For a lot of folks, it’s good riddance to an eyesore in a picturesque slice of parkland. For me, it’s a wistful farewell to a basic, but reliable, bit of exploring fun that helped to spark a lifetime of fascination with all things abandoned.

Its decay is only just beginning, which made it all the more fascinating.

Urban exploration is bittersweet, for its assets are always depreciating. 

The "pause" button clicked on in 1957, and somehow, it remains as it once was.

Not everything about Ellis Island was full of stereotypical promise and possibilities. Sometimes it ended here, at the contagious disease wards. 

And, we're back to urban exploration! My first-ever visit to Staten Island proved to be worth the trip. The New York Adventure Club hosted a great gathering inside Gateway National Recreation Area, which includes Fort Tompkins and Battery Weed, two of the oldest military installations in the country. While not completely abandoned (the National Parks service does basic maintenance), they've been left almost totally in the condition they were when shut down. 

Around this time last year, I got a chance to legally wander around the Scranton Lace Company. I walked away with a few neat photos, I suppose! This time around, though, I packed up my Rhino slider and decided to shoot some video. I think it came out pretty alright. 

No, it's not the Pentagon. It's pretty neat, though.

The first thing to note about being inside a derelict Pennhurst State School building is the silence. Despite a whipping wind outside, the very interior of the two buildings I photographed were thickly quiet, punctuated only by the clicks of distant cameras. It almost felt a little sacrilegious to break the atmosphere, and it was even stranger when a noise surfaced that didn't sound like another explorer.

I always thought my first visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania would be for a tour of locations referenced in The Office. I'd grab a slice of pizza at Alfredo's Pizza Cafe, or maybe a pint of Lionshead at Poor Richard's Pub. Instead, I found myself walking straight into the slowly decaying remains of the Scranton Lace Company complex, outfitted with a respirator, Timberland boots (both of which ended up being severely uncomfortable), and camera gear.