Bannerman Castle - Pollepel Island, New York

About 50 miles north of New York City, and only a thousand feet from the Hudson River's eastern shore, there is a small, rocky island named Pollepel. On it stands what appears to be a crumbling Scottish castle. It is indeed the remains of an empire.

Francis Bannerman VI purchased the island in 1900 for use as a storage facility for his growing surplus business. After the Spanish-American War Bannerman bought 90% of the US army surplus, including a large quantity of ammunition. Because his storeroom in New York City was not large enough, and to provide a safe location to store munitions, in the spring of 1901 he began to build an arsenal on Pollepel

The castle, clearly visible from the shore of the river, served as a giant advertisement for his business. On the side of the castle facing the eastern bank of the Hudson, Bannerman cast the legend "Bannerman's Island Arsenal" into the wall. Construction ceased at Bannerman's death in 1918. In August 1920, 200 pounds of shells and powder exploded in an ancillary structure, destroying a portion of the complex. After the sinking of the ferryboat Pollepel, which had served the island, in a storm in 1950, the Arsenal and island were essentially left vacant. Once an uninhabited place, accessible only by boat, it was considered haunted by some Indian tribes and thus became a refuge for those trying to escape them.

City Hall Subway Station, New York

City Hall Subway Station, New York

 

The City Hall Subway Station is one of the oldest public transit systems in the world and was the original terminal of New York's subway system. It has long been the country's most comprehensive transportation system.  It was built to benefit the greatest city in the country.

The City Hall Station was the original southern terminus of the first "Manhattan Main Line" built by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company, was designed by Valencian architect Rafael Guastavino who was known for his tile work and is unique among the original IRT stations.

It opened on the evening of October 27, 1904, along with 27 other Interborough Rapid Transit (I.R.T.) stations up to 145th Street on the west side. This ornate station was the showpiece of the New York City subway system .That station is an underground architectural marvel, with tall arched ceilings covered in antique tile and glass skylights that flood the space with natural light from above.

On it the night took on a carnival atmosphere, like New Year's Eve.  Many couples celebrated in style by putting on their best clothes, going out to dinner, and then taking their first subway ride together.  Some people spent the entire evening on the trains, going back and forth from 145th street to City Hall for hours. 

Despite its beauty, the City Hall subway station was never very busy as it was never an important station. In the final year of its use it only handled about 600 passengers a day, due to the much occupied Brooklyn Bridge station. It was located on the turning loop for local trains from uptown, and both those and the express trains could be easily taken at the very nearby Brooklyn Bridge station.

The majestic subway station underneath City Hall has been inactive for more than 70 years, closing for good on December 31, 1945.

In April 1995 it was announced that federal grant money was to be sought to restore City Hall station and open it as a branch of the Transit Museum, but it is within City Hall's protected zone, and so worries about terrorism have kept it closed. 

These days the best way to see the City Hall station in person is to stay on the downtown 6 as it loops toward the uptown platform after its final stop. 

Actun Tunichil Muknal ATM, Belize, America

This cave is one of the most popular Mayan burial sites in Western Belize.

The cave was discovered in 1992, and was subsequently featured on the National Geographic Explorer film, Journey through the Underworld. Actun Tunichil Muknal represents one of the most well-preserved examples of pre-classical Mayan culture (around 700 - 900 AD), featuring skeletal remains of human sacrifices and scores of Mayan pottery and other ceremonial objects, The most famous skeleton inside the cave is that of a young girl, the bones of which have been completely covered by the natural processes of the cave, leaving them with a sparkling appearance. The cave itself is several kilometers long with several chambers.

The cave was opened to the public in 2000. In a country not known for protecting its cultural heritage, ATM cave is one of the few protected places, with only a few guides authorized to lead tours of the cave. Be very careful, however, as none of the skeletons or pottery are roped off, and one tourist has already accidentally stepped on and broken one of the skulls.

Once in the caves you will spend several hours swimming, climbing, and exploring. Once in the inner chambers you will take off your shoes and explore in only your socks to prevent damage to the artifacts. This adventure is challenging and a good level of physical fitness is required. The ability to swim is a plus as you will need to cross deep water to enter the cave and will be wading through water several times both inside and outside the caves.