August 9, 2021
I have been meaning to get back to the abandoned Pilgrim State Hospital power plant since the very strange interaction last February. As with many of Long Island Farm Colony‘s decaying structures, access points are inconsistent. But I thought a grey, rainy early morning visit may increase the likelihood of Read more…
July 27, 2021
During the Gilded Age, extravagantly lavish mansions were built by big money families on Long Island’s North Shore. Their opulence dubbed the area The Gold Coast. Within that latter history the Knollwood Estate was purchased by the exiled ruler of Albania in 1951, King Zog. But King Zog, who had Read more…
July 19, 2021
The West Virginia State Penitentiary operated for more than 100 years (1876 to 1995), holding a peak of 2,000 inmates. The cells, which I roamed in and out of freely taking the Photography Tour, were mostly 5 by 7 feet. Shockingly during overcrowded periods of operation, those small cells held Read more…
July 18, 2021
To follow are some shots from the main Kirkbride building of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. A bit cleaned up and subject to large groups coming through for tours, many of the spaces were staged with artifacts and informational displays. A lot of ghost hunters have left toys for the spirit of Read more…
My favorite shots of the day at Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum were in this batch of photos–from the Greenhouse and the Medical Center. It’s of course color, light and texture that play so well in these structures. The effect of this combination is far more impressive than my next batch from Read more…
Opened in 1864, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was designed under the Kirkbride Plan, aligned with the namesake’s views on best care practices: giving patients access to air circulation and natural light. Those long hallways that illuminate decay so powerfully are all his fault. As was the case with many large self-sustaining Read more…
July 12, 2021
These train cars are the main draw for this Vermont/New Hampshire trip, originally planned for February but cancelled due to snow. At the time I created a loose itinerary around finding them, I scoured the world wide web for their exact location to no avail–though now I found it within Read more…
July 11, 2021
Based on my experience, sanatoriums–hospitals that treat patients with Tuberculosis which was once thought to be cured with fresh air and sunlight–carry a lighter psychic energy than the ruins of sanitariums, typically to care for the mentally ill. I’m not challenging google search results that ultimately claim both to be Read more…
July 10, 2021
Lowell Lake State Park is Vermont perfection. It opened as a recreational area in 1880 and I am pretty sure not much has changed since that time. The cabins that once sheltered visitors during this time remain in the park shuttered (mostly), dotting the beautiful lakeside property with just the Read more…
Was passing this place, previously called Moon Wink Hotel, on the way to Vermont and had to pull in. It’s in sorry shape, with a tremendous amount of mold festering within. But I still day dreamed of owning it and decorating it. I have those fantasies a lot. I do Read more…
July 4, 2021
You would think that a waterpark in the Mojave Desert might have staying power–and it did from 1962 to 2002. During that time the renditions of the space, named Lake Dolores (after the manmade lake named after the owner’s wife), Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark (a version of the waterpark that blared Oldies from Read more…
July 2, 2021
In El Cajon, California is the remains of Marshal Scotty’s Playland Park. The amusement park opened in 1967 and enjoyed success until the 90’s. Since the owner was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1990 parts of the property has been used as a day camp, a go-cart raceway, and, Read more…
July 1, 2021
With a Milky Way twinkling vibrantly above, it is not difficult to capture a magical shot. But just down the dark path were the abandoned trains of the San Diego Railroad… so, astro-urbex it was. The contrast of the glowing beauty of our Universe and the lifeless decay of train Read more…
The Goat Canyon Trestle Hike is a 16-mile walk in the blazing sun along a stretch of tracks called “The Impossible Railroad.” The lure of which is outstanding scenic views, the remains of the world’s largest curved wooden train trestle and abandoned railcars memorializing its life as part of the Read more…
June 30, 2021
It was this stop that began this whole desert itinerary. Bombay Beach, California–an abandoned resort town turned artist community next to the Salton Sea, which I just told you about. To follow, a gallery of images from our visit.
In short, the Salton Sea is an ecological anomaly, proof that sometimes Nature can create the conditions to kill itself despite its characteristic web of interconnected purpose. Then, add some human error and you get a full-blown environmental catastrophe… millions of dead fish and wildlife and a mass exodus of Read more…
June 28, 2021
The Transcontinental Railroad was a big deal in the 1880’s. It brought to life countless towns along its path west, towns that would supply the steam engines with water. One of them was Ludlow, California. Soon the railway boom gave way to other town developments to welcome the Gold Rushers. Read more…
The West is covered in Ghost Towns, structures miraculously preserved within time to remind us that progress can gradually kill entire communities. Trains, gold, silver, or, in this case, borax and iron all created Boom Towns in a flash. But what burns bright often soon fades thereafter… and what is Read more…
June 12, 2021
I participated in a photography workshop hosted by Matt Lambros this past weekend. The price of the workshop got me access to the Victory Theater in Holyoke, Massachusetts, an Art Deco-era theater which is amidst a slow renovation by current owner the Massachusetts Int’l Festival of the Arts (MIFA). The Read more…
June 5, 2021
And now, a bit of urban exploration in the water…
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…