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UER Forum > Archived Rookie Forum > Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places? (Viewed 615 times)
SirJinx 


Location: Los Angeles Area
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Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
< on 7/1/2008 1:56 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
There are drains everywhere, but look at the Southwest Forum and there are hardly any drain threads. But when you look at Minnesota or Canadian explorers, there's drainers up the ass. Crazy drains too with all sorts of spirals and super-helixes.

Is it that people on the West Coast don't have cool drains or are west coasters just a bunch of sissies? I live in Los Angeles so I'd be calling myself a sissy too because I haven't been in any drains. Don't know why I don't go into drains to be honest.

Maybe I have some kind of foo-foo syndrome of not wanting to wade around in sewer filth. Could it be a cultural thing? Are Southern Californians prudes afraid to get a little sewage on their precious Nautica jeans?

I don't know man, cockroaches and waterbugs give me the heebee jeebees. That's the main reason I don't go into drains. I don't know why hardly anybody else in Southern California does either. Unless I'm missing something or been living under a rock and maybe there's some subculture of drainers I don't know about.

When I was 8, I went into some drains under Norwalk, Ca and followed them with my friends to Cerritos. Haven't been in a drain since. Maybe it's time.

People are weird.
shotgun mario 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 1 on 7/1/2008 2:19 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I drain because I have a natural liking to dark places, places that people rarely visit, a cramped location (even tho I'm 6'-5") and a sense of adventure, where safety cannot easily be reached or contacted. I find that in drains. I'm hoping that Milwaukee has some really neat drains (such as the Minnesota area) but that's probably not the case. I'm sure that people who just stumble into drains in some areas (Minnesota) find them to be much more amazing than other drains around the country, hence the larger fan base, as it would be harder to just turn from that I think.

But then again im not around that area.

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musket boy 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 2 on 7/1/2008 2:52 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
i think theres less drains on the west coast because they don't get as much rain over there... less drains = less drainers

uering
junkyard 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 3 on 7/1/2008 3:46 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Certain places have worse drainage than others. They need more and bigger drains. If some dumbass fits in one, chances are he will explore it. If they are small shitty ones, well......the opposite.

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MIAD 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 4 on 7/1/2008 6:01 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
In some places, such as where i am in Australia, there are heaps of drains, so many more drains than topsides. In my area, abandoned buildings either get knocked down very quickly, or locked up so tight with security that entry is impossible. That said, some places just have great drainage systems. Places like Melbourne, Sydney in Australia, The UK and Canada all have well established drain systems, in my case our sanitary and storm water are separate, so its not a cultural "afraid of waders or poo" thing, many people i know bare foot it. Here it is such a nice place to spend a hot summer afternoon, as opposed to walking through a stuffy asbestos filled building.

If they are small shitty ones, well......the opposite.


The small shitty ones are just as good

Bettner12 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 5 on 7/1/2008 8:40 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
it depends alot on the topography of the land. here in pittsburgh with 3 rivers there is no point to have a large drainage system when all they have to do it run a pip to the closest river. so hence no drains

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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 6 on 7/2/2008 2:04 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I don't think there are more drainers in Canada than in the States. I suppose there are always a few people who try it out a couple of times and post pictures here, but they rarely return to it. Those who are actually out draining frequently are few and far between. I mean, as far as I know, there are only three of us doing it in a city the size of Montreal. Toronto has a few more, but not as many as you might think. As for other major cities across Canada, there are usually one or two people doing it nowadays, but not enough to say that it's a popular thing. Of course, there'll always be handfuls of kids out there who venture into storm drains no matter what city you're in, but I'm only counting the people who make their adventures known here or elsewhere. There just aren't that many.

And it's wrong to assume that just because a city doesn't appear to have any drainers, that there's nothing to see. If city archive photos are any indication, the sewers of places like Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston are probably just as interesting as anything else out there. The problem is that they contain (mostly) combined systems and those will always keep away all but a dedicated few. I'd say its only a matter of time before someone starts exploring them though, or at least makes themselves known to the draining community at large.

trent 

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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 7 on 7/2/2008 6:39 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I think it might be related to how new the area is. I'm speaking from USA experience, but am assuming Canada is similar... The East coast is much older than the West coast.

An old building in the west might be the late 1800's/early 1900's. But that's nothing compared to the East where some late 1700's/ early 1800's building are more common.

Also as some have mentioned, it might be more drier on the left coast...but it rains everywhere. Note sure if that affect drain size/quantity.

My theory is since the West is newer, the draining isn't as 'cool' because it might be newer plain basic draining systems, also possibly smaller. But on the East coast our stuff might be older, bigger, bulkier, and more large brick spaces then mass produced steel tubes.

Not trying to put down the left coast, but if the East has more interesting drains, we might have more drainers than you guys do.

That's my theory anyway.

