June 5, 2021
On the way to a friend’s house on Eastern Long Island, I left early enough to visit my favorite spot to explore on the Island, Kings Park Psychiatric Center. I only had one goal as I parked by car and exited to the gorgeous Saturday, straightening my sundress: to explore Read more…
May 31, 2021
On the way back south from my Memorial Day road trip I stopped in on Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital‘s ruins. On my last visit, I was taken back by the ease of exploration and the dynamic decay. This time, after heavy rain, the prospect of climbing into a building that Read more…
It wasn’t sitting well with me that though I explored Homowack Lodge a great deal of time, I didn’t find the bowling alley! So I stopped by on the way home determined to find it. I did, finally… after some dead ends and amidst my giving myself consoling thoughts. It Read more…
May 30, 2021
Abandoned for the last 20 or so years, Camp Beechwood in Sodus, New York still contains the decaying remains of a Girls Scout camp that operated from 1929 (!) to the 1990’s. It was a must on my trip to New York’s Finger Lakes region… and I packed my vintage Read more…
The accessibility of large scale abandoned ruins fluctuates. Though there are plenty of photographs of The Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane on the world wide web, the property is currently owned by the New York State Corrections Office. It’s secured. And even photographing the exterior is a concern. But Read more…
May 29, 2021
Between the 1920’s and 1960’s the Catskills was the premiere summer destination for Jewish New Yorkers, earning the area the colloquialism The Borscht Belt. Before the dawn of commercial air travel, the sprawling resorts of The Borscht Belt offered activities and a lot of fun in the sun. Though some Read more…
May 17, 2021
Back in 2009 I visited the trolley cars that were withering away behind the Fairway in Brooklyn’s Red Hook. Though I took a few photos of them at the time, I assumed they’d be long gone as Brooklyn’s waterfronts continue to transform. But on a recent ferry ride, I saw Read more…
May 5, 2021
⚙️ 🎳 🏚️
If you have been reading my blog for years you may recall a lengthy post on one of the most fascinating locations for exploration in the country: Camp Hero on the tip of Long Island. I recently discovered that the images from that lengthy post were all inexplicably gone–broken–when I Read more…
April 1, 2021
When built in 1960, Lake Placid’s 240-foot Tower (aka Happiness Tower) was the largest concrete structure in the world. It halted operation in 1982 because the owners were guilty of tax evasion, then it reopened in 1986 with random quirky additions–attempts to entice visitors. But the petting zoo and “highest Read more…
As a lover of abandoned places and roadside attractions, I have decided I need a section on my blog for Abandoned Roadside Attractions. My first entry Shonda’s Souvenirs on the way toward Lake Placid on Florida’s Route 27. This pineapple that made me swerve into a u-turn is now an Read more…
March 30, 2021
Orlando, Florida is full of themed attractions. Some thrive, some don’t. It makes the area a great place for exploration, though many of its notable and unique ruins get gobbled up in redevelopment quickly in constant turnover. A World of Orchids, however, has been sitting in decay since its official Read more…
March 21, 2021
Reading my map wrong, I made everyone hunt down a hallway that didn’t exist in this conglomerate structure. I am terrible at reading maps… but it allowed us to see the entirety of buildings 136 and 137, which was dynamic and colorful! And I don’t think I need to return Read more…
Getting into the tunnels was on my list of KPPC to-dos. And I brought my tripod and flashlights for the occasion. Though they were sealed, I was happy to experience them even briefly as they are less obvious way to enter some of the more protected buildings. While we were Read more…
Back at Kings Park with some loose goals. The site still has not fully revealed itself to me–a fact that keeps drawing me in. You may have noticed… Today, finally, inside the towering structure that welcomes you upon arrival to Nissequogue River State Park, Building 93–the 13 floor infirmary. Throughout all Read more…
January 24, 2021
According to the sources below, this structure at The Kings Park State Hospital is Building 3, the National Network of Public Health (NNPH) Administrative Office. According to me, this structure is one of the most decrepit of the entire campus. With its door’s board ripped off and now reclining on Read more…
More exploring at The Kings Park State Hospital, one of the most dynamic abandoned sites that merits repeated returns. This post is mostly the kitchen and communal dining areas of Building 136 and a quick walk into the wards of Building 137. With construction and a repurposed building nearby, I Read more…
I was back at the The Kings Park State Hospital on a very cold winter’s day, knowing full well that the piercing wind would surely push us inside for shelter. After finally exploring the exteriors of the structures across Old Dock Road., the plan was to get inside the Quad. Read more…
January 3, 2021
The history of the Port of the Islands Hotel, not to be confused with the Port of the Islands Everglades Adventure Resort less than a mile away, is a shady one. Born of questionable business practices, environmental destruction, slumlords, financial troubles and rumors of the hotel, and a nearby airstrip, Read more…
January 2, 2021
South of Miami Beach on Key Biscayne is Crandon Park, a wonderful place to spend the day. With a glorious beach more chill than Miami Beach, the park offered scenic views of the many wind surfers channeling the strong gusts. But that was just part of the draw. Also on Read more…
On Florida’s Virginia Key sits the the concrete decay of the Miami Marine Stadium. Built in the 60’s it was constructed for water sport events mostly, but also hosted concerts and Easter sunrise services. Despite being struck with some bad luck in its inauguratory race, when a speedboat racer died Read more…
December 24, 2020
I’ve spent a good amount of this holiday season creating my own set of holiday greeting cards. This was the final addition. A quick trip to Staten Island’s Bayley Seton Hospital with a little bit of festive trim. The hospital was bustling, as most are right now. And the decaying Read more…
December 16, 2020
Despite Edgewood State Hospital, the least known of Long Island’s Farm Colonies, being constructed last, it is the only one that is completely demolished. Or is it? Though this report on the remains of Deer Park’s Edgewood State Hospital rounds out my goal to explore all of the ruins of Read more…
December 14, 2020
With time to kill on Long Island’s North Shore, a quick stop at The Kings Park State Hospital. In writing up my last visit, I was floored by how much of the campus I had yet to discover. The mission of this visit, squeezed in before the early winter sunset, Read more…
December 1, 2020
The future of Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital, a groundbreaking care center that employed homeopathic techniques in treating mental illness that opened in 1874 as the State Homeopathic Asylum for the Insane at Middletown, is still in limbo. Its history remains in a sprawl of buildings off State Route 211 in Read more…
November 14, 2020
It was a gorgeous day to spend island hopping in New York City! First, Ellis Island… My trip to the island would allow me to cross something off my NYC Bucket List–a trip to the old Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital. In operation between 1902 and 1951 when it treated 1.2 million Read more…