This photo series is of an abandoned hospital back in Massachusetts that took a little more research via the google machine to find its whereabouts, but as we narrowed in, it turns out that it was completely and easily accessible. No trespassing signs or security were to be found at any point during our explorations and so it seemed that it was just a forgotten and overgrown eyesore that no one cared about anymore. Broken glass was everywhere near the buildings as vandals had broken out almost all the windows, and they left their marks of sub-par grafitti where they could. Inside some of the buildings, moss grew upon the sludgy floors and peeling walls as rain had surely entered through said broken windows and provided a nice atmosphere for new growth. Oh, hello mold! The silence was eerie as we wandered about the grounds, yet in a weird way, the sounds of chirping birds was peaceful and somehow reassuring. We remained cautious and listened for the signs of any possible patrolling security, but all we heard were our footsteps crunching through the layers upon layers of dead fallen leaves. This was probably one of my more favorite abandoned locations to visit because the mark of man was everywhere, but dwindling rapidly as nature was taking it back over. I’d give it a few more years until some of the buildings we entered are rotting rubble on the ground.
Salvation Mountain
The last stop of my Salton Sea excursion, Salvation Mountain was a location outside of the small town of Niland I was told I couldn’t miss if I was in the area. And I’m glad I didn’t because it was quite a sight to see! This mountain that was deemed by Senator Barbara Boxer as a national treasure in 2002, was built as a dedication to God by one man using adobe clay, hay bales & approximately 100,000 cans of paint (and yes, levels of lead in the soil are quite high due to this). He resides in a donated trailer at the base of the mountain, and spends his time mostly up-keeping the painted surfaces to preserve them from the harsh desert elements. Also pictured is a boat which was donated as well, and he plans to build a recreation of Noah’s Ark as another dedication to his faith in the Lord. I ventured up the mountain face as so many others had done and explored the surroundings and found an impressive view of the sub sea level desert valley spotted with the massive gathered community of RV’s and trailers called Snowbirds, or people who drive south for the winter to be in a warmer climate. There were also very strange cylindrical structures on a mesa behind Salvation mountain that seemed to be sexually and end of times themed, and I found this peculiar… they are referred to here as the “Anti-Salvation Murals”, perhaps created in response to the divine message of the mountain. All in all, it was an interesting experience to visit these places, again somewhat mind boggling as to how people live in and enjoy the desert. Another spot I should mention but unfortunately did not get to check out, is nearby Slab City. Thanks for reading, until next time, Erik out!
The Salton Sea
So here’s part numero deux to my recent Southern California exploration. The day after Xmas, my dad and I hopped in the rental and drove out towards the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake about 2.5 hours South East of LA. I had wanted to check this place out for years as I had heard of all the decrepit abandonment after a series of events had devastated this tourist attraction that was once Palm Springs’ rival back in the 50′s. But investors ran off in the 60′s after floods took out some coastline neighborhoods, Bombay Beach being one of them. Since there is no outlet for this large body of water, inflowing fertilizer-laden water from the vast surrounding agriculture has contributed to large spikes in salinity content, algae blooms and hence the massive fish die offs.
Soon after walking a few beaches around the lake, I realized that the sand I was walking upon was no sand, but endless fish scales and the small carcasses of wee barnacles that passed on long ago. I guess the effects of this saline rich water is affecting the avian population also as I saw quite a few dead birds as well. The odor of the rotting fish was quite strong, although I was thankful to be there during winter time- dead fish + summertime 110+ degree heat = eye watering pukesville. It pretty much blew my mind looking around at the communities that surrounded this environmental disaster- I guess when you’ve grown up somewhere your whole life you just adapt and/or become blind to the crap that surrounds you. The locals were pretty friendly and welcoming, and more than a few of them were an interesting sight to see. For more info on the history and the inhabitants of this peculiar place, watch the documentary “Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea”. Thanks for reading!
Rockaway Beach and Fort Tilden
Living in one of the most populated cities on earth can be exhilarating, but can also be overwhelming at times. Sometimes you just need to get away from the madness, which can be easier said than done. Recently I took a trip down to Rockaway Beach to check it out. Being that it’s winter on the east coast, it was eerily quiet on the beach. It was a rather mild day, so it was nice to chill for awhile and soak in the silence. On my way back to Brooklyn, I saw a sign for Fort Tilden, and decided to stop and check it out. It turned out to be an abandoned military base on the beach. It reminded me a little of some of the abandoned forts that litter the bay area, like Fort Funston, Fort Miley etc. I explored some of the ruins and snapped some pics. Unfortunately, the light was fading fast so I had to cut my explorations short, but I plan to head back soon to check out the rest of the area.
Palm Desert
Happy new year! I flew down to LA this past Xmas to spend time with friends as well as see my family in Palm Desert and so I took the opportunity to shoot pictures of some of the sights when I could. From 29 Palm’s dinosaurs to the endless wind farms and train tracks, the desert offered me some beautiful lighting & scenery. I also discovered a little shack close to my aunt’s house and I ended up stalking that scene at various times of day and night to try and capture a few different feels. My pops even accompanied me on a few missions and provided endless humor all along. Hope you guys like the pictures, coming up next is my Salton Sea series.
Exploring Providence, RI.
This post features most of our daytime Providence explorations, beginning with our attempt at gaining access to an abandoned (and flooded) subway tunnel, an old raised train bridge and two abandoned and dilapidated clubs.
