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Date: 2025-04-05 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027199
BUILDINGS
FROM FLATIRON TO EVERYWHERE

Bright Side Global: The Shocking Story of the Most Mysterious Tower in New York


Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix6Gvj_rKVk
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess
The Shocking Story of the Most Mysterious Tower in New York Bright Side Global Nov 29, 2023 15.9K subscribers ... 139,264 views ... 1.4K likes #brightside #brightsideglobal In the heart of New York City, a towering enigma stands shrouded in mystery and intrigue, defying the bustling metropolis around it. In this gripping video, we delve into the perplexing narrative of the city's most enigmatic structure, exploring the untold secrets and chilling tales that surround the iconic yet elusive tower. Brace yourself for a journey through the unexpected, as we unravel the shocking story of the most mysterious tower in New York. #brightside #brightsideglobal TIMESTAMPS: 0:01 Meet, Flatiron Skyscraper 09:11 Fake buildings of NYC 17:19 NY's unique bugs 27:46 Beneath NYC 35:26 Bonus: the future of the Eiffel Tower This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: / brightside Instagram: / brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me Key moments View all Featured places See more information in Google Maps Flatiron Building Historical landmark 4.5 (13K) Details Transcript
  • 0:01
  • welcome to one of the most iconic buildings in New York City its official name is the Fuller building but thanks
  • to the sharp 25° top Corner people began to associate the Tower with a flat iron
  • and today the name flat iron is stuck both to the skyscraper and the entire District around it this unusual cak
  • slice shape has turned the building into a famous tourist destination it has popped out in many movies TV programs
  • and magazines so you probably recognize this property even if you've never been to Manhattan surprisingly today the 285
  • ft tall flat iron is almost empty and these fancy walls hide a pretty mysterious dispute between their owners
  • but first things first in 1901 Construction Enterprise Fuller company
  • purchased a sharp triangular plot of land on the crossroad between Broadway and fth Avenue they hired an architect
  • from Chicago Daniel Burnham to design the company's new headquarters the task

  • 1:02
  • was to maximize every inch of available space so Burnham produced a project of a
  • 22-story triangular Tower made of steel the flat iron building resembled the
  • shape of a Greek column which means that its top and bottom are slightly wider than the middle Fuller company approved
  • the design and demolished several old buildings to clear the space for the future tower construction progressed
  • rapidly and it was completed within a year yes they used to be able to do that
  • the flat iron became one of the earliest buildings to have steel for its structural frame instead of load bearing
  • masonry also it became one of New York's first skyscrapers and the first steel
  • skeleton structure visible to the public the curtain wall cladding was also then Innovative the builders used terracotta
  • and Limestone to wrap a Chic finished look around the steel structure that carried the building's weight at that
  • time many people believed that this unusual architecture would fail to withstand high winds the Project's

  • 2:04
  • Engineers analyzed the tower's aerodynamics and created a steel frame to fight likely problems with the wind
  • but people still reported experiencing heavy gusts on the street around the building the flat iron building had a
  • bunch of other issues as you may imagine Furnishing this tight space was quite a challenge also the tower didn't
  • originally have any bathrooms for females that's why Lady tenants were at a disadvantage at first but then the
  • management added ladies rooms and placed them on odd number floors meanwhile bathrooms for males were placed on even
  • numbered floors also the first elevators in the building operated on a water
  • hydraulic system so it took over 10 minutes to get to the top now you can
  • see why that system didn't catch on it's not surprising that the media expressed skepticism over the new
  • building some even called it Burnham's falling but despite the naysayers over

  • 3:01
  • the years the tower has been home to many companies and Retail tenants also the flat iron attracted crowds of people
  • gradually it became a frequent site in paintings and postcards and turned into one of the most popular symbols of New
  • York City itself in 1929 during the Great Depression the tower was sold at
  • an auction for only $100,000 and in 1966 it got the status of an official
  • City landmark means that any renovation or demolition works are impossible
  • without the official permission of the authorities furthermore in 1989 the flat
  • iron received the fancy status of a National Historic Landmark the last tenants left the
  • building in 2019 and it is set empty ever since due to renovation Works which
  • have triggered many disputes among the building's current owners and future tenants most of the owners wanted to
  • turn the building into a hotel meanwhile Nathan Silverstein who owned a 25% stake

