“Cities of the Underworld” is a DVD series which orignially ran on The History Channel that explores the archeology of the big cities of the world. It is hosted by Eric Geller.  New York is my favorite episode, although most major cities have their own episode. Below there is a video about Hitler’s lost underground prisons.   

New York may be the City that Never Sleeps…but it’s not just The Big Apple’s streets that refuse to rest. Here, the underworld is a living, breathing tangle of engineering, history, and secrets that could only exist in America’s largest city. From a classified World War II site, where death awaited unfortunate trespassers, to the original rivers and aqueducts that led to this great city’s ascent, even a mysterious train tunnel, where one of the country’s bravest leaders traveled in secret – New York may just have more stories below ground than it does above. Host Eric Geller braves this massive urban labyrinth where the past, present, and future collide. We’re peeling back the layers of time on Cities of the Underworld: New York.

In this incredible episode of ‘Cities of the Underworld’, Eric Geller reveals that the underground of the twenty-four hour city also refuses to sleep. New York’s underworld is a living, breathing tangle of engineering, history, and secrets. Every year, over a billion people ride on the city’s legendary subway system, but there is a whole world beneath the city that no one gets to see. Top secret tunnels, subterranean mega structures – and even forts dating back to the 1600s – can be found lurking below the crowded city streets.

Grand Central is the largest and busiest train terminal in the world. Over 700,000 commuters pass through its historic main concourse every day. Yet even native New Yorkers do not know that beneath the station there is an elaborate world of abandoned ghost tunnels and hi-tech nerve centres.

There is also a room that was so top-secret during the Second World War that anybody caught inside it would have been shot on sight. The 80,000 square foot basement was the main power centre for Grand Central Terminal. A successful sabotage attempt would have stopped all troop movements and all war material movements.

Our host also unveils an off-limits train station located below one on New York’s most famous hotels. It was originally designed serve just one passenger: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt had polio. He was extremely crippled and didn’t want the public to see how advanced his condition was, so an entire railroad was built just for him, which ran from Washington D.C., all the way to the New York Waldorf Astoria Hotel.  When his train would arrive at the hotel, his car would drive off the train with him inside, into a secret elevator at the Waldorf.        

Eric also takes us to the original rivers and aqueducts that led New York’s ascent, braving a massive urban labyrinth where the past, present, and future collide.

An episode about Hitler’s last secret

deletereply seth360 wrote on Jul 8, ’08 One of my favorite shows… I’ve seen almost everyone..they all are fascinating! You should see the one about Jerusalem Sis….

deletereply starfishred wrote on Jul 8, ’08 really good there was on once about under Rome and it was fantastic great blog

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 9, ’08, edited on Jul 9, ’08 I just played the episode about New York so far. Seth, since you saw them all, which episode do you think is the most interesting ?

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 9, ’08 Heidi, I thought you would love this post because I know how much you love archeology !

deletereply seth360 wrote on Jul 9, ’08, edited on Jul 9, ’08 Sis, There are 3 that stick out….Jerusalem, Maya and the Germany one…The New York show not so much because I’ve seen much of it on various other programs in previous years.. In the Jerusalem episode they had unprecedented access to areas never allowed before…fascinating

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 9, ’08 Seth, I’ll see if I can find the Jerusalem episode tonight, thanks. What I really liked about the New York one is the part about Roosevelt secret railroad, and the underground WWII underground control center under Grand Central Station. Very cool. Eric Geller is a little dorky, though. I think he had too much coffee before the show, LOL!

deletereply seth360 wrote on Jul 9, ’08 Sis, Eric Geller is no longer the host..this seaon they went with Don Wildman who hosted a similar show Naked Underground…He’s much better Also the Jerusalem show is on again July 15th @ 10am & 4pm heres the link to the episode with a blurb http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=280235

deletereply seth360 wrote on Jul 9, ’08 This season they also did a show on the underground of the former Soviet Union…frightening and amazing as well

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 9, ’08 I was reading some reviews that mentioned that Eric Geller was not a great host because he was too melodramatic in a stupid way. Maybe that’s why they replaced him with Don Wildman. I’ll let you know what I think of him. I’d like to see that Jerusalem episdoe. Sounds good.