The Tunnel Cam

On view during opening weekend of the 2006 season starting Fri., March 31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $4-$9 (free on Fri., March 31), Eastern State Penitentiary, 22nd St. and Fairmount Ave., 215-236-3300, www.easternstate.org

Slick Willie Sutton escaped from the Eastern State Penitentiary in 1945 via a 97-foot-long tunnel he dug from cell #68. The brazen bank robber took public credit for masterminding the escape, which temporarily freed 12 inmates.

Last year archaeologists excavated much of the tunnel using fancy radar equipment and an auger. They resumed work on the tunnel this spring, and now the ESP staff has stuck a camera down there to show visitors a live feed of the action. (We're anticipating footage of dirt and cobwebs, but Mother always said we were much too cynical.)

Of course, if you're planning on doing some time in a 19th-century stone-floor jail, you could learn a few tunnel-building tricks from the Prison Cam excavation. Slick Willie dug his way out with wooden support beams that held strong for six decades. Not bad for mud play.