The old subway tunnel looked like an entrance to a post-apocalypse military bunker and it also appeared to have been used for an old dump ground for tv’s, furniture and even an old crushed car. Squatters most definitely used the site for a campground as there was evidence of a little firepit. The mosquitoes and stench were overwhelming and the fact that the tunnel was flooded by many feet of stagnant water gave us enough reason to get underway. As we drove along, we saw an unused raised bridge crossing the river which was used by trains long ago jusdging by its poor rusted condition. It sat behind a small park and baseball diamond- No fences to jump over or crawl under, we could just walk right up and cross the bridge, which seemed odd that such a dangerous place could be so easily accessible to kids being so close to a park. Pretty cool site though, it reminded me of the movie “Stand By Me” as Tim and Kyle crossed out over the tracks to check the raised part of the bridge.
The next two locations both were old unused nightclubs and it looked like they were that way for quite a long time. Both were easy to enter and covered on all surfaces with scribbled graffiti and somewhat decent pieces. You constantly had to be careful where you stepped as there was debris, rusted nails and broken glass everywhere. We all had split up and quickly captured what we could in under 20-30 minutes at both clubs and made our way out.
Due to our limited time there, these were the only locations we were able to check out, but it would seem that Rhode Island and Massachusetts alike had no shortage of abandoned places to explore as we traveled their roads and highways and pointed so many out along the way.
Until next time, Erik out.
NYC Fall 2011
I’ve been busy exploring my new home of New York City, and trying to have my camera with me whenever possible. Here’s a cornucopia of photos (dig that fall reference!) from all over the city including shots from the Lower East Side, SOHO, Chinatown, Chelsea, Brighton Beach, and of course a bunch from my new neighborhood – Crown Heights. Dig!
Enchanted Forest / Abandoned Asylum #1
Our friend Kara had mentioned that she knew of an abandoned theme park in the middle of a forest somewhere in the middle of Mass. We scoured and researched reports via google on our phones and in no time we were on the road headed in its direction to go check it out. We arrived to find most of it overtaken by the forest. A cracked & weed infested parking lot greeted us as we pulled in, and most of the little bungalows that were left over were boarded up. We still managed to explore a bit and carefully navigated its overgrown poison oak laden trails before the humidity, warmth and mosquitoes overwhelmed us.
At that point we then made a plan to head out towards a reportedly haunted and abandoned asylum. Again, most of the grounds were unkept and overgrown. The old grafittied buildings were all boarded up as well to keep intruders out but it didn’t stop us from admiring their decay from outside. Even though dusk was rapidly approaching, we still had quite a bit of light- but there was still a real eerieness to the place that made me glad we weren’t checking the place at night. Hope you enjoy the pictures.











NYC Winter 2012
Well this has been the most mild winter on the east coast that I can ever remember in my lifetime. It has only snowed once here in NYC so far and it was only about 3 inches and it all melted within a couple days. It was almost 60 degrees today in February. With all the spring-like weather, it’s made for quite a bit more picture taking opportunities than the average winter. So here’s some of my favorites from the past 3 months. A couple nice shots on the Brooklyn Bridge, some SOHO and Lower East Side action, and of course a bunch of Brooklyn pics from Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Red Hook. Hope you enjoy them.
Brooklyn Bridge Part 130-Nov-2011 03:10, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 5.0, 22.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
Brooklyn Bridge Part 230-Nov-2011 03:23, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 6.3, 40.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
Janse Crew30-Nov-2011 03:39, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 4.0, 22.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
SOHO Cobblestones08-Dec-2011 01:04, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 6.3, 42.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200
Almost Vacant Bus Stop08-Dec-2011 04:21, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 5.0, 22.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
Deliveries08-Dec-2011 04:31, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 5.0, 29.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
Walking In Red Hook14-Dec-2011 03:32, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 5.3, 42.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
Domino Light04-Jan-2012 02:52, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 6.3, 55.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
Cranes Over The Williamsburg Bridge04-Jan-2012 03:03, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 10.0, 18.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
Orchard And Broome13-Jan-2012 01:56, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 7.1, 26.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
Lower East Side Carts13-Jan-2012 02:21, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 4.5, 18.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200
Look At Me13-Jan-2012 02:27, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 3.5, 18.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200
Choose To Feel13-Jan-2012 02:29, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 7.1, 40.0mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 200
Kwong Hop Tofu13-Jan-2012 02:36, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 10.0, 29.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
86th And Lexington18-Jan-2012 04:29, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 9.0, 32.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
NYC Transit Museum22-Jan-2012 04:46, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 3.5, 18.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
Plywood Windows24-Jan-2012 03:51, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 8.0, 29.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
Between A Meter And A Flag24-Jan-2012 03:54, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 8.0, 24.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
Fresh Bread24-Jan-2012 03:58, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 7.1, 38.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
Metropolitan Apartments24-Jan-2012 04:00, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 8.0, 18.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
EE UNSH24-Jan-2012 04:06, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 6.3, 26.0mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 200
Back And Foot Rub24-Jan-2012 04:09, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 10.0, 55.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
Crisscrossed Facades24-Jan-2012 04:21, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 8.0, 45.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
American Minivan24-Jan-2012 04:24, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 8.0, 52.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
Lucky Nails24-Jan-2012 04:44, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D5000, 8.0, 55.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200