While there are so many creepy, abandoned places for urban explorers to visit that seem to be hidden in the middle of nowhere and far out of reach – some are right under our noses, literally.
New York City has been around for centuries – always moving, always changing and naturally, some parts get forgotten about and left behind.
Some may be obvious, as the skyline adapts, buildings are often scrapped and closed down but some areas of the city were never meant to be seen by the public and have been kept hidden below the city’s streets.
According to Abandoned Spaces, there are many tunnel systems that once played a vital role in the city but have never been in the public eye.
Take the McCarren Park Pool Tunnels for example – it is under one of the most frequented leisure centres of the city, with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and other sporting activities.
However, the pool features underwater lighting, as well as filtration and heating systems, all of which require a behind-the-scenes infrastructure – which is why there are secret tunnels going underneath it for easier maintenance.
There is also the Track 61 Grand Central Terminal which is hidden beneath the Waldorf Astoria New York Hotel.
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It once had a long history of being part of the city's train system for years but it was closed and due to be converted for more modern trains in the 70s.
But the work was not completed and the tracks have seen very little use since – other than when it was allegedly used as an escape route for President George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell during UN General Assembly meetings in 2003.
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Although, the most awe-striking station left in disrepair is the City Hall Station which originally opened in 1904 but permanently closed by the end of World War due to dwindling passenger numbers.
City Hall Station remained in limbo for decades, until it was designated a New York City Landmark in 1979 and now receives visits from tourists looking to soak up a piece of the city's history.
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It's a shame the same can't be said for the fate of the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel which is the oldest railway tunnel in North America to run beneath a city street after it opened in 1844.
The tunnel was sealed in 1861 and lay abandoned until March 1918, when the FBI broke into it to investigate suspicions that German terrorists were using it as a hideout to make bombs.
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Nothing was uncovered, and it lay undisturbed until 1980 when a man rediscovered it after climbing down a manhole at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street.
The tunnel was declared a historic landmark and tours were held inside from 1982-2010 – however, the tunnel is now too dangerous for visitors and remains in limbo.
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