Varied states of the basement by Anthony R. '09

Once I reached Room 6-001, some nearby basement sights compelled me to poke around a bit before heading over to 7-012 (a room I pass on a daily basis).

;-)

Leaving Room 6-001, we continue through Building 6…

and arrive at one of my favorites — I mean, just look at the pattern on that window shade!

I don’t know why a printer cable is dangling from the ceiling in this neglected room, but it looked interesting, so I took a picture for you.

Various areas of Building 6’s basement are under construction, as you can tell.

Turning back around to leave, I spotted this worn task chair waiting patiently in the corner.

Hi, chair! How do you do?

From here, I took the path beneath the Infinite with which you’re familiar, thanks to a previous entry. Along the way, I thought I’d show you a few highlights.

The note on this door wouldn’t normally be amusing, except it was late at night, and the sign was clearly no longer applicable. :-)

A glassblowing lab nearby…

Yes, it’s another ice cream machine! But let’s look at his friends down the corridor…

Yes, folks, that is a TechCash reader. Most vending machines aren’t so handily equipped, so keep these in mind.

We’re almost out of Building 3 as we pass through this outdoor driveway area connecting parking lots.

Yes! Lo and behold, Room 7-012, the “Heat Transfer Laboratory.”

On my way back to East Campus, a few other things stood out — have a look.

“Furniture Requests, Pest Control…” these things don’t strike me as complementary… :-

On a safety-themed bulletin board intended for MIT employees, this helpful instructional placard tells us what a “tagout” is.

As you can see, some innovative joker drew a parallel between “tagout” and “ragout“, expressing his comment as shown.

:-P

Another mischievous bloke decided to scratch off the “m” in “team” on the door to 10-085, giving Building Services’ day shift their very own tea room.

This inviting walkway beside 8-032 leads to an outdoor loading area with a great view of a certain dome.

Retreating to shelter, I noticed that the closed door to 8-032 proved no barrier to a view inside. You see, there are these wonderful things called windows that afford a good look. :-)

So this was all wonderful and fun, but it was getting late, so I decided to head back to my room. This involves going back toward Building 66, then emerging on the ground level and walking about …. forty or fifty feet.

Once you leave the infinite, you are presented with the tunnel toward 16. Logically, you obey the sign of “No Access” and turn as indicated.

(Yes, there is a very usable staircase that acts as a shortcut.)

On your way toward 66, you pass many labs, each with an emergency shower out front. This one looks as if it was once utilized, judging by the wall damage.

Once in 66, you can turn to view an interesting room full of old, deactivated computer equipment. Unfortunately, the room is locked, the light is on and a window on the door makes you wish you were inside.

Opposite this room lies another room with “Keep Out” inscribed on the face of the double doors. If that weren’t enough, the windows are painted some kind of opaque gold color, obscuring your view of the room’s contents. Some helpful wanderer stripped a small area of paint, giving just enough of an opening for my camera lens. ;-)

Yes, terribly secret goods that belong behind doors marked “Keep Out”.

We also observe an ancient freight elevator, capacity 5,000 pounds…

and the “Alfred Henry and Jean Morrison Hayes Analytical Laboratory”, in which lots of analysis occurs atop these bare cabinets. Standard lab equipment: shop vac! ;-)

Okay, back into the main walkway, toward the staircase leading me to 66’s lobby…

I come across the entry to some kind of facility with bored employees. A window in the door affords me a prime view of their collection of fruit stickers, helpfully arranged next to a cluster of mail inboxes.

Can you make out some brands? ;-) I see Chiquita and Sunkist.

Okay, it was time to get back to my room. Stay tuned for a fun day trip idea!