The Top 20 Secrets of the NYC Subway
The NYC subway carries many secrets, like any extensive system that was built over time. Here are our 10 favorite hidden finds.
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An Illustrated History of NYC’s Pneumatic Tubes
Through charming black-and-white illustrations, artist Julia Wertz reveals the quirky history of New York City’s famous pneumatic tubes in her new book.
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Untapped Cities Founder Talks Pneumatic Tubes on Podcast Tell Me Something I Don’t Know with Stephen Dubner
Untapped Cities founder Michelle Young was a guest on the show Tell Me Something I Don’t Know, hosted by Stephen Dubner and talked NYC pneumatic tubes.
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The Top 12 Secrets of NYC’s Roosevelt Island
NYC’s Roosevelt Island has a fascinating history and many secrets, from former lunatic asylum, abandoned hospital, underground tunnels and quirky statues.
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5 Remnants of NYC’s Pneumatic Tubes And Where to Find Them
NYC once employed miles of pneumatic tubes to transport mail and other objects throughout the city. Here is what we could dig up about where it all is now
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Daily What?! This NYC Coffee Shop Uses Automated Pneumatic Tubes to Make Drinks
Meet Mike Caswell, founder of NYC’s Roasting Plant coffee shop, which uses vacuum-aided pneumatic tubes to deliver roasted coffee to its patrons in no time.
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Fun Maps: NYC’s Pneumatic Tube Mail Network Circa 1908
There are some remnants of NYC’s 27-mile pneumatic tube mail network still viewable to the intrepid, but this 1908 map reveals the network’s extent, the promise it once held and how some destinations on the route have evolved.
MoreNYC That Never Was: A Central Vacuum System Was Proposed to Handle Waste Problems
A central vacuum system, proposed by Science and Invention magazine in 1922, would have drawn dirt and dust from NYC’s pavements and sucked them up with hoses.
MoreUntapped Mailbag: Pneumatic Tube System Photo From Building on the East Side, Manhattan
An Untapped Cities reader submitted this photograph he snapped of a pneumatic tube from his office on 86th Street and Lexington Ave, and we dug into its origin.
MoreThe Original Hyperloop Carried a Cat Through the NYC Mail System (and subway sandwiches)
We’ve been so pleased with the fact that the Hyperloop plan has brought our favorite forgotten technology to light: the pneumatic tube system in NYC.
MoreUntapped Mailbag: Where Can I Find Remnants of the Pneumatic Tubes in NYC?
An Untapped reader asked us “Anyone know where I can see remnants of the old US mail pneumatic tubes in NYC?” Here’s our answer.
MoreDaily What?!: Lighthouse Atop Building in the Bronx
Today’s Daily What?!? is a quirky lighthouse atop a building in the Bronx. How did a beacon of the sea come to guide the commuters of New York City?
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