Concrete

Charlie Says

It took far longer than I imagined, but I've finally ended my exploring drought, going out to Buffalo (and trying to revive the old Concrete Collective) with Hayden, probably the most promising local explorer I've met in years) to see some of the ruins. Our first stop was Wildroot, the factory that put the grease in Grease. Active from 1936 into the early 60s, Wildroot made hair products from the (wild) lanolin root that were allegedly lighter and less greasy than the competition, though the goal was still the same greased-back rockabilly look. As the times changed, Wildroot Cream Oil…

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Summer Reruns

Back in the subway for the Nth time. It's a waste of a chance to get out somewhere with a real explorer, but maybe, just maybe, it might lead to something better in the future. Until then, I guess I should just be glad to have gotten out at all. Spider! Hmm, maybe it was worth the trip. I never had a wide angle any other time I was here.

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Spaghetti Factory

This was a place I saw while I was canvassing last fall and never made it back to. As far as I can tell, it's a former part of the LiDestri plant, a spaghetti sauce conglomerate that dominates the north side of Fairport. It's also the farthest away of our regular season destinations, so we decided to make it a priority in a week that we have a guest explorer with a car in our group. The entrance was a bit less than intuitive, for me anyway - the door that I thought would open, and probably was open in…

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Backup Plan Hospital

Yes, I went back to this place yet again. It was the start of a new season in the Concrete Collective, and we were aiming high, trying to get into the Terrence Building. Of course, we missed the brief window of it being open without climbing like a parkour monkey, just like every time, so we went to the one place we knew was still open, the Genesee Hospital. Things had changed quite a bit in the last few weeks though, the side door was wide open now, and the inside was full of plastic sheeting and asbestos warnings. So…

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Rites of Spring

Playing with fire again, this time in the old Flint St warehouse... reason #18 I shouldn't go to Burning Man: I can't spin fire without burning a hole in my shirt and having to get put out with a $8 bottle of Drunken Bastard! Some people were much better at it than me though We need to make a sport that uses these. Fire hockey? Dodgefireball? Cricket 2.0? All that fire did light the place up nicely at least... Go home, you're drunk! Random 3am calls from these freaks to go exploring is one thing I'll miss horribly about graduation.…

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Groundhog Day (Again)

The subway seems like it always was and always will be here. It's been abandoned for 55 years now, and while a piece here and there gets filled in sometimes, it's unlikely to ever see another train, or really any reuse other than the de facto graffiti gallery it's become. Every year since 1994, the Concrete Discussion Group has come here on or near Groundhog day to explore the tunnel and eat Dinosaur Barbeque. This year was the 20th, and, I'm starting to think, last time we celebrate the eventual end of winter and start of another exploring season. There…

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