One does not simply walk into Fairmount Park

December 23, 2013 10:04 PM

Google Places reviews one of the lesser known landmarks in Philly.
posted by 256 (22 comments total)

I like the photos.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:41 PM on December 23, 2013

Is there any context to this? Or is the whole thing just that there are fake Google+ reviews? Am I missing something?
posted by Arbac at 11:35 PM on December 23, 2013

Place from Lord of the Rings.
posted by daninnj at 11:39 PM on December 23, 2013

I know, I get that Mordor is a place from Lord of the Rings that one does not simply walk into. But beyond that? Is there a story about why this place is labeled as Mordor? Is that location actually called Mordor so people started leaving fake reviews? Or is it all fake?
posted by Arbac at 11:46 PM on December 23, 2013

Is this something I'd have to know something about to know something about?
posted by Senor Cardgage at 12:40 AM on December 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Well, my Internet searching lead me to this:
"It is said that J. R. R. Tolkien based the grim region of Mordor on the heavily industrialised Black Country"

The area is overseen by Sedgely Beacon, so this might be a good place to put the Barad-dûr tower in Mordor.

Of course, this is Sedgley Beacon in England, not Sedgley Woods in Pennsyvania.
posted by eye of newt at 1:36 AM on December 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I just got on google maps and searched for Mordor, with different results.
posted by MeanwhileBackAtTheRanch at 2:16 AM on December 24, 2013

I just got on google maps and searched for Mordor, with different results.

And remember, walking directions are still in beta.
posted by radwolf76 at 4:18 AM on December 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

I live right by there. It's very pretty indeed, hilly with areas of grass and trees, and a popular spot for picnicking, especially Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. The Refinery would be a better location for Mordor.
posted by Peach at 5:28 AM on December 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I get that Mordor is a place from Lord of the Rings that one does not simply walk into.

Except that you do. You totally do. You totally just walk into Mordor.
posted by eriko at 6:00 AM on December 24, 2013 [7 favorites]

This can't compete with the actual doomsday cult living in Fairmount Park in the 1600s.
posted by The Michael The at 6:04 AM on December 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

I don't get this at all.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 6:35 AM on December 24, 2013

Mordor backwards is Rodrom. Think about it!
posted by blue_beetle at 7:36 AM on December 24, 2013

I actually met my wife near Mordor, at the big annual Mordor Open Bike Race.
posted by Mister_A at 7:53 AM on December 24, 2013

The Tower Theater in Upper Darby (a bit west and south) does have that Sauron-eye pinnacle vibe going for it. Only it attracts people who want to see aging rockers instead of balrogs or whatever.
posted by angrycat at 8:23 AM on December 24, 2013

I tried to flag it as inappropriate and submit it to google however there was no category for Spawns Egregious and Sickening Amounts of Cutesy, Tongue-in-Cheek Hobbit References.
posted by Colonel Panic at 8:37 AM on December 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

I simply walked through Mordor a few months ago. It was a lovely Fall day and I decided to walk home from work.
posted by Eddie Mars at 9:29 AM on December 24, 2013

You totally just walk into Mordor.

If by "just walk" you mean stealth your way past thousands of patrolling orcs and also stab a giant spider, then yes, you just walk into Mordor.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 9:51 AM on December 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Why are people reviewing this as if it were Mordor? I get the impression that it used to be mislabelled literally as "Mordor", google has now fixed the place name, but the reviews remain. Is that correct?
posted by Pre-Taped Call In Show at 10:02 AM on December 24, 2013

Colonel Panic: "I tried to flag it as inappropriate and submit it to google however there was no category for Spawns Egregious and Sickening Amounts of Cutesy, Tongue-in-Cheek Hobbit References."

Please, Mordor is not mentioned in The Hobbit.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:59 AM on December 24, 2013

I share in others' confusion here. I'm familiar with "Lord of the Rings," the meme image, etc., but there's no indication here of why a bunch of people have spontaneously decided to review a park as if it is the fictional Mordor.
posted by waldo at 1:34 PM on December 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

For a long while, a few blocks on Redwood City (nondescript sprawl suburb south of San Francisco) were labeled "Possible Contamination" on google maps, in the exact same font size as the neighborhood labels. I searched around and discovered that it referred to some sort of short-lived sewer problem (since solved) that made tapwater suspect on those blocks for a few weeks. The presence of the label on the map, though, made it look like there was a neighborhood there actually named Possible Contamination.

The first time I saw it was while I was looking for a place to live, and for a second I was excited, because I thought that a neighborhood named Possible Contamination might have cheaper rents.

I wish I had had thought to write reviews of it. "Sure, the neighborhood's named Possible Contamination, but look on the bright side: Possible Contamination means that it's possibly not contaminated!"
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 5:33 PM on December 24, 2013 [3 favorites]