middle
======
powdahound
This is the island where Typhoid Mary
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_Mary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_Mary)),
the first person in the US detected to carry typhoid without showing symptoms,
was quarantined. There's a great Radiolab episode where they take a trip to
the island;
[http://www.radiolab.org/2011/nov/14/](http://www.radiolab.org/2011/nov/14/),
[http://www.radiolab.org/2011/nov/14/typhoid-
mary/](http://www.radiolab.org/2011/nov/14/typhoid-mary/)

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Samuel_Michon
There are actually a couple of uninhabited islands in the East River: North
Brother (the one in the article), South Brother, Mill Rock, and U Thant.

If you find this stuff interesting, you may want to check out Forgotten New
York[1], a site run by movie location scout Kevin Walsh, who gets access to
places few people get to see in the city. Another great blog is Abandoned
NYC[2].

[1] [http://forgotten-ny.com/](http://forgotten-ny.com/)

[2] [http://abandonednyc.com/](http://abandonednyc.com/)

~~~
vivin
There's an island named after the 3rd UN Secretary General? I did not know
that. Cool!

~~~
Samuel_Michon
Yup.

“There is a forlorn little spit of land in the middle of the East River by the
United Nations, called U Thant Island.”

“In 1977, a group of United Nations employees who meditated with Sri Chinmoy,
a Queens-based mystic, had the island re-christened in honor of the Burmese
diplomat U Thant, who was the third Secretary General of the world body from
1961 to 1971.”

[http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/06/nyregion/fyi-652520.html](http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/06/nyregion/fyi-652520.html)

~~~
shawnc
My uncle was very close friends with Sri Chinmoy, and I met him a few times in
my youth. Fascinating man.

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subpixel
If you ever do any exploring of old/abandoned buildings like this, you better
use a respirator. Asbestos + neglect + vandalism is a nasty combo.

~~~
riveteye
I want to emphasize this. Always use appropriate safety equipment when
exploring old buildings. Steel-toed boots are also a very good idea, in
addition to a respirator.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration#Safety_and_le...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration#Safety_and_legality)

------
CoffeeDregs
Got one here in the Bay Area:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawbridge,_California](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawbridge,_California)

Fun, though dangerous [active train track; passenger trains pass at 100kph],
place to visit. Just walk out the trails from Alviso in the south bay. I've
done it about 3 times. Old dead buildings falling into the marsh. Walkways
lead from the tracks to the water's edge (for maintenance?).

Note: it's illegal to visit (dangerous + nature sanctuary), so go at night..

~~~
whyenot
No, don't go at night. Don't go unless you are part of an organized tour.
Drawbridge is along the train tracks used by Amtrak and ACE trains. At night,
freight trains also use the tracks, and not on a set schedule. If you are at
the wrong spot and a train is coming, there is literally nowhere to go except
for a swim in the mud. I went there on a tour, I think through Palo Alto
Baylands. I'm not sure if tours are offered anymore, a quick google search
didn't come up with anything. It's an interesting spot, especially if there is
someone along who knows the history, but there really isn't that much to see
anymore, most of the houses have sunk into the mud.

~~~
seany
IMHO the biggest risk out there is getting caught not the trains. The tracks
leading up to that area have clear sight lines for miles. I've been out there
4 or 5 days over the years and have only really had to deal with trains a few
times, and you always knew they were coming with many minutes to spare (10+
for a slow moving freighter, to just under 5 probably for an ACE train). Not
to say it isn't dangerous, but if you can jump to the left or to the right and
are worried about some mud I'm not sure that this is the place for you to
explore :)

On the other hand I've had several friends get nasty fines from LEO's while
out there, or on there way out there. YMMV

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meerita
I love these islands.

Hashima island is one of these
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashima_Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashima_Island)
in Japan. Or well the
[http://wikitravel.org/en/Shikoku](http://wikitravel.org/en/Shikoku) is
another place you can go and see the forgotten life.