  • 4:03
  • in the property wanted to divide it up finally in 20123 the local Court
  • organized an auction on the building the owners who held 75% intended to buy out
  • silver scene stake to put an end to all disputes over the future of this building the bid started from $50
  • million and the price soared to $190 million thanks to an unexpected bidder
  • Jacob charlet surprisingly he beat out everyone and won the auction some
  • considered the price that he offered too high because the building required at least $100 million worth of renovation
  • hey it gets better garlic disappeared after the auction he has never paid anything not even the deposit and he
  • hasn't yet explained himself to the media so for now Garlic's location and intention remains
  • unknown little did we know that it's possible to show up at a luxurious ious auction in New York out bit everyone and

  • 5:02
  • then just vanish into space well according to some experts from the real estate world it's a very weird situation
  • for a building auction usually the biders are asked to prove their funds in
  • advance some people suspect that Silverstein asked garlic to attend the auction on purpose so that he could
  • boost the price and earn more money but Silverstein claimed that his relationship with garlic had been
  • distant on May 20th the second auction took place garlic was absent but a
  • coalition of syndicates and previous owners won the bid and acquired the flat iron for $11 million they haven't yet
  • announced any plans so today the future of the flat iron remains uncertain the
  • age of the flat iron building is only around 121 years but this famous and
  • beloved symbol of New York has survive so many chapters from challenging traditional architecture to surviving
  • multiple crises including the Great Depression so chances are that this iconic Tower will surprise us in the

  • 6:06
  • future oh by the way the flat iron is not the only Skyscraper with issues in
  • New York City here's the famous half-built leaning tower of manadan a
  • 670t skyscraper is located at the corner of South Street and Maiden Lane on the
  • East River the tower was to host 80 super fancy condos to sell for up to $7
  • million each the de developer also planned to offer yacht services to the tenants a pre-sale of this luxurious but
  • unfinished project was launched in 2018 but in 2020 the tower began to lean 3 in
  • to the north the developer put construction on hold and initiated a huge investigation to figure out why
  • this Tower refused to stay straight although the reason remains unclear the consensus appears to be that a weak
  • Foundation is to blame you think and now welcome to the Waldorf atoria a

  • 7:03
  • former host to authorities royal families and Hollywood stars and maybe
  • not so welcome this hard Deco Masterpiece is the very place where Marilyn Monroe once sted and where Grace
  • Kelly got engaged to Monaco's Prince rer III but in 2017 the famous hotel was
  • closed for a multibillion doll renovation the property's new Chinese
  • owners on bang insurance planned to partially turn the hotel rooms into condo apartments by 2019 the condo price
  • was planned to reach up to $18 million per unit but eventually something went
  • wrong and the date of the project completion was postponed until 2025 at
  • best although according to the media the renovation might have already cost
  • around 2 billion bucks some insiders mention poor coordination within the
  • project caused by the dismissal of of its American director they also blame the property's new owner doia Insurance

  • 8:04
  • Group which took over the project after the chairman of amang was sent to prison for fraud in
  • 2018 to date the future of the waldor Historia remains unclear so I'd try
  • another hotel if you're visiting the Big Apple and here's another Heartbreak
  • Hotel story in 2019 a development firm cetr group launched the construction of
  • a 33 story hotel near Madison Square Garden and Penn Station the project was
  • supposed to open in 2021 and joined the management portfolio of IHG hotels and
  • resorts which runs multiple hotels however the developer failed to either
  • repay its loan or complete the construction on time meanwhile the hotel
  • remains unfinished and the estimated investment for its completion totals around $16 million hey you want to
  • finish the the job wow look you here it's New York City

  • 9:06
  • the Big Apple the city that never sleeps Hong Kong on the Hudson the greatest city in the world New York New York the
  • city so nice they named it twice all right I'll stop you thought
  • you knew this city so well but underneath all that Glitz and glamour is a facade literally New York is populated
  • with some of the most iconic Urban buildings in the world and home to some of the most unique and famous towers who
  • would have known that New York was a front for fake buildings and the cool thing is that there are plenty to search
  • for okay I'm adding that to my bucket list so the question is why do they put
  • these fake buildings all over New York the city is one of the most vibrant places in the world and requires many
  • infrastructures to keep the city in motion that means having many industrial structures and buildings in every major
  • District New York is Charming for the design and the buildings imagine having

