This Great Dead Town

(Part 4 of my Detroit/Cleveland adventure)

Highland Park itself, if possible, managed to be even more desolate and Detroiter than its Detroit surroundings. After a local financial crisis bankrupted the town in the late 90s, Michigan took it over, and consolidated its government functions, leaving what was probably once a proud municipal square to decay: city hall, courthouse, police and fire stations surrounding a deserted square.

OK, you got me this time
Police

Guilty as charged!
Guilty
(These cells lock. I don’t know what we would have done if someone didn’t helpfully leave the keys, and a sign, right outside there!)

I wonder what happened to these trials? All of the paperwork still sits on the courtroom tables as if someone will come back and call it into session when Highland Park gets their city back
Court

Some parts of the court didn’t hold up that well over the last 15 years
Rotten

Tough

Just a drain somewhere in the suburbs of Detroit… would love to go back here sometime
Drain

And with that, we left Detroit and headed on to Cleveland. Mike had a few explores in mind for the night that were far beyond my level as a climber, so Saturday ended on a bit of a fail; at least I got one good view of the city
Clevelandic

Apparently something involved climbing on the underside of this
Unclimbable

So we camped on the roof of the cold storage instead, and waited for morning…
Water

(to be continued)

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