Comments on: Beneath the city

By: Michael Blowhard

Michael Blowhard — Wed, 10 Sep 2003 04:46:10 +0000

There was a memorable scene (or couple of scenes?) set in an abandoned NYC subway station or underground subway facility of some kind in the sci-fi thriller “Mimic.” At least I think it was NYC. And I’m pretty sure the set was created on a sound stage. Still, my middle-aged Alzheimer’s aside: moody and fun to watch.

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 08 Sep 2003 18:51:25 +0000

Yes, there were several in Berlin, from the time when the U-Bahn belonged to the W. Berlin government. Looking at the map of the current system, there must have been a bunch. I remember gliding past Franzoesische Strasse, and it was just as Chris describes: dimly lit, empty. Waiting for the people to return. Which they did. And now, from the U-Bahn, you’d never know it was ever any different.

By: John Isbell

John Isbell — Mon, 08 Sep 2003 18:37:45 +0000

I went through an abandoned East Berlin station in the U-Bahn in 1990, but it was just empty. We didn’t stop. Similarly, I don’t remember any controls at Checkpoint Charlie, even though technically it was still two countries, and driving over the East German border, we passed the 100m wide swathe cut through the forest, with abandoned lookout/machine gun towers 25 feet high, and empty border checkpoints with every window smashed. It was quite moving. I could go on, there’s lots more, but I’ll stop there and let it echo.

By: Loren

Loren — Mon, 08 Sep 2003 17:44:37 +0000

From Hayden’s “Beneath the City” post: “The city is fascinating — perverse, complex, sometimes maddening, sometimes startlingly beautiful, full of the middles of stories whose beginnings and ends you never see.” That’s a wonderfully evocative opening line.