  • 10:02
  • industrial structures right next to your favorite pizza parlor or hot dog stand the designers thought ahead and decided
  • to disguise those industrial infrastructures as fake buildings they blend with the city so well that they
  • don't stand out they look like your good old apartment or housing unit with a front door re life windows and even
  • Charming balconies where people would hang out the only thing is that there's nothing behind the facade and no one is
  • allowed inside so where in the world can you find these fake buildings for
  • starters one of the most popular fake buildings is in Brooklyn at 58 Jamon
  • Street you can find a very typical neighborhood but between the buildings stands a brick building with a slightly
  • Deeper Shade than the rest it has bright open windows that blend in with the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood
  • except that they're blacked out at first glance you might not think of it as anything but if you pay close attention
  • the building looks like a glitch from a video game it was built in 1847 way

  • 11:05
  • before New York was considered glamorous originally it was meant to be a regular building but in 1908 they converted it
  • into a fake building don't think you can just try to break in even if you could
  • it's pointless because it's part of a ventilation fan for the subway it also
  • serves as an emergency exit for some of the surrounding buildings actually throughout new New York many fake
  • buildings exist to disguise the subway vents for the smoke to escape all the way to 415 Brookner Boulevard the Bronx
  • this townhouse was designed by the Switzer Group which is an interior architect company it's not as Charming
  • as the one at 58 Jor Lemon Street but it serves a similar purpose to hide an
  • electric substation for New York's utility company the city needs these substations to reduce the high voltage
  • electricity to a lower voltage so it can be distributed locally having a building

  • 12:02
  • like this popping out of the middle of your neighborhood isn't exactly the smartest way to attract people to the
  • Bronx that's why the fake townhouse facade is the perfect camouflage now
  • some of these fake buildings don't really hit the mark and stick out like a sore thumb the people of Manhattan
  • describe the mry square infrastructure as a complete clunker after plenty of redesigns and back to the drawing board
  • meetings the result is still not pretty the locals compare it to a concrete box
  • they created Windows without glass which doesn't allow the building to blend in with the rest of the neighborhood but it
  • beats a typical Subway ventilation plant either way there are just so many places
  • to visit and cross off your bucket list but if you live in China you can literally stay in the country and visit
  • many iconic cities around the world the replica cities began when the Chinese
  • economy started booming in the early '90s they wanted the lifestyle of the Rich and Famous without wanting to leave

  • 13:03
  • their country they can be comfortable eating their local food and get the feeling of being abroad the Chinese
  • province of Guang dong has an identical copy of the historical Australian Alpine
  • Village hallad the real hallad is centuries old and one of the most Charming places to discover the local
  • people of hallad also had no idea that their home was being built in China some
  • people thought that this was controversial probably because it cost around $940 million to build it Paris is
  • undoubtedly one of the most Charming cities you could ever visit its Rich history and vibrant culture are enough
  • to catch the first plane to go there for residents of tiand du Chang that's something they can do anytime they want
  • the city is also known as Sky City and has a replica of the Eiffel Tower that looks eily like the iconic one in Paris
  • and built buildings to match the city's visual charm one of the main things that will break the charm is the Farmland

  • 14:04
  • surrounding the city there's barely anyone there and the streets are always empty very UNP Paris likee still you can
  • find some nice fountains and statues scattered along the streets to give it some Spirit there's laundry hung
  • everywhere even on the trees the picturesque fountains are dry and many apartments are empty only a few stores
  • are open for business even though this looks like a fake City it's quite real
  • some people live here because it's more affordable than other places 2 hours away from this town is another version
  • of paris's PA Alexandria III and a carbon copy of London's tower bridge but
  • with four Towers instead of two hey such a bargain you can also visit the closest
  • thing to Italy but this time you can go shopping florentia Village is an outlet
  • mall that offers an array of shops to Lose Yourself the good thing is that this was built by an Italian developer

  • 15:01
  • to capture the essence of an Italian Village it has fountains canals and mosaics for proper Aesthetics it began
  • in 2011 and has more than 200 shops with many italian Brands and British us and
  • Chinese Brands as well the place is so popular that it gets between 10,000 and
  • 25,000 visitors per day China also has other replica towns that put you in a
  • mini Manhattan called the Yu poo Financial District the developer goal was to make this place the financial
  • center of the world it was complete with the right landmarks like the Rockefeller and Lincoln centers but the project was
  • halted in 2019 leaving it mainly empty you can find a typical English town with
  • Cobble streets Victorian homes and restaurants that make temp's town this
  • place was meant to recreate a European lifestyle fantasy without leaving Shanghai China also has a Dutch town
  • that has some elements of Amsterdam with windmills and famous canals they even

