Several months ago, Gothamist reported on a mysterious Blob protruding from a vent off the 23rd Street C/E train stop. We asked the MTA what that goopy substance was, and they never got back to us. That had us wondering: Is this a totally non-concerning and ordinary secretion jutting out of the wall? Could it be mastic, a tar substance used to waterproof tunnels that can ooze from subway ceilings when the weather changes? Or is it an impending warning from the Earth, a subtle message before hell swallows our city whole?
The peculiar Blob's been busy spreading its tentacles throughout the subway system, too: Today, the same vigilant tipster who told us about the previous Blob sent us photos of another one, this time spurting from the southbound platform of the Canal Street 1 train stop.
When I went down there to investigate, I found no less than three Blobs bleeding ominously onto the downtown-bound platform. Every single one of the leaking horrors protruded from the wall, and two of them in particular...well, there's no way to put this delicately. They look like the wall is taking a massive dump onto the platform. You may or may not choose to see this as a metaphor, depending on how your commutes have been lately.
A shiver-inducing Blob, again on the same platform. (Paula Mejía/Gothamist)
Update: A spokesman for the MTA confirmed to Gothamist that the Blob was mastic, which they use to waterproof structures inside the train. He added that it "doesn't present a hazard" and that they're currently scheduling it for a clean-up. Get down there and see the Blob while you can! If you see more Blobs on the subway (or outside of it), snap a photo and drop us a line.
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