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[fish]

my new hobby: urban exploration.

im crazy about it!
i always had a big thing for exploration/discovery, and i always had a thing for urban decay (i want to see civilisation collapse within my lifetime). so i figured i should mix them together.

so i started exploring urban ruins and thing.
i live close to athis old industrial district where nobody ever goes except the people who work there. at night its dead silent and empty. there are many derelict structures.
there's also some railways, and vacant lots all around.
its my favorite place. parts of it are starting to look like the rest of the city will look just a few years after we're all dead.

so i go around at night on my bike, with my bag full of knives, gloves, face masks and flashlights and break into condemned buildings.

it's the world's best videogame except its real.

it's so much fun and exciting.
there is real danger.
you have to be careful where you walk. floor could collapse.
you need to watch above, shit might fall down any moment.
you have to wear a mask because the air in some of those places is just plain nasty.
gotta watch out for rusty spikes, gas leaks and such.

in my little district, there's this old abandoned shipping house/loading dock building. i remember it being active  afew years ago, but it was eventually abandoned and sealed shut with bricks and cement.

the whole thing is covered in graffiti.
behind the building, there's a raised platform surrounded with wild grass.
some tarps are hanging from the platform and it looks like some hobos are living there.

in front, where the docks are, there are some stairs to go up on it, and then right next to them, some other stairs. they go inside the dock. first time i went by it was dark and i couldnt see inside. it looked like crawlspace but i couldnt tell.
so i came back with a lady friend and some flashlights. we were surpised to find hundreds of the same vinyl album (but in 3 different colors) piled in the staircase. turned out to be some japanese mod band id never heard of. we had to carefully slide down a pile of records to get in. i was hoping maybe there would be a way to get inside from there. and there was! a huge basement, with little rooms everywhere, and a huge underground hall, full of pillars, each with a stencil graffiti of V (for vendetta). water was dripping everywhere, and most of the floor was flooder. lucky for us, happy squatters or other explored had laid out all sorts of squids and conveyor belts (the belt part) to create a safe path to almost any interesting spot. like some half-life 2 puzzle.

then we found the stairs leading up to the actual shipping house.
in the middle we found a huge stack of couches and booths. they looked like they were used in some restaurant.

then we saw a door with a missing lock. through the hole we could see the street lights. i walked to it, pushed, and it opened! and it opened right unto the front docks! id somehow misse dit the first time around because the door and wall were absolutelly covered in graffiti. and it was dark.

so we eventually saw everything interesting to see in there, so we got out.
when we did, some scruffy hobo-lookin kid came out from behind the building and asked us if we were painting in there (we were both wearing facemasks). we explained we were just exploring.

we started chatting with the guy. turned out he had just jumped off a freight train (the shipping house is the last building before the tracks). he told he us he'd just gotten in town from BC, and that he was in town visiting his brother.

i was fascinated! ive been completely infatuated with the train culture for a while now. ever since an ex of mine started dating this other guy who came to town riding a train.

hobo kid told us all about hobo codes, the best cars to ride on, the best routes, how to avoid train cops, what to bring with you... etc etc. amazing shit!
he asked us for some change, i gave him a few dolars and gave him a few good addresses. then he told us if we think we see him in town, it might be his schizoid bible-freak brother. he showed us his ear tattoo (like the one on the tattoo you sleeve) and told us that was the best way to tell them appart. and then he was on his way.

[Melly]

So, when are you making a game like that?

[fish]

when im rich.

[fish]

actually, i prolly wouldnt.
because i do it in real life.

but my dreamgame is totally based on that neighborhood.

[Bree]

So, when are you making a game like that?

Seconded. You and Smithy should collaborate on a game combining your respective lives.

[fish]

i think me and smithy should combine.
period.

SMITHFISH, ASSEMBLE!

[Xion]

I've actually always wanted to do something like that, but most of the abandoned areas I know of aren't abandoned enough for me to feel safe, you know? Also, I have no companion that'd be willing to go with me. I'd definitely bring some paint with me though. Sounds totally fun.

[Melly]

In my experience going into those kinds of areas around where I live is a sure wayto get mugged/raped/killed, so I'll wait until I'm living somewhere with a lower death rate to try it.

