Triple Word Score

So, after going with Shane to those caves, and getting shaken down for every little bit of information I had about underground Rochester, he finally held up his end of the deal: taking me draining in Buffalo. I already knew exactly what I wanted. I'd even been to the entrance of it once, when the water was too high. It took some convincing to go here instead of Lockport but once I showed him what I thought I knew, he was all about it. Right from the entrance Scajaquada is an epic drain: instead of an outfall, and going upstream…

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This Is Ground Control

And, when Nate finally showed up, it was time to make a run for it! There were some rumors of security on site, but a quick jog to the back of the building got us in, and immediately the pungent air inside slapped us in the face, and we scurried right back to the car for our masks. On the second try, it was clear this place was special. Designed in the typical overbuilt, ostentatious style of early 20th century American industry, the architecture (no expense spared) survived the advancing decay. This building, now over 100 years old, was the…

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Theo’s Fates

Five days late, Juraj and friends finally showed up to start the new year, and not a moment too soon while I've had it up to here and then some with Laura to the point that even she understood I could use a day doing what I want. I was supposed to help them out with a zombie movie for someone's film study class, but with only a day free I only got to do the location scouting and run through a few of my favorite Buffalo sites. I spent a lot of time waiting at the bottom of the…

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Elevator Action

So I managed to get out exploring one more time before summer. Nate thought he could get us into some grain elevators in Buffalo that actually had stairs to the top so I could climb too. I guess he was sort of right; apparently the permission we got was only to walk around the outside, not to go in, so the trip ended early with us getting chased out by the owners. At least it was something... maybe enough to last me until September. I only ever knew of Pinkertons as something from history class, the union busting scabs. I…

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Concrete Central

I really need to cut down on the skip class and go exploring thing. Especially a week before finals. But if Nate offers to take me to Buffalo on some random Monday, do you really think I won't go? Of course Nate was all about climbing the thing, all he wanted was the view from the top. Like hell I'd climb a staircase with 34 of the first 35 steps missing... so I got to take pictures of the bottom for two hours while he had all the fun. Oh well... when life gives you columns, make -- colonnade? Columns.…

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Furniture Factory

What we think is a furniture factory, on Sycamore street in Buffalo. I came here once in 2009, it's changed a bit since then, less building more nature. Things haven't been going as planned for a while so I figured I'd let anyone from my group go with the UR UrbEx club. The result was mostly weird: Nate and Amy, firmly rooted in the "other" school of urbex, came in with stealthy looks and respirator masks, and generally way out of place. It will be interesting having them around for the rest of the year... Nate sees something on the…

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