thisisundernewyork

[thisisundernewyork]

The Woman with the Purple Hood is always wandering around the Lexington Soda Shop. The place itself has been there for almost a century and the interior looks it too. Step inside for a visit into the past. A little nostalgic and a little bit eerie. The owner still chimes greetings to his regular clientele. There’s something greasy and peeling about him, but none of them seem to notice. The walls and the seats have a layer of grime that no amount of cleaning seems to hide. There are only two servers. Both of them blend in with the place as if they’ve never been anywhere else. Maybe they haven’t. Usually, the diner closes at 7 in the evening, but you can sometimes catch the lights on at around 10. This is when you’ll see her lingering most often, if you want to have a chat.

If you can find her near the diner at this time of night, you might get a story about the luncheonette that you wouldn’t otherwise hear. A story about the owner and his son and the regulars that never go anywhere else. She’ll tell you about a time when the soda fountain used to overflow and the decor wasn’t so retro. She’ll tell you about the pact they all made there after dark and the secret that sold them to the underground. 

Just don’t let the owner catch the two of you chatting, and don’t look into the hood too closely.

Take a look at the pictures inside the diner next time you go. You might recognize the people smiling back. They’re all around you and haven’t aged a bit. They’re greasy and peeling too. 

[thisisundernewyork]

Callahan sleeps outside of the park after dark. Central Park stays open until 1 am but you will never see him inside after dusk. Callahan has been homeless for a very long time and he’s okay with it. He has found out secrets no one else ever could. And one of those secrets is under a dark bridge in Central Park.

It moves around from place to place, never quite settling. Callahan says you can hear it outside but no one ever listens. It hoards many things under those bridges and if you happen upon one of its stashes, stealing an item might grant you some wishes if you know how to use them right.

Just be careful it doesn’t catch you and never, ever turn around until you’ve left the park grounds.

[thisisundernewyork]

The subway stations close every so often and sometimes more than that. People complain that it is incompetence. They would be right enough for above ground systems, but the subway is not to be trifled with.

Take a trip from anywhere down to Grand Central Station at 3am. You should reach the station at exactly then, no earlier or later. Walk through the main concourse. Take a look at the depicted constellations above you. Listen for the ever so silent ticking of the central clock.

If you wait long enough some say you can hear a whisper. It beckons you to follow it. Walk around the clock three times counter clockwise. Take a look at the furthest wall. One lone train ticket booth will be available. Some say there is a single train that leaves only then at this time. Some say it's a different train that comes back.

Taking the trip is the only way to know for sure.

[thisisundernewyork]

Tourists come for the buildings and the sparkling advertisements that offer merchandise or entertainment. They don't wonder what is under their feet or the buildings that bear down upon them with their ominous, burning aura. It is only the ones who have lived here all their lives that know. There is something under new york. Sometimes it is just an odd feeling of being watched in that time between day time and evening. It's the faint irritation that slides up from the ground and seeps into your shoes. The smog you breathe from over congested streets. The ash on your tongue. The quiet little fear you ignore when the rats skitter down the subway station when there is no train coming.

There is another city in the shadows of this one. You can find it if you dare.