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The House That Seph Built

After a few successes, and the total surprise that anyone actually showed up to explore with me, I was ready to aim higher and take on Seph Lawless himself. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about Seph - certainly not the revulsion most explorers have to him, although not complete devotion either considering that he's been less than helpful to me. But I was in his territory in Cleveland, and of course I'd jump at the chance to go somewhere he has, just in case it might give me some semblance of the following he has. Ideally I'd just…

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Motel Hell

Truck stops aren't exactly the cleanest, most inviting places even when they're in the best of shape. As you can imagine, an abandoned one, especially one in a city on a road no one really uses anymore, is just that much sketchier and grimier than the ones on the interstates. Isn't this just where you would want to spend the night after a long day on the road? Just like home prison? I get the idea these were probably frequent offenses at a place of this repute. Seems a bit odd that the beds are all made though. I wonder…

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The Place That Must Not Be Named

Day 8: Fort Simpson, *** to Fort Nelson, BC (496km, 6023km total) First off, can anyone guess what this is? If you guessed aerial view of a river delta, you're WRONG. If you guessed roots of a seaweed, you're also WRONG. This is the back window of our car, after being inundated with a day of mud in the northern land between the Yukon and Nunavut, which by mutual agreement is no longer mentioned, to avoid memories of this and what exists right after it. As far as positives, there were a few bison. Which was far from enough to…

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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 Guilty as charged! (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…

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And You Shall Say, God Did It

(Part 2 of my Detroit/Cleveland adventure) Our next destination, Detroit urbex tourists as we were, had to be the Packard Plant! There is nothing like it around... over a million square feet of giant, dead factory space with nothing in it but some vagrant homes, a precariously perched RV or two, and the best graffiti in the Midwest. Only one thing could stop us: Optimus Prime! Only one thing did stop us: Optimus Prime, surrounded by a film crew and attendent security. Oh well, looks like we got a sneak peek at Transformers 4... soon to be in theaters for…

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Secret Passages Bank

I'll admit it: this isn't technically urbex, we had permission to be here. This beautiful abandoned bank will be transformed over the course of the next 8 days into a venue for ArtAwake 3, a one-night art and music exhibition in a forgotten part of the city. Until then, though, it's one hell of an abandoned building to explore! How about a giant vault door? Or a ceiling covered in frescoes? This would never happen in the Recession Unique view of the Times Square Building One beautifully complex cable

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