Shafe Shifter Just another guy on the internet.

Top offbeat vacation spots for 2010 Part 2 of 2

This is part 2 of a 2 part series.  If you missed part one.  Check it out:  Top offbeat vacation spots for 2010 Part 1 of 3

Anyone else in desprate need of a vacation? I know I could always use a break from the stresses of work and household responsibilities. Being who I am, I typically don't go for your usual vacation spots.

Chernobyl

In April on 1986 the worst nuclear disaster that has ever hit planet earth took place at the Chernobyle nuclear power plan in the Ukraine.  Rating a 'Level 7 ' on the Internation Nuclear Event Scale.  The accident sent 400 times more fallout than was released by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.   336,000 people had to be resettled.  The hardest hit by the disaster was the nearby city of Pripyat.  Pripyat had a population of around 50,000.

While long term exposure isn't recommended, it is considered safe to visit.

From Wikipedia:

There is a 17-mile Exclusion Zone around Chernobyl where officially nobody is allowed to live, but people do. These "resettlers" are elderly people who lived in the region prior to the disaster. Today there are approximately 10,000 people between the ages of 60 and 90 living within the Zone around Chernobyl. Younger families are allowed to visit, but only for brief periods of time.

Eventually the land could be utilized for some sort of industrial purpose that would involve concrete sites. But estimates range from 60 – 200 years before this would be allowed. Farming or any other type of agricultural industry would be dangerous and completely inappropriate for at least 200 years. It will be at least two centuries before there is any chance the situation can change within the 1.5-mile Exclusion Zone. As for the #4 reactor where the meltdown occurred, we estimate it will be 20,000 years before the real estate will be fully safe.

24 years later, you can now visit and get a healthy dose of reality (and radiation).  Tours will run you around $500 for a single person, with the price going down for groups of more than 2.  Get the full scoop on their offerings here:

http://tourkiev.com/chernobyltour/

One of my favorite photo journals of the area is Elena's Motorcycle Ride through Chernobyl.  Here commentary adds so much to her solo visit to the area.  Check it out here:

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

Cinci Subway

Cincinatti, Ohio began building a subway system between 1920 through 1925. The $6 million bond issue in 1916 was exhausted in 1925, no further money was obtained, and construction never resumed. The incomplete subway system still lays below the city. As I lived 30 minutes from Cincinatti, I'm a bit dissappointed that I never got to go explore it..  It is the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the United States.

In the 1980s the city pitched the tunnels to Hollywood as an ideal location to shoot Batman Forever, To date though, the tunnels have not been used in any feature films.

Twice a year, tours are given, which is why it made it on my list. The Cincinnati Museum Center Heritage Programs provides a "Talk & Walk Tour," which lasts approximately two hours. It begins with a presentation about the history of the subway and continues with a five-block walk underground.  A lot of new interest has been generated of this long abandoned failure of the city.  In fact this June an hour long documentary about the history and current state of the subway will be released.  Be sure to have a look at the trailer.

Here are some links with some great pics of what it looks like now.. as well as construction pics and a ton more info...

http://www.forgottenoh.com/subway.html

Even more detailed info here:

http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/subway.html

Any places that you would like to add?

Also See: My Trip To Bohemia Ghost TownTune in next Tuesday for Part 2 of my 2 part series.