  • 16:03
  • decided to copy some of the landmarks like the Netherlands Maritime Museum
  • here's a bonus story of lebanon's thinnest building built out of a dispute it's the story of two brothers who both
  • inherited unequal plots of land one of the brothers happened to get a very thin plot of land and couldn't help but be
  • jealous of his brother's nice plot of land he wasn't pleased both of the lands
  • overlooked the Mediterranean Sea SE in a lively neighborhood of Beirut so it's no
  • wonder that both brothers couldn't agree on how they should develop their lands it was obvious that the brother with the
  • most land could build a proper building the other brother had to improvise he
  • decided to obstruct his brother's property by constructing a thin building enough to only fit 14 ft at its widest
  • and 2 ft at its most narrow it was constructed in 1954 and the locals of the area know it
  • as The Grudge the crazy thing is that the place was once habitable with many

  • 17:04
  • visitors enjoying their stay it's not easy to live there but it's part of living the experience the building is
  • still standing but is empty wow every morning 8 and 1/2
  • million people wake up in New York City but the Big Apple doesn't belong only to humans this is the city of ants there
  • are 17 billion of them here they live in houses hide in the grass crawl under
  • asphalt and climb trees for every New Yorker there's a sneaker box filled with
  • ants City ants are more fortunate than their Forest cousins they don't have any need to look for food millions of people
  • leave behind tons of hot dog crumbs pizza slices and coffee drips insects
  • just have to wait for a lunch break in an office building then they gather around benches in the park or Cafe
  • tables a lot of food is just waiting for them there over 1 billion that's how many

  • 18:03
  • ants are running through the streets and parks of Manhattan and in this ocean of insects scientists have been able to
  • spot tiny reddish brown creatures these insects don't fit into any of the 13,000
  • ant species known to science they're unique and only live in Manhattan their
  • kingdom is between 63rd and 76th streets scientists don't know how long the man
  • hat ANS have evolved in isolation they arrived in the US on ships from Europe
  • and were cut off from the rest of the city's infrastructure but why go anywhere else
  • if there's enough food the Manhattan loves fast food especially corn syrup
  • because of such a diet the insect's body has an increased carbon Conta this isn't a problem for the ant though carbon
  • helps it adapt to the dry warm weather of the concrete jungle around 20% of New York City is
  • part s and green spaces white-footed mice live in these places scientists

  • 19:03
  • have found out that the mice that live in New York have evolved they're different from their Village
  • relatives these changes are genetical it's caused by the diet of white-footed rodents that feed on human food waste
  • for example New York mice need enlarged livers to process fatty acids from fast
  • food Central Park in New York is almost twice the size of the principality of Monaco a unique centipede is only found
  • in this green area the creature called Hoffman's dwarf centipede doesn't grow
  • any longer than 0.4 in it lives in heaps of dry plants and runs on 41 pairs of
  • legs this crustation measuring only a bit more than 0.3 in is called the
  • sakuro isopod it's one of the rarest animals on the planet the creature can
  • only be found in a small thermal spring near sakur New Mexico the isopod lives

  • 20:00
  • in the water as warm as 90° F and covered with a layer of algae these are
  • ideal conditions for the creature to get to mile cave you'd have
  • to repel 65 ft down that's the height of a four-story building after that you'd
  • crawl through narrow passages and swim along a canal with cold water sunlight
  • can't get into the cave the air is poisoned by Vapors of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide this extreme place has
  • been isolated from the outside world for 52 million years a unique ecosystem is formed in
  • this toxic atmosphere of all the animals that live there 33 species of millipedes
  • scorpions spiders and leeches can't be found anywhere else on Earth these
  • creatures are mostly blind and colorless well why would you need eyes and disguise if you live in complete
  • darkness Mile's coolest guy is the venomous centipede scientists have

  • 21:01
  • nicknamed this animal the king of the cave it doesn't grow more than 2 in but for this world it's a giant the blind
  • salamander would feel great in the company of strange animals from mile but these little monsters are separated by
  • the ocean and thousands of miles the mile cave is located in Romania where
  • these Beauties live only in Texas their home is an underground body of water in
  • the San Marcos area these salamanders grow to be 5 in Long the name makes it
  • pretty clear that the animal is blind it does have eyes but they're pretty much
  • useless this doesn't stop the salamander from being a skilled snail and shrimp Hunter it senses other animals by
  • feeling the underwater waves they create while moving the Scottish wild cat lives in
  • the North of Scotland this animal is different from domestic cats which love sleeping on the couch unlike them it's a
  • perfect Hunter the creature is 25% larger than the average cat it's