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Narcolepsomnia 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 8 on 7/2/2008 9:51 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I'm from Raleigh, NC, USA, which isn't really what you'd call a big city, even though it's NC's capital. I'm an avid drainer; will explore anything no matter how small (unless I can't fit ), but there's not much to do, seeing as there aren't really very many big rivers around here, so I usually have to resort to smaller neighborhood ones or medium-sized ones in streams or creeks.
A lot of the reason people (around here at least) don't drain or find it very strange when I mention it is that they assume sewers and drains are the same, a source of endless frustration for me.
I've convinced some of my friends to try it, and they're always surprised at how clean they really are. We don't have combined systems in my neighborhood, so it's just water and sand. I do it because I'm an introvert, so hanging around by myself or with one, occasionally two, other people for hours is very nice for me. Also, I have noticed that the old drains are much more interesting; there's a small, maybe foot and a half wide drain near my house, but once you get to the first break, it's all exquisitely laid brick and no concrete to speak of (which is another thing people find weird about me; I love to just stare at the architecture of drains and babble about how beautiful it is, while they want to move on to other things)
Anyways, my point is that a lot of the stigma against it, not just in the East Coast, but everywhere, stems from common misconceptions, and people who know what they're dealing with usually have no problems with it.

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Dowcet 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 9 on 7/3/2008 2:02 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by SirJinx
Is it that people on the West Coast don't have cool drains


No, definitely not:
http://www.boingbo...ng-400-miles-.html
http://groups.mysp...D68A6FB0BD65295538

We may have some red brick back east, which is cooler then plain old cement, but its hard to find true storm drains here as opposed to filthy and hard-to-access sewers. Minnesota has an amazing balance between East and West, but I'd still take CA drains over what we have here, for sure.

Dougo 

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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 10 on 7/3/2008 6:07 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
The west of Australia is much drier and sandy so it doesn't rain as often and when it does the sand absorbs a lot of the water.

Melbourne has the best drains in Australia

Cheers,

Doug

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siologen 


Location: Melbourne, Australia.


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 11 on 7/3/2008 8:41 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Looking at Los Angeles on Google Earth i spotted a good 60 possible drains. Ive seen dodgy horror films set in drains running off the L.A River.

If n when i finally get to LA i plan to take a look at a few of them. The only thing to dissaud me is rumours of tunnels in LA being used by addicts and pissed off bums. Plus quite a few of the tunnels seem to be in the vicinity of Bloods and Crips neighbourhoods.


So to answer your question... maybe explorers in California etc dont explore drains cos they dont wanna get shot.


Edit:

Heres screenshots from a 70's film called 'Its Alive' featuring a cop car chase thru a drain off the LA River. From what i can gather this tunnel runs near the East 1st Street Bridge. Get to it holmes!



Posted by Dougo
The west of Australia is much drier and sandy so it doesn't rain as often and when it does the sand absorbs a lot of the water.

Melbourne has the best drains in Australia

Cheers,

Doug


Yeah, yeah, whatever ya reckon...


[last edit 7/3/2008 8:47 AM by siologen - edited 1 times]

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Dougo 

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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 12 on 7/3/2008 9:24 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by siologen
Yeah, yeah, whatever ya reckon...


Well when you consider Fortress, Hobart, Adelaide, and a few other good Sydney and Brisbane drains were transferred from Melbourne...

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shotgun mario 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 13 on 7/3/2008 9:35 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
too bad I wasn't into draining when I was in Australia... I totally would have ditched the tour group if I'd have known. I'll SOOOOOoooo have to get back down there within a few years!

If you want to protect the locations you love to explore, don't talk about them online in public!
If you want to make exploring friends, send people private messages! Meet up in real life! Get off the internet!
Don't try to have a UER e-penis! You won't impress anyone! This especially means you, Minneapolis MN newbies!
SirJinx 


Location: Los Angeles Area
Gender: Male




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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 14 on 7/5/2008 10:03 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by siologen
Plus quite a few of the tunnels seem to be in the vicinity of Bloods and Crips neighbourhoods.




Actually those bridges/tunnels are East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights area so that would be the Mexican gangs that would GITCHA !!!


People are weird.
siologen 


Location: Melbourne, Australia.


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 15 on 7/7/2008 9:29 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by SirJinx



Actually those bridges/tunnels are East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights area so that would be the Mexican gangs that would GITCHA !!!



Ahh okies. Hmm, would you say tho, seriously, that exploring the River in this area would be a bit dodgy?

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SirJinx 


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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 16 on 7/8/2008 1:54 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Yeah there's nothing but drug addicts, homeless winos, crackheads and gangs in this area. So yes, you are correct that these drains are a bit of a risk.



People are weird.
dinamyte 


Location: Toronto
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Re: Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places?
<Reply # 17 on 7/9/2008 3:54 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I simply find that relative to where I live there are way more drains that are easily accessible, simply by a 5 minute bike ride then there are abandonments. Also since there are many smaller tributaries and buried streams that feed right into the lake, and other larger rivers, there are lots of various drains to explore. I've only been draining in Toronto through so I can't really comment on other regions.....

UER Forum > Archived Rookie Forum > Why is Draining More Popular in Certain Places? (Viewed 615 times)



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