Footpaths beneath LA
Thread started by
User1 at 03.19.08 - 10:05 pm
Here's a must do on a rainy day, if we ever get one again.
Footpaths beneath L.A. echo with city's history -
The little-known pedestrian tunnels between municipal buildings are used for exercise and convenience. But they have been used as shelters, to ferry high-profile prisoners and to transport $1 billion.
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Can we please?
Now I know where the "secret" entrance is, I kinda sorta might take a peek inside.
markedge03.19.08 - 10:22 pm
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...big enough to drive a bulldozer through eh...
a bicycle is much smaller than a bulldozer
FuzzBeast03.19.08 - 10:37 pm
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Fuzz is this your orange piece....I holding?
skano03.19.08 - 10:43 pm
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uhh, yeah
I think i left it in front of brunch on sunday... i'll get it from you at sins
FuzzBeast03.19.08 - 10:46 pm
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Something Ridearc would do. I work in DT, I'll try to find it.
web77703.19.08 - 10:49 pm
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So, the paths are closed??? It says you can find info on them, but can you get in?
SKIDMARCUS03.20.08 - 10:49 am
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They gave a way to get in. Seemed like a rather obscure way of getting down there, but I think once you're down there, you can go pretty much everywhere. I think I'll give it a go before the LACM ride. If anyone wants to join me, give me a holla!
User103.20.08 - 1:17 pm
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I'll be checking this out tomorrow. Anyone else up for this? It will be around 2 or 3pm.
User103.27.08 - 2:32 pm
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I love this kind of stuff, if I can get into town early enough I might be down. I'm coming from 29 Palms and I get off at around 7:30 in the morning and I plan on heading right down. Please let me know!!
dolamyte03.27.08 - 2:45 pm
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There's also the farmlab thing at 12 noon. I haven't looked at my email from them yet. Just thought I'd throw that out too.
User103.27.08 - 2:59 pm
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Another stimulating discussion revolving around our city.
How Can We Use Public Space?
We invite you to join in a discussion about how art can use available public space to create community and discussion. This is led by Islands of LA, an ongoing artwork that is turning traffic islands into territories of art to create community, promote intellectual discussions in public and explore the use and availability of public space.
Friday @ 12 noon
http://farmlab.org/
User103.27.08 - 7:52 pm
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argh.
farmlab hates 8-5ers.
/
soso03.27.08 - 11:52 pm
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so, who is looking for the tunnels today?
Will someone send me a text when/if it happens? Sounds fun!
2137004664
Mook03.28.08 - 1:30 pm
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Hey sorry Mook, I saw your post way too late and was only on for five minutes on Friday.
So anyways we went on our adventure about an hour or so after the Farmlab event was over. BTW, that in it's self was awesome! Talked to the dude behind
ISLANDS OF LAand he's interested in rolling with us and doing some type of art stuff. Join his mailing list if you're interested. Also mention bikes and MR so he's aware of us wanting to roll with him.
OK so we started looking for these mythical pathways by going to the Hall of Records as was described in the article above. We didn't go inside the building, since there was elevator outside the building that went just one way, down! These turned out to be elevators going to the underground parking. We tried various floors till we saw a sign that said, "Criminal Justice Center". From reading the article and knowing where we were, we took a chance that it would lead us to the pathway and we were correct! We were able to walk the tunnels hassle free. We had a blast and I want to go back and find some more! I have a sense we haven't found all of them. We weren't too successful asking some of the peeps that were in the tunnels as to if there were others. They just looked at us rather strangely, so stopped asking. I think the ones to talk to are the building maintenance guys, unfortunately we didn't see any. Here's a link to a few of the pics I took.
click here
User103.30.08 - 12:57 pm
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NMCC - National Military Command Center
http://www.clancyfaq.com/NMCC.htm
richtotheie03.30.08 - 4:18 pm
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Cool, a potential fortress for when the recently deceased come back and wreak havoc among the living!!!
bentstrider03.30.08 - 4:19 pm
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That's bad ass Allen... So... there was no security? Just walked straight in huh? Nice..
digablesoul03.30.08 - 5:42 pm
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Yeah it was chill. I plan on going back and mapping this out. I can't find anything online in regards to a map or references. I'm hoping I can contact the author of the article to see what he knows about other pathways.
Not sure if Alex from RideArc would like to do anything. I'll show him the link.
User103.30.08 - 6:55 pm
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I would be up for a track drag party (really silent one)
HANDBONE04.1.08 - 8:05 am
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We be doin dis tomorrow!
Meet up at the farmlab if you want to go. Got alot to explore tomorrow. Come one, come all. No ridin in the tunnels. This will be exploring on foot.
User104.3.08 - 3:45 pm
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oh sorry, that's 12 noon at the farmlab.
User104.3.08 - 3:45 pm
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I finally got an answer back from the author of the latimes article. Here's what she had to say in regards to the question of the other footpaths. The last tunnel referenced below was also confirmed by someone else I talked to.
Leslie -
Allen,
After a lot of web searching, this is the only reference to the tunnel I was telling you I toured 30 years ago. I was starting to doubt my memory!
I can't find a link to the original L.A. Times article, but perhaps you will have better luck.