Check this one too [http://gakuran.com/gunkanjima-ruins-of-a-forbidden-
island/](http://gakuran.com/gunkanjima-ruins-of-a-forbidden-island/)

~~~
3rd3
Ha! This picture [1] of Hashima Island instantly reminded me of the James Bond
film Skyfall. Apparently it served as an inspiration.

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E8%BB%8D%E8%89%A6%E5%B3%B...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E8%BB%8D%E8%89%A6%E5%B3%B6_%284%29.JPG)

~~~
Jagat
You're right. From wikipedia "In the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, the island
served as an inspiration for the lair of villain Raoul Silva but filming did
not take place on the island itself. One section was recreated at Pinewood
Studios in Great Britain and the rest via CGI"

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emiliobumachar
Given real state prices in NYC, if find it hard to believe it's still "too
expensive to build everything" now, _if_ it was so in the 60's. Perhaps there
is more to the story? Does anyone know why this place doesn't get developed?

~~~
joonix
Because it's an island with no infrastructure. There's still tons of cheap
real estate in the Bronx that's pretty close to Manhattan. That'll get
gentrified well before a poorly located abandoned island with no transit
connections would.

~~~
chaz
Included in "infrastructure," but worth noting separately: NYC real estate
prices are very dependent upon transportation time. Without any bridges,
tunnels, or public ferry service here, actual distance from Manhattan doesn't
really matter -- it's very far away.

~~~
iso8859-1
Speedboat? How long would it take?

~~~
chaz
About as long as a slow boat.

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zachgersh
NYC loves to do all sorts of interesting things with its islands. Another
island that most New Yorkers know nothing about is Roosevelt Island:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island)

It has had a very long history including having a prison/small pox
hospital/mental hospital.

~~~
greenyoda
Another interesting island in NYC is Governor's Island, which the city is
planning to develop into a recreation and tourism area:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governors_Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governors_Island)

~~~
rdouble
It already is a recreation and tourism area.

~~~
techtalsky
That is true. I was recreating there two days ago, and New York's public
interactive art festival, Figment NYC is held there.

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alan_cx
If abandoned buildings is your thing, then this Russian site is a fantastic
way to waste a lot of time.

[http://lana-sator.livejournal.com/](http://lana-sator.livejournal.com/)

Google translate will help with navigation.

~~~
Samuel_Michon
Also, English Russia:
[http://englishrussia.com/category/exclusive/](http://englishrussia.com/category/exclusive/)

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iguana
I like that in the last photograph, the bullet holes are clearly from someone
shooting from the inside out. Who was trying to get inside, and where are the
bodies?

~~~
ctdonath
Look again. Someone inside shot a smiley face in the shape of |:-)

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seanconaty
If you like stuff like this, you should check out this photographer's flickr.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4019607](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4019607)

He takes photos of abandoned buildings. If you're in SF he's got some good
ones of 140 Montgomery, the art deco building that is now being refurbished
into new digs for Yelp and other companies.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnelbug/sets/7215761380385022...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnelbug/sets/72157613803850225/)

He's also done Neverland Ranch, and the Jackling House Mansion (home to Steve
Jobs and one point)
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnelbug/sets/7215759415352040...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnelbug/sets/72157594153520402/).

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Alex3917
There is another island in the middle of NYC that has a mass grave where the
government has buried over 850,000 people. It's not open to the public though,
and apparently they go to great lengths to keep the public and the media away.

~~~
dailyrorschach
That would be Hart Island,
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_Island,_New_York](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_Island,_New_York)

It's the potter's field for the City of New York, where unclaimed remains and
the remains of those who can't afford a burial are buried by Riker's inmates.

~~~
lostlogin
Thank you for that. I found that very sad, but addictive reading. The supposed
origin of the term potters field was news to me too, and I didn't previously
know what Judas did with his coins.

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lostinnyc
It's also the site of the worst NYC disaster prior to 9/11:
[http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/north-brother-
island](http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/north-brother-island)

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corin_
Biggest thing that struck me in this piece wasn't really related to the topic,
but was: " _Art still remained from the heroin addicts who had lived in the
rehab center_ " \- reading that made me realise what a big disconnect I have
in my head between the sort of people who would create "art" on their walls
with the sort of people I think of as heroin addicts.

On a conscious level I know that anyone can be a heroin addict, I could become
one, my brother/boss/friend might already be one... but I've only just
realised what a predisposition I still hold onto.

~~~
rdouble
When I think of heroin addicts, I mostly think of artists and musicians. And
Sherlock Holmes.

~~~
girvo
Holmes was actually a cocaine addict ;)

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ewams
From the last picture, if the door was closed, the shots were fired from
inside the building. Doubt the shots would have came from police at "nearby
Riker's Island."

~~~
thecosas
I thought the same thing. I believe what they intended to say was that police
from Riker's came over and used the island, not that shots were fired from
Riker's through the door.

