“Hi scoutingny! I don’t know if this would interest to you, but it is definitely unique, and should experienced at night, because you can’t see it during the day.”

“On the west side of the Park Avenue sidewalk, between 36th and 37th street there is a small construction crew. I don’t know what they are working on, but I’m pretty sure it’s a ventilation shaft for the LIRR connection to GCT.”

“When you are walking on the grate, look down.”

And that’s how I found myself suddenly standing over a 150-foot hole in Park Avenue.

Seriously, that’s a straight drop of 150 feet, equivalent to 15-stories. To put it in perspective, see that green dot in the above picture? That’s an MTA worker 150 feet down talking on his cell phone.

Just before Christmas, I got the above note from a reader named Jesse telling me about the shaft. “This thing is friggin’ HUGE and friggin’ DEEP!” he wrote, and he wasn’t kidding.

Pictures don’t do it justice – you’ve gotta be standing directly over the drop and feel that kick of vertigo to really appreciate it. Definitely go at night as Jesse recommends for the full effect.

And don’t worry – I’m sure that grate is perfectly safe!

-SCOUT

PS – Very special thanks to Jesse for pointing it out!

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