  • 22:04
  • muscular and long-legged the wild cat's tail is blunt and fluffy covered in
  • black rings with a black tip on the end the quaka is called the world's
  • happiest animal just look at its smile this fluffy animal seems to always
  • be ready for a photo shoot quaas are only found in Australia
  • around 10,000 animals live on rot Nest Island and several other locations the creature's cute smile is
  • an evolutionary trait an open mouth helps it breathe and regulates its body temperature oh by the way if you try to
  • feed a quaka you'll have to pay a fine of more than 200 box this baby will feel comfortable even
  • if you put it on your little finger the animal lives only on the island of Madagascar scientists have found just
  • two tiny reptiles a male and a female the researchers have named the Nano chameleon brisia Nano it's a mystery to

  • 23:03
  • them why it doesn't grow larger than a sunflower seed the next animal on the list also
  • lives only in Madagascar locals call this creature I I
  • the unusual lemur spends most of its life in trees and leads a nocturnal lifestyle this might explain why it
  • looks so tired even though the II is a lemur its teeth are like those of a rodent its
  • claws do resemble sloth's Claws and its body looks like that of a monkey the
  • animal's fingers and toes are especially frightening they're long and thin with pointy
  • claws get equipped for any season with brand new bright side merch click the link and grab your
  • print this is a giraffe with its trademark long neck a zebra is grazing
  • nearby black and white stripes on its body help the animal reflect Sun like during the day and keep it warm at night

  • 24:02
  • but what if you combine these animals no need Nature has done this work for you
  • the Okapi looks like a giraffe with a short neck horse body and zebra stripes on its legs the Okapi has a long tongue
  • males have small giraffe horns on their heads you can only meet these unusual animals in the African
  • rainforest if you decide to travel around Africa afterward you must visit the Ethiopian
  • Highlands that's where you see unique gelada monkeys and no they're not named
  • after the Italian ice cream that's gelato don't mix that up males look like
  • rock stars from the 70s they're bright and have cool hair but don't mess with
  • these animals they are too friendly geladas spend most of their time on the ground and the main part of their diet
  • is the grass they collect during the day scientists believe that geladas are the remaining members of an ancient gang of
  • Critters it lived millions of years ago in vast spaces from South Africa to

  • 25:05
  • India now imagine people the size of the Statue of Liberty living next to us sounds like science fiction but for the
  • animal world this is reality the world's smallest tortoise species the speckled
  • tortoise doesn't grow more than 4 in long but the Galapagos Islands are home
  • to giant tortoises that reach the length of 5 ft they also weigh like a Sports bik the largest of them had an
  • incredible weight of 1,000 lb the giant Galapagos tortoise lives
  • for a 100 years and sleeps 16 hours a day due to its slow metabolism the
  • animal may not eat or drink water for a whole year millions of years ago lizards
  • from South America climbed onto a log sea waves carried the log to the Pacific
  • Ocean the lizards traveled hundreds of miles and ended up on the Galapagos Islands
  • they had to evolve to adapt to new conditions scientists believe this is how the marine iguanas

  • 26:05
  • appeared these unique animals look like dangerous dragons but in fact they feed
  • on plants and are totally harmless iguanas spend most of their lives in water to get rid of sea salt that
  • accumulates in the body these animals literally sneeze salt a chew the liar
  • bird lives only in Southeastern Australia and the island of Tasmania the bird has such a strange name because of
  • its tail it looks like a liar a string instrument of the ancient Greeks liar
  • birds are known for their ability to imitate other birds and not only them the bird copies animal
  • screams human voices chainsaw noises car
  • and fire alarms and even the click of a camera about 12,000 years ago a Salt
  • Lake appeared on one of palo's Islands today it's called jellyfish Lake this, 1500x 500t Reservoir is home

  • 27:04
  • to 5 million golden jellyfish these unique creatures swim to the West Shore of the lake every morning there
  • jellyfish wait for the sunrise then all day long they follow the sun algae lives
  • in the tissues of the jellyfish feeding them with energy these algaes can't live without sunlight here's a riddle which
  • US city is so loved that its name should be repeated twice you guessed it New York New York but the thing is how much
  • of New York do we really know I'm talking about the city that lies under
  • the city dare to join me on an underground tour of the Big Apple then grab a flashlight it's about
  • to get dark we'll start in the heart of Manhattan in the front of the Romanesque
  • city hall building believe it or not beneath our feet lies New York's oldest subway station known as The Old City
  • City Hall Station it opened in 1904 on October 27th a night of true celebration