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joeblau
Im surprised billionaires haven't snatched these up and turned them into
private islands.

~~~
rdouble
You're overestimating the appeal of an island in the middle of the East River.

~~~
joeblau
I laughed because you're absolutely right. I just figured that if its near
Manhattan, it can't be that bad.

~~~
Samuel_Michon
Also, if you live there, you can’t be called ‘bridge and tunnel’, because
there is neither a bridge nor a tunnel.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_and_tunnel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_and_tunnel)

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skyebook
Another NYC gem is the abandoned Cobble Hill Tunnel on the border of Cobble
Hill and Brooklyn Heights. It is also the oldest cut and cover construction in
North America for the subterranean fans out there.
[http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobble_Hill_Tunnel](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobble_Hill_Tunnel)

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blux
Another interesting island nearby is Hart Island. See
[http://googlesightseeing.com/2006/08/island-of-the-
dead/](http://googlesightseeing.com/2006/08/island-of-the-dead/),
[http://goo.gl/maps/VplQF](http://goo.gl/maps/VplQF)

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iamthedata
H.P. Lovecraft used similar imagery and atmosphere:

"The vast huddle of sagging gambrel roofs and peaked gables conveyed with
offensive clearness the idea of wormy decay [...] Stretching inland from among
them I saw the rusted, grass-grown line of the abandoned railway, with leaning
telegraph-poles now devoid of wires, and the half-obscured lines of the old
carriage roads to Rowley and Ipswich."

[http://hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/soi.aspx](http://hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/soi.aspx)

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alexkehayias
Lived here for 8 years and still learning something new. Got to love NYC! Also
throwing it out there that Backspaces has really good, off-beat (in a good
way), artistic content like this all the time.

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bitwize
Going through those photos, I was on the alert for Clickers...

~~~
rthomas6
What are Clickers?

~~~
bitwize
The recent video game _The Last of Us_ focuses on exploring abandoned and
overgrown environments while being on the watch both for hostile humans, and
for zombie-type creatures infested with a mutant _Ophiocordyceps_ fungus that
attacks humans instead of insects. "Clickers" are one such subtype of
infected; their eyes have been overgrown with fungus so they use echolocation
to find you and make distinctive screeching and clicking sounds.

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D9u
Awesome photos, and I never would have imagined that anyplace in NYC could be
so abandoned, but further reading shows that the island is occasionally
patrolled by authorities.

More info & images: [http://www.businessinsider.com/north-brother-
island-2012-2?o...](http://www.businessinsider.com/north-brother-
island-2012-2?op=1)

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photorized
If you are into that sort of thing - some photos I took of the abandoned
Harlem Valley Psych Hospital

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/mva/sets/72157618704382364/with...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mva/sets/72157618704382364/with/3559061664/)

~~~
zmitri
If you have any cool stories about those places to go along with the pictures,
post them to backspaces and I'll make sure they get seen. I build the app with
a friend.

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ges
This is for this kind of story that I love Backspaces. Makes the Internet a
better place.

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haberman
What is the legal status of a place like this? Is it trespassing to take a
look around?

~~~
rdouble
Yeah, you're not supposed to go out there.

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zw123456
Perfect plot for a cinema verite' horror flick: scene: "hey, I heard about
this cool abandoned island off NYC, I double dare you to kayak over there and
spend then might". Mayhem ensues... Kickstarter movie anyone?

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ganeumann
I know someone from jersey who was approached about investing in the island
back then. I thought it sounded pretty cool. He said "except that's where all
the escapees from Rikers wash up."

I couldn't tell if he was joking.

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eksith
Behold: The future of all civilization once man has left Earth to nature.

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nwh
Why is half the available screen space of this website asking me to download
their app? There's an app banner, another banner at the top, and a banner that
floats with the text at the bottom.

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breadbox
The photo of a fire hydrant drowning under ivy is especially striking. For
some reason it communicates "abandonment" to me more clearly than the ruined
buildings.

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apl002
Cool pics but this is for reddit, not HN.

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sage_joch
Looks like something right out of the /r/nosleep subreddit.

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niels_olson
I believe the "x-ray" machine is actually an iron lung.

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argumentum
It's vaguely beautiful ..

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jfletch1925
Nothing but flowers...

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Protometheus
Dibs.

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rorrr2
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Brother_Island,_East_Riv...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Brother_Island,_East_River)

It's now a bird sanctuary, and it looks like it's illegal to be there.