[Lazer]

I went through an abandoned middle school with friends once, the whole cafeteria area on the second floor was collapsed in and you had to watch where you stepped unless YOU WANTED TO DIE.

I found a chalkboard and drew this:


(in case you haven't noticed, I enjoy robots)

we also found this guy in the window, who we originally thought was a creepy old hobo murderer:



turns out it was a mannequin with a vampire mask. good stuff. we also stole some 15 year old (that is to say how old the uniforms were, not the age of person meant to wear them) band uniforms harhar.

in short: I agree with fish, urban exploring is the shit.

[Akhel]

Wow, that sounds awesome! I think if I tried to do that where I live I'd be killed by stealth muggers. Or something.

Anyway, any chance you could take a couple of pictures of your next adventures?

(what the fuck? Melly and Lazer both posted things related to my post while I was typing it. :D very cool pics, Lazer)

[Bree]

Urban exploration does look like quite the shit. Man, I wished I lived somewhere with more abandoned crap! Also, Lazer, that shot of the mannequin creeps the hell outta me, but in a good way. I think.

[Xion]

Actually, come to think of it, I, too broke into an abandoned house with me siblings when we were wee lads. I don't remember much except we found a porn collection and some baseball cards. Place was eerie as hell, and a few years later they knocked it down. I had to have been like 7 or 8 then, though.

[Türbo Bröther]

Man, urban exploration is nothing without parkour. When are you going to start jumping from rooftop that doesn't cave in to rooftop that doesn't cave in fish?

[december]

I like to use the euphemism Downtown Spelunking

[moi]

In my experience going into those kinds of areas around where I live is a sure wayto get mugged/raped/killed, so I'll wait until I'm living somewhere with a lower death rate to try it.

Yeah, same for me. I live in a tropical climate so urban exploration doesn't seem to be an option for me (seems more feasible in cold climates like canada or japan).
That said I love urban decay. When I have the time I'm going to share a few website links with creepy pictures.

[fish]

construction sites at night are also a lot of fun.

my next target is a huge network of underground pipes in downtown montreal.
more like tunnels. with pipes in them. steam pipes.
to heat the underground city (we have an underground city).

only problem is i have no idea where to get in.

and yes, im definitely going back to the shipping hosue with stencils and paint in tow.
i miss stenciling SO MUCH, but i got arrested years ago. i was lucky enough to have the owner of the building press no charges.
but if i ever get caught again, i can forget about ever setting foot in the staes again.

but down there id feel safe enough

[Farbs]

The city I live in is too young for urban decay, so I satisfy my explorative urges in other ways. This pic is from one of my favourites.

[skaldicpoet9]

Urban exploration rocks!

This one time a few of my friends and I got some winebags and went to downtown Seattle. We decided to go into this alley and climb up one of the fire escapes. The view was fucking breathtaking. The whole city was lit up and you could see the whole skyline and the Space Needle off to the left. We chilled for a while up there just drinking and taking in the view. I definitely would love to go back sometime (there isn't shit around here).

I know all about the train culture too, interesting kids. Friend of mine used to get around like that all the time, he had train tracks tattooed on his arms and always talked about how he wanted to eventually work for the railroad someday. Me, when I went through my vagabond days I usually hitched a ride with truckers. I went all the way from Federal Way, Wa to Boston in about 4 and a half days. I got to explore a bit of Boston while I was there, went to Cheers and all that (even though Cheers was closed for renovation when I went )

Can't wait to get back to Seattle and go to the Pioneer Square to see the old ruins of Seattle that burnt down back in the day as well...

[Xion]

I would like to visit alot of these places: http://abandoned-places.com/

[increpare]

Ah man; that does sound fantastically entertaining to me.  Really.  The closest I come is wandering about dangerous streets and alleyways at night (and the occasional moment of transcendence when I get lost in an unfamiliar part of the city).

Hmm.  Just looked it up on google.  Came across silly classified site (well, meetup.com  ).

"
Ivan
Interests: Urban Exploration, Open Society, Married Women, Stay at Home Wives, Rock Climbing, more "