There are older tunnels, under Bel-Air estate, UCLA, and El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park not far from Olvera Street. The latter tunnel is alleged to have hid many during the 1871 massacre of Chinese, recounts Cecilia Rasmussen in her article "L.A. Scene: The City Then and Now" in the July 22, 1996 Los Angeles Times.
User104.15.08 - 4:32 pm
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hey Al, next time you wanna go exploring lemme know, I'm down
Eric Hair04.15.08 - 4:34 pm
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Eric,
Are you into exploring like looking for these places and researching or into just doing the tourist part?
User104.15.08 - 10:04 pm
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What's farmlab ? i'd be extremely interested in exploring this.
HANDBONE04.16.08 - 2:42 am
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ill help you look for and scout them, this like a better deal than riding on a $%(*&^ freeway.
eddieboyinla04.16.08 - 7:43 am
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farmlab info at farmlab.org checkout.
Eddie, we'll talk next time I see ya.
The tunnel can be rode through, but I think you'll really piss some people off. I would suggest just walking it. You can see alot more that you would miss with a bike. It might be open somewhere after 5pm, then it would ridable.
User104.16.08 - 1:01 pm
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You're aware that this is where the lizard people live, right?
sezdaniel04.16.08 - 1:20 pm
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The Jim Morrison People.
They also live in Topanga Canyon.
HANDBONE04.16.08 - 2:12 pm
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Yes I've been reading up on the lizard people, but I didn't want to start a discussion till my studies were complete.
User104.16.08 - 2:12 pm
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ohhh farmlab. i know exactly where that is, for the win.
HANDBONE04.16.08 - 2:13 pm
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OK I finished reading the article!
Lizard People
User1
04.16.08 - 5:17 pm
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RESEARCH LOLOLOL
HANDBONE04.16.08 - 2:19 pm
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Hey Alan, srsly, I wanna go next time! We have to find the tunnels beneith Bel Air! I bet some crazy shit has gone down under there... I wonder where the entrance could be?
Rogue Rida04.16.08 - 2:20 pm
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What am I, an asshole ova here!?
I mean I wanna go exploring; as in discover new shit, tresspass where no man has tresspassed before, draw maps previously undrawn, etc.............Shi0t
Let's hear the tresspass jokes now.
Spiral?
Eric Hair04.16.08 - 2:39 pm
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I'll show you trespassing,
in yer mom's ass!
spiraldemon04.16.08 - 2:41 pm
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even though I was ready for it, it's still funny....OH YEAH!!!!!!!
Eric Hair04.16.08 - 2:46 pm
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Dude , it's great to see we have explorers here. The next search party will be to look for the tunnels by Elvera Street. Who's up for that?
User104.16.08 - 3:49 pm
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I am in... Days best for me are Mon, Wed, and Fri. And of course the weekend...
Rogue Rida04.16.08 - 3:54 pm
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If this ride goes down, maybe we can play some "underground" music???
speedybrian200004.16.08 - 6:22 pm
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lizards dont have ears, we play whatever we want.
HANDBONE04.16.08 - 6:27 pm
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up for it indeed! down, maybe. let us know with at least a day or two to get excited.
vspangle04.16.08 - 6:29 pm
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yes within a day or two please indeed !
HANDBONE04.16.08 - 6:35 pm
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A friend of mine once mentioned going to a party in a tunnel near the LA river. It sounded like more than just some random drain pipe. I'll have to see if I can get more details. If it exists, it would be one hell of a top secret ride destination.
nathansnider04.16.08 - 10:32 pm
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count me in, too!
When is it
Coe04.16.08 - 10:49 pm
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Nathan,
Those shots are awesome! Looks like it was all St Louis except the LA red line tunnel, yeah? You would have loved the Salton Sea trip. Take a look at some of the pics if you haven't. Where's that square silo looking thing at? The one that's about 60 feet tall?
For those that haven't gone to the tunnel in the LATimes article, go check it out. It's open during business hours.
User104.16.08 - 11:06 pm
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leave lizard bikes for them
we must make contact!
sezdaniel04.17.08 - 11:56 am
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Oh, and thanks, Allan.
The big abandoned shell is in St. Louis, too. Specifically,
here.
nathansnider04.24.08 - 9:09 pm
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If this does happen tomorrow, what time?
Rogue Rida04.24.08 - 10:40 pm
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Hey guys,
Yeah we're on for tomorrow. I didn't want to make a big deal about it cause I didn't have a chance to get down there and scout it out. So this will be a strictly scouting and exploring thing. Chances of coming up empty is a possibility, but we always have the original tunnels to check out and the FarmLab event is ALWAYS a treat and well worth making by itself.
So as what a handful of us have always done was meet up at the FarmLab for lunch at 12 noon. They feed you and give you an interesting lecture. See farmlab.org for more info on the lecture.
From lunch we'll go find the tunnel(s) at Olvera Street.
Another place I've always wanted to go checkout was where the Doors did there photo shoot downtown. So that's another possibility.
User104.24.08 - 10:51 pm
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That sounds cool... Alan, you going to LACM?
Rogue Rida04.24.08 - 10:59 pm
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Shit man, when don't I?!?!?!?
Oh yeah I remember, when I was in SF for the 15 yr burfday.
User104.24.08 - 11:01 pm
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did i miss it
Coe04.24.08 - 11:28 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
i picture, the ending of THX1138
i was thinking........
maybe find hoffa?