The weekend before last Jeff, Jake, and I hit up the abandoned Rochester subway. I guess it’s sort of an annual thing now. The Rochester subway was a light rail rapid transit line that operated from 1927 to 1956. The subway was constructed in the bed of the old Erie Canal. Most of the tracks have since been removed but it’s a really incredible tunnel nonetheless. The main part, where light flows in, is filled with colorful graffiti. It’s a really interesting spot to go visit, take photos, and poke around.
We walked the entire length again this year. It really wasn’t too much different from last year. We did manage to find a new little path to go down though which was an awesome discovery. There was an opening and a strange tunnel that kept going and kept going but I wasn’t really feeling it. It was clear someone was living there, deep underneath the city. I really don’t like the idea of invading someone’s personal space like that so if ever somewhere feels like it might be someone’s home I’m out. Not to mention the fact there were around five million cigarettes, I’m barely exaggerating here, and the smell was hard to handle. I’m so curious where the tunnel went though. I’d love to go in deeper, maybe next year…
Of course, there was new graffiti as well. I’m sure things are constantly being changed around down there. People were even painting while we there. One of my favorite things from this trip was Halloween themed graffiti! Ghosts, pumpkins, spooky creatures, and more! It was so awesome!!!
hornbill above done by Mr. Prvrt who paints some real rad stuff (+works with Wild Wings Inc, an organization that houses injured and non-releasable birds of prey in NY)
See ya again next year, Rochester!
xoxo
Find last 2014’s abandoned subway post here.
9 comments
Oh man those ghosts are so perfect!
Aren't they? I was losing my mind!
This graffiti is awesome! So bright and colorful!
Although I've lived here all my life, I've actually never been in the abandoned subway! Obviously, lots of photographers love going, but because I know a lot of people also live there, I feel similarly about invading their space. Have you seen any of the WALLTHERAPY pieces around the city?
xox Sammi
http://www.thesoubrettebrunette.blogspot.com
I actually don't think that very many people live in the main subway part, perhaps in little off shoots like the one I mentioned above. Yeah, so many awesome murals in your city!
Hey! I thought you might be interested in another cool place that is in Rochester that you might want to check out if you haven't already: The Mushroom House at Powder Mills Park :).
http://flourcitydistribution.com/hump-day-inspirations-4/mushroom-house-powder-mill-park/
HOLY COW! That looks amazing! Thank you for sharing! 😀
[…] had the day off work for Martin Luther King Day. The original plan was to head to Rochester for our annual abandoned subway adventures but at the last minute our friends weren’t able to make it. While we still have a lot of […]
[…] wandering around the city on foot. We woke up fairly early Sunday with hopes of getting the abandoned subway again, and finding some abandoned buildings to shoot. I felt a little uncomfortable with the subway […]
Comments are closed.