  • 28:04
  • for New Yorkers people were so excited some of them spent the entire night riding the trains back and forth before
  • this Urban dwellers moved around in carriages pulled by horses no wonder the subway was such a hit you might feel
  • like a time traveler stepping inside the Old City Hall Station the architecture is dazzling and oneof a kind they sure
  • don't make subway stations like this one anymore fun fact The Old City Hall
  • Station would cost $6.2 million if it was built today back in the day it had
  • dozens of brass chandeliers hanging around it was one of the few spots in town with functioning electricity and oh
  • not to mention brand new multicolor tiled arches and stained glass ceilings you can still see today impressive huh
  • if you decide to wander down the tracks you might be in for a treat underground New York is is as fascinating as the
  • city above the ground but one thing we usually take for granted is the behind the scenes of what the Big Apple needs

  • 29:05
  • to function down here you might see one or two of New York's pneumatic maale tubes
  • these tubes were built back in the 1800s and they were operational up until the 1950s they were responsible for
  • Distributing people's mail through different post offices letters flew at an impressive speed of 35 mph that's
  • almost as fast as a professional Runner it sure sounds like a useful system but I have to say it feels weird imagining
  • people's correspondents flying around 15 ft underground back to street level we'll
  • wander around fancy Lexington and Park Avenues if you look up you'll see the famous Waldorf atoria five-star hotel
  • many celebrities have stayed there including John lennin and Yoko Ono as well as presidents such as
  • FDR this is why the hotel used a secret infrastructure to sneak people inside

  • 30:00
  • and out under the building a tunnel known as track 61 connected the Waldorf
  • atoria to Grand Central Station the track was deactivated in the late '70s but some people say Andy warhall threw a
  • party there in the80s I bet that was something for the next part of our visit
  • we'll have to take the subway Uptown we'll get off at 125th Street and find
  • ourselves on the scenic Waterfront of Riverside Park here you'll find abandoned tracks of an old metro line if
  • you follow the tracks you'll get to an underground graffiti Gallery aka the freedom
  • tunnel the tunnel is named after a graffiti artist from the 80s who is commonly known as Freedom while
  • exploring these tunnels we'll see over 40 graffiti pieces he painted over 15 years there are spray paints of James
  • Dean Mona Lisa and even a self-portrait of Freedom himself moving on let's wander around
  • the northern part of NYC for a bit walking in Van courland Park will'll feel like hiking Upstate but believe me

  • 31:06
  • you're still in the city along the way you'll encounter some big ventilation towers made of stone these towers were
  • once part of an old New York infrastructure they make up the remains of what used to be the cotent aqueduct
  • in the 1800s the city's water supply flowed through a 41m long underground tunnel all the way from River in Upstate
  • New York to Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan oh yes and I should probably
  • tell you that Bryant Park wasn't a park instead it hosted a colossal Stone structure that looked pretty much like
  • something ancient Egyptians would build this 4 acre structure served as
  • the city's water reservoir it even had a pathway on top so that people could enjoy a nice afternoon stroll while
  • looking at the reservoir's crystalline water now all this exploring might have made made you hungry but don't worry our
  • next stop includes a yummy treat we'll have to leave Manhattan and make our way to

  • 32:04
  • Brooklyn in case you didn't know New York City is made of five burrows Manhattan Queens Bronx Staten Island and
  • Brooklyn Crown Heights that's our stop would you believe me if I told you that beneath these streets lie caves full of
  • Aging cheese how very Parisian of them to get down there you'll have to make
  • your way through a century old building that now works as an office space Maybe wave hello to all those hardworking
  • people and disappear in one of the stairways that will take you 30 ft below the ground you won't need a flashlight
  • for this one the caves are bright and renovated and can hold up to 22,000 lbs
  • of cheese but hey it might stink that's the main reason cheese makers decided to
  • use underground tunnels to age cheese in the first place after a bite or two of some
  • delicious cheese let's keep going while still in Brooklyn you might see tons of locals enjoying a sunny day in

