LTVsquad.com // NYC Urban Exploration :

SPERM WHALE / SNIPERS ALLEY

What we have here are 2 locations along the same rail line. I have named them seperately, for up until now I never ventured into 'sperm whale' tunnel, and only made my way though 'Snipers Alley".

"Snipers Alley" is what we called the embankment south of this tunnel. There are sheer cliffs of rock on either side, covered in trash. The tracks for a very long time were abandoned, and during that time of abandonment, the homeless moved in en masse. More on this further down...

"Sperm Whale" (you'll see why we call it that later) tunnel, was one of NYC's larger homeless underground encampments. Once upon a time, during the early to mid 1990's, myself and someone else ( I can't recall who now...) started walking towards this tunnel. We passed through a smaller one, and just as we were about to enter this one, someone in the darkness started ritually banging on a large metal drum. The sound bounced all over the darkness of the space, louder than anything you'd think possible. We perceived this to be a warning to both us and the tunnel residents -- for us, it meant that we were right fucked if we didn't haul ass out of dodge -- and to the others living deeper in the tunnel, that intruders were near and to arm themselves and attack. Needless to say, we got the hell out of there and didn't look back..

Years after this incident, myself and Ms. Rabbit went through 'Snipers Alley" on a mission that is highly classified. Better armed, we were not worried one bit about potiental attack, despire numerous stores of people being attacked here. Back then, this area too was largely populated by homeless who did not take kindly to anyone else being there. Usually, a voice would call out from the darkness asking 'who's there!?". You could never tell where it was coming from - usually a cliff high above you or on the opposite side of the tracks. If you didn't answer, bottles and all sorts of debris would rain in your direction. There was a reason they lived here: these people did not want visitors. they were hardened homeless persons who had survived the worst of times in the city - times when their fellow homeless were beat up or set on fire as they tried to sleep in parks or alleys. Here, in this embankment, overpasses and tunnels, this was their land. their turf, and they did not care if they hurt you because no one would hear or care about your screams. Thus the reason we used to call the enbankmnets outside of the tunnel 'Snipers Alley' ( we would always answer 'graffiti artist, just passing through' when called at - which always was accepted as meaning you were not there to cause them trouble, and also resulted in a few friendly conversations with the natives). They were not out to randomly hurt people. They were, however, very protective of their space and of each other. All they wanted was to sleep and live without being set upon by others out to hurt whomever they could for more gang cred).

Fast forward another 6 or 7 years, and here we are today. Same area, same dirt, same rats... except for the tunnel... the tunnel that we never got to enter still sat in the darkness, primed for exploration. Finally visiting this place, and seeing just how extensive the camping areas were, was fabulous. This tunnel, during it's day back then, was easily home to at least 50 homeless. It could have accomidated many more for all I know.Tonight though, we did not see anyone else. The only remains were the trash from their camps, fire damaged walls, graffiti and filth everywhere... The wild west atmosphere was replaced with quiet serenity.

As happy as I was not to have to worry about anyone throwing shit at me in the darkness, I could not help but to feel that this tunnel, this area, this city on a whole, has lost some of it's flavor... Call me crazy, but I miss the days when one could walk through here with a 357 in one pocket and a can of Krylon in the other...when you could encounter the homeless here, determine you were not a threat to each other, and engage in long 4AM conversations about life in this big city. Back then, everyone was just trying to survive in one form or another, and once it was apparent that you were on the same page, the bond was instant. It's been a long, long time since I've run into a homeless person in one of these tunnels and gotten into a chat like that... part of me wishes it would happen every time I came down here, the other part is happy to know that many who once lived down here now live better lives...