Invisible Frontier: Exploring the Tunnels, Ruins, and Rooftops of Hidden New York

by L.B. Deyo, David Leibowitz, David "Lefty" Leibowitz

In the shadows of the city waits an invisible frontier—a wilderness thriving in the deep places, woven through dead storm drains and live subway tunnels, coursing over third rails. This frontier waits in the walls of abandoned tenements, hides on the rooftops, infiltrates the bridges’ steel. It’s a no-man’s-land, fenced off with razor wire, marked by warning signs, persisting in shadow, hidden everywhere as a parallel dimension. Crowds hurry through the bright streets, insulated by pavement, never reflecting that beneath their feet or above their heads lurks a universe.

Led by its two founding agents, L. B. Deyo and David “Lefty” Leibowitz, Jinx is a stylish urban adventure out?t known for its daring—if sometimes ridiculous—forays into the hidden wonders that lurk above and beneath America’s greatest city, New York. In Invisible Frontier L. B. and Lefty chronicle Jinx’s dramatic—if sometimes absurd—exploration of a Dante-esque New York, from the depths of the city’s underground Hell (abandoned aqueducts and subway tunnels) to the pinnacles of its Paradise (rooftops and bridges) and everything in between, capturing the genius of the city’s engineering, the vibrancy of its found art, and the elegiac beauty of its ruins. Here is a true series of wittily narrated adventures into the hidden world beneath a great civilization.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Architecture, New York, Cities, History, Adventure

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Sage · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two 30 year old guys lead an obnoxious band of overgrown teenagers to trespass all over New York. The history bits are good and the actual exploring of places is good, but the entire personal narrative is cringe-worthy and the editorializing made my eyes bleed.

Thoughts I had while reading:
-omg you pretentious jackholes
-These guys are people who think Holden Caulfield is someone to admire
-Yeah, dilettantes at best
-overeducated suburban cowards
-chickenshit morons (not including the bridge-climbing, but totally including all the tunnel walking)
-lily-livered, gutless, immature pseudo-academics. I have done scarier shit than this with far less freaking out.

I was so disgusted that I kept putting it down and wandering off to read something more awesome, and yet I kept coming back because I wanted to read about real people exploring the hidden places of NY. I just didn't want to read about these idiots doing it and comparing themselves to truly badass, courageous explorers from the 14th-17th centuries. Give me an account of people actually walking the Croton Aqueduct, not wimping out because it was dark and wet in there.

Also, this book srsly needed a map.

[Trevor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Invisible Frontier chronicles the adventures of one of New York City's most prominent urban exploration groups, Jinx Project, as they access hidden and forgotten areas around the city. From unused subway stations, to abandoned ruins, to the tops of the city's most famous bridges, this book reads like a travelogue of forbidden sites.

The exploits described here are truly impressive, and will be of interest to any urban explorers. I particularly liked the historical background provided for each site, which provides helpful context and stirs the imagination.

This book is not without its flaws, however. Repeated comparisons to actual explorers such as Magellan and Cook come off as pretentious and self-aggrandizing. Several chapters are also laced with off-topic political commentary that's irritating and downright absurd. Here's an example, lamenting the state of modern society:

The universities, once monuments to moral and intellectual education, are now mostly sleep-away camps where spoiled children learn treason, conspiracy theories, superstition, and soft thinking.

I honestly don't know why a bunch of guys who sneak into buildings would think we care about the chips on their shoulders for universities, the UN, the threat of communism, or any number of other completely unrelated subjects.

[Sahelanth]

This book isn't about urban exploration, it's about proving the author is smart. There's less information on the ostensible topic than on the author's pedestrian opinions about civilization, gender, and so on. The asides about history are sometimes welcome, but tend to quickly stray from the places under discussion to well-known facts presented in the "Bet you didn't know THAT, huh?!" tone.

Read "Access All Areas" instead.

[Unigami · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the kind of topic that I usually enjoy, and I had great expectations for this book, but I found it dull and wasn't able to finish it. This type of thing is better when presented in a good documentary - I felt like the book was just put together quickly to capitalize on the popularity of urban exploration at the time and make some money.

[Jeannie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quite a dull read. Love the idea of exploring forbidden places and have done it myself, it's very exciting. What wasn't exciting was the way this book was written. Just let me say this book isn't for everyone.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

the stories are interesting, but the writing style's not for everyone..

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written by a member of a group that calls themselves "urban explorers". They are based in New York and I thought it was well and interestingly written and only took exception to their motives and methods. About half the time I thought they were nothing more than overgrown adolescents, indulging in thrill-seeking and trespassing in the name of science and enlightenment. Sneaking around and alternately avoiding the law and getting arrested, or at the very least, kicked out of their experiments.

"We like the police. We don't have any problem with them. They do a great service, at great risk, and with little thanks. Even when they arrested us...we felt no resentment. We break the law when we explore, so we know they have to try to stop us. But we're not practicing civil disobedience.
These are not unjust laws. These laws are for the public safety, for the protection of the general population. We just don't feel that they apply to us." p175.

Interspersed with historical facts and good quotes and also good debate. Are explorers obliged to publish their findings? Should the knowledge of some places be kept from the public? Why can't this team go to these locations with a legitimate film crew and do a really good job? Why they gotta sneak around like that? Are they really just hoodlums? These guys try to take themselves seriously, but at times I had a hard time doing so.

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, the whole time I was reading all I could think was "Wow, pretentious much?"

But on the other hand, I love New York. All I want to do is lace up my sneaks and walk all over looking for treasures myself. Though I'm not quite crazy enough to explore the way they did.