  • 33:01
  • the McCarron park pool this pool is a huge attraction being three times the
  • size of an Olympic pool as the NYC Explorer you are becoming you might even
  • go for a swim but hey there's a much more interesting part to this attraction the pool was built in the
  • early 1900s but it was shut down in the ' 50s during this time Urban explorers
  • discovered a network of underground tunnels right beneath the pool and of course you can find a secret entrance
  • and get a peak for yourself there you'll not only see the pool's filtration and heating system but also a lot of
  • graffiti from the time the site was abandoned neat this question may sound weird but
  • have you ever seen a cow in New York I sure haven't well maybe there's a reason for that apparently New York still has
  • underground tunnels that were constructed for the transportation of cattle once New York started to flood
  • with automobiles cows became a burden for traffic until a 200t long cow

  • 34:04
  • passage was built below 12th Street to transport the livestock that was fed over from New Jersey these days you
  • won't be able to visit this place in person because the tunnel was most likely destroyed but historians found
  • blueprints proving its existence to add to the list archaeologists discovered a very
  • peculiar fossil a while back now imagine peeling off the layers of the city's soil first at 15 in you'll find a layer
  • of wires I'm talking TV cables electricity and all that digging deeper
  • at 4 ft you'll see water and sewage pipes but then at 15 ft Down Under the
  • surface of NYC diggers have found a fossilized shipwreck the wreck is located right under Broad Street where
  • there was once shallow water they believe the wreck dates back to the 1600s it's 92 ft long and 25 ft
  • wide oh and that's not all at the intersection of bowy and Canal Street Engineers stumbled upon a room with its

  • 35:04
  • walls and ceiling covered in mirrors and no one has managed to explain the
  • existence of this bizarre place yet Our Big Apple underground visit is
  • coming to an end but we sure did more than just scratch the surface on this one before we finish let's enjoy the
  • best of what NYC Cuisine has to offer a good old bagel
  • who knows maybe next time we'll do Paris or even London see you soon
  • [Music]
  • Explorer it's one of the most important national monuments of the United States with over a half a million visitors each
  • year the Washington Monument was constructed to commemorate George Washington the first American President
  • but if you've ever looked at it closely in person or by Googling its pictures you've surely noticed it has two

  • 36:01
  • different colors well it's not a design choice if that's what you're wondering the Washington National Monument Society
  • The Authority in charge of the construction ran out of funding and the project was put on hold in the 1850s it
  • took another 25 years for the authorities to resume the construction they finished the upper 23s of the
  • monument in 1884 since they evidently used marble from a different location given the time
  • that had passed it was difficult to Envision how these materials would behave in the future these two sections
  • look very much alike at first but with time mostly due to winds rain and erosion they ended up having different
  • Hues there's even a third portion of marble which is noticeable only if you pay very close attention the
  • constructors initially went for a marble provider in Massachusetts but quickly realized the colors didn't match they
  • had to switch to another supplier but their mistake resulted in this third shade of marble it's only noticeable up

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  • front so people mostly think that the monument has two colors the builders
  • figured out the difference quite fast and found a type of marble that resembled the initial one but the new
  • material eventually turned to a different color too mostly to weather
  • [Music]
  • conditions are you one of those people who like to spend their free time on Pinterest or Instagram in search of your
  • next Travel location then you surely haven't missed a little Italian town called
  • chinua the reason why it's so popular among photographers and Globe triers is it's brightly painted buildings which
  • come in a nice contrast to the crystal clear ocean waters these houses come in a huge selection of colors from green to
  • yellow and even bright pink so it's no wonder this location is such a hit it
  • looks more like a painting than an actual place on Earth but why are these houses so gorgeously bright local

  • 38:03
  • Legends say that Fishers used to paint their homes in various colors so that they could quickly spot them from the
  • water as they came back home from the sea now some other buildings come with coloring so specific that their
  • inhabitants are prohibited from changing it by law it's the case of the pink City
  • otherwise known as Jaipur in India it has numerous buildings of different Hues of pink from Dusty Rose to fuches this
  • impressive coloring dates back to the 1800s rumor has it that the Indian Maharaja of the time saai Ram Singh
  • wanteded to welcome Prince Albert during his visit so he literally painted the whole town pink which of course begs the
  • question why he chose pink and not any other color and it turns out this Hue was meant to subtly imply the idea of a
  • welcoming location or a place of hospitality Jaipur isn't the only
  • monochrome city in the world its blue counterpart is located in Morocco it's

