They imploded a building in the projects across the freeway from us. A beautiful, clear morning with a nice wind that blew all the smoke away from us as first there were a dozen or so loud bangs, and then the building started to collapse, ending up in a neat pile of rubble.
Very cool. And now I can check another one off my life list: See an implosion IRL. Yup, got it!
I’ve seen one. They’re rubbish. 
(a joke, you see… the building becomes rubbish… ah, never mind)
Press button to cross street
Press button to destroy building
Which button did you press?
Neat to watch. Several years ago they imploded (mostly successfully) the Lamar Hotel, a 14 story structure in downtown Houston. A co-worker and I decided to take advantage of the fact that we worked directly across the street, so we asked for a letter from the CEO to the police department saying that it was vital that we be allowed on company premises. The letter was necessary because they were evacuating several blocks in all directions.
So we watched it from the 18th floor across the street. The force surprised me - it knocked me down. There were about two dozen pigeons that I’d imagine swore off highrise buildings forever.
Being downtown and surrounded by other buildings, the dust was not blown away. When we came down to the street it looked like some post-Armageddon scene.
There were some pigeons flying around the building right before the explosions started; I was wondering how they’d feel when the earth moved beneath them, so to speak. Not that pigeons aren’t adaptable enough to probably enjoy the ride down, probably… 
I’ve seen three implosions, all in Boston. I’d gladly go see another.
For the third one, the massed ranks of us spectators were crowded along the edge of a wharf across Fort Point Channel from the doomed building. People had arrived and staked out good spots well before the scheduled take-down time. There were more cameras than you could shake a tripod at.
We waited… and waited… and then we heard a countdown sweeping through the crowd, gathering strength and voices as it came… and at the many-throated shout of “ZERO!!!” a thousand shutters clicked!
In silence. The countdown was a hoax by some mischievous spectator.
Shortly thereafter, the real countdown started, and the implosion was just as spectacular as everyone had hoped. Especially the cloud of dust that rolled over the favored few who’d been able to watch it up close from a nearby building’s roof. [insert evil grin smilie]
One of the great thing about an implosion is the crowd’s reaction. As the charges fire, the smoke billows, and the structure crumples and topples, the throngs, as one, let out this incredible, visceral mix of bellow, groan, and cheer.
We didn’t have a countdown! In fact, although I’d told Papa Tiger I was sure we’d have one, since we’d forgotten our watches I walked over to ask some folks nearby what time it was – and was interrupted by a loud BOOM as the first charge went off! Fortunately, my camera charges quickly! :rolleyes:
I saw one in 1985. Really neat, and very visceral. I’ve also seen bedrock charges go off, and while not as spectacular, it’s not something you experience everyday.
Unless you have an explosive fetish.
[ducks]
Vlad/Igor
Several years ago I was part of the crowd that gathered to see a fourteen story bank building imploded in downtown Topeka. Quite an event. I wasn’t sure how it would sound, but the noise of the explosion surprised me. It wasn’t a thunderous BOOM but rather a sharp report, more like a loud gun. I got some pretty good pictures as it imploded, as I watched it through the camera and started snapping pictures rapidly as the countdown reached three or so. Later I was on a street one block south of the site. There was a narrow alleyway between two other buildings and I was wondering if I could sneak down there, but didn’t really have the nerve. But another guy had the same idea and persuaded me to follow him, so we ended up right across the street from the HUGE pile of rubble. I got some other good pictures there. Pretty soon other folks started emerging from the alley, we were all noticed and run off. That evening I was watching the news and mention was made of a man who had been arrested when he wouldn’t leave the site, and who got obstreporous when officials tried to run him off. It was the same guy who talked me into going down the alley in the first place. That’ll teach me to talk to strangers!
My first implosion viewing was of the Hotel Madison at North Station in Boston. After it was over I was able to walk up to the site, and came away with a bit of mangled metal (a piece of elevator machinery, I’m told) as a souvenir. I’ve still got it, lo these many years later. 
The only implosion I’ve managed to see in person so far was when they took down the Kingdome stadium in Seattle. There were hundreds of people lining the bridges and parking lots on the hills overlooking the site. It was also weird to see the huge dust cloud engulfing the city as it made its way toward us–apparently the Kingdome was the largest concrete-arch building ever constructed, so it made a lot of dust.
