Burlington’s “Snake Alley” has long been called “the crookedest street in the world.” It’s now been recognized by Ripley’s “Believe It or Not!” as its first “Odd Spot.”
Edward Meyer, the vice president of exhibits for Ripley’s, spoke at a dedication ceremony in Burlington.
“Number one!” Meyer said. “There can never be another first. You guys are it.”
Ripley’s plans to name 99 other “Odd Spots” around the country. Meyer credits the residents of Burlington for changing his mind on the first one.
“They thought that this was the crookedest street in the world and they fought, personally, with me, saying: ‘I know you guys put Lombard Street in San Francisco in your cartoon,” Meyer said, “‘but we can prove that our street’s even crookeder.'”
The ceremony at Snake Alley was held in conjunction with the filming of “The Fireball Run” internet-TV show, which filmed throughout Burlington yesterday and today.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not operates 100 museums around the world that feature a variety of oddities and it publishes books and cartoons as well. The company placed a plaque at the bottom of “Snake Alley” in Burlington, marking it as an “Odd Spot.”
Snake Alley was constructed in 1898. It’s a steep, dramatically winding lane that originally served as a short cut between houses on a hill in Burlington and the business district below.
(Reporting by Rob Sussman, KBUR, Burlington)