  • 39:03
  • called Chef cha some locals say that the city is painted blue to symbolize the beautiful coloring of the Mediterranean
  • Sea others consider that painting their houses blue keeps them cooler when it's odd there are even claims that painting
  • a house blue can help keep mosquitoes away people believe that the Hue resembles the waves of the sea which
  • isn't a really desirable location for insects if you think about [Music]
  • it now this construction has become the undeniable symbol of the city of love ah
  • the t f I can smell a freshly baked baguette can't you well it turns out the
  • Eiffel tower has a little chromatic secret of its own this famous French Monument is painted Chestnut Brown These
  • Days but it hasn't always been this color the engineer who built the Tower and also

  • 40:01
  • gave it its name was a man called Gustaf Eiffel he claimed that the initial paint
  • used for the tower a very bright red was supposed to help protect the construction from rust kind of like the
  • Golden Gate Bridge does in San Francisco but since it was built the Eiffel Tower
  • has had many different Hues like ochre yellow and several shades of brown at
  • one point they even used the ombra paint effect it made the tower look as if it was fading upon reaching the sky I've
  • hardly ever heard a more touching story than that of the Taiwanese rainbow Grandpa his name is hang Yong Fu and His
  • Story begins in the late 2000s given he was officially the last resident the
  • local authorities were just about to bring down his small village in order to make room for a modern apartment complex
  • to cope with his Sadness the man started painting the walls of the houses in his village he began with drawings of birds
  • cats and eventually people in 2010 a local University student found out about

  • 41:04
  • this little DIY project and the rest was history with the help of a fundraising
  • campaign this little village now attracts a staggering number of tourists each year over a million it's no wonder
  • the local authorities eventually renounced their plans while we're on the subject of beautiful designs there's a
  • library out there that actually looks like a giant bookshelf no it's not a scene from a fantasy movie somebody
  • actually built that one of the facades of the Kansas City Public Library looks like an ordinary row of books lined up
  • on a shelf well not really ordinary since the books are 25 ft tall and 9 ft
  • wide each you don't need to be a book nerd to want to check this one out soon
  • the world's largest basket isn't meant for overweight cats it's actually a building yep there's a building out
  • there that is actually shaped like a basket you can find it in Newark Ohio it was
  • initially built to serve as headquarters for the Longaberger company an American producer of handcrafted wood baskets

  • 42:06
  • it's also renowned among professionals as one of the best known examples of mimetic architecture that's a type of
  • design where buildings are constructed to mimic their function or purpose the building covers 180,000 sare ft it cost
  • around $30 million to build and was completed in 1997 with seven floors and a Central
  • Atrium it also has a glass ceiling which lets natural light get inside this
  • immense basket is also topped with two steel handles they're equipped with heating elements that prevent them from
  • freezing they also protect the glass Atrium situated right below from any ice
  • that might fall on it during the winter season armad Germany there's a residential building complex built in
  • the 1990s named the vice spirala it has a wonderful design as well as an
  • interesting story to B back it up the name literally translates to Forest spiral this might refer to the plan of

  • 43:01
  • the building along with the fact that its roof is green not simply in color though this swirly building has a
  • jaw-dropping forest on its roof with Maple and lime trees the unique construction was completed in 2000 it
  • has 105 apartments and more than 100 Windows each of them with its particular shape and size with 12 floors at its
  • highest point the building also houses a Cafe and a bar another interesting feature Each corner in the construction
  • is rounded off now should you ever find yourself visiting the city of roddam in
  • the Netherlands try not to miss the cube houses these unique buildings are placed above ground level on top of a
  • pedestrian bridge close to the city center and the rdam black Metro station
  • in the 20th century the city of rdam was damaged that's why later it became the focus of new cuttingedge architecture
  • designs Dutch architect Pete Blom started designing functional housing which could also leave some room for

  • 44:02
  • pedestrians on the ground level he got the idea for these houses from simple elements such as forests and trees each
  • house is placed on a hexagonal pylon a construction made of concrete and designed to look like the trunk of a
  • tree each of these pylons has a staircase that leads to well spaced living areas another example of a house
  • that looks like it has just escaped from a fairy tale is the house you can find it near Mexico City Mexico with its
  • shell-like shape it's also one of the first representations of Bio Architecture The Man Behind this unique
  • design is Javier senen he was inspired by The Works of gudi and Frank Lloyd R
  • the very concept of bioarchitecture is that buildings should be constructed based on structures found in nature it's
  • also supposed to remind people of their local history and traditions the Nautilus house doesn't have a lot of
  • storage space according to the builders but this structure is supposed to be earthquake resistant and maintenance
  • free not to mention hundreds of tiny rainbow colored stained glass windows decorating the building


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