Hidden Surprises

  • A Mental Asylum Cemetery Hidden In The Woods

    A Mental Asylum Cemetery Hidden In The Woods

    On Call Hollow Road, in the Pomona/Stony Point area about 25 miles north of the city, there is a trail that leads off into the woods. Follow the trail in, and you’ll quickly find yourself surrounded on all sides by towering trees. A few minutes up the trail, just after you cross over a small…

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  • Century-Old STEAM GENERATOR Hiding In A Hospital Basement

    Century-Old STEAM GENERATOR Hiding In A Hospital Basement

    Last week, I was scouting a hospital basement for interesting spaces when I happened to notice something lurking in one corner… …this enormous iron wheel-shaped machine: As it turns out, this was part of the original steam generator system that powered the hospital in the early 1900s (now long since out of use). Made by…

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  • The Pizzeria In A 19th Century Times Square Church

    The Pizzeria In A 19th Century Times Square Church

    When you first come to Eighth Avenue between 43rd & 44th, it appears to be nothing more than a strip of touristy gift shops. Swing around the corner on 44th Street, and you’ll just find a row of restaurants. But look at this intersection from above, and you’ll see something unusual hidden from view… Nestled…

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  • Inside the Paramount Theatre, Shuttered For Over 25 Years

    Inside the Paramount Theatre, Shuttered For Over 25 Years

    Whenever I drive down Bay Street in Staten Island… …I always wonder about the boarded-up movie theater between Union and Prospect. Shuttered for over 25 years, this was once the art deco Paramount Theatre, one of Staten Island’s grandest movie theaters. Built on the site of Cornelius Vanderbilt’s childhood farmhouse, the Paramount opened in October,…

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