Explorations and Adventures?

They All Fall Down

Another return trip, this time to the Adirondacks, once again, with UR UrbEx. As one might expect, the place looks almost exactly the same as it always did. I won't bore you with more overview photos of Frontier Town, since it's just what it was last year... I tried to focus more on details this year, as the place falls down there's less and less left to see though. Abandoned pianos are so much fun. Especially when there's no risk of getting caught and you can actually "play" them (which usually amounts to absolute noise, but still...) What's left of…

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Revolution 2

And, just as I thought about making a pilgrimage down to New York to be a part of Occupy Wall Street, we got a branch right here in Rochester as part of Occupy Everywhere. This wasn't my absolute first protest (that was booing and heckling Sarah Palin during campaign 2008), but I'd say it's the first movement I've really identified with. This being a photo blog though, I won't get too much into the politics of it. Follow me on facebook if you're really looking for that. We are the 98% [sic] -- this was my first sign. Somehow I…

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Revolution

With Occupy Wall Street starting up, I just thought about this graffiti I'd seen a few years ago in the Rochester Subway. I don't think I thought much of it at the time. In 2008 I didn't even really know how to ride a bike, let alone having one. Yes, I was that sheltered. But that was then. When the revolution comes, will your bicycle be ready? I have no idea who Jonah L'Esperance is, assuming he's even the one who said it, but this is really kind of brilliant. Say what you will about bikes being slow, or somehow…

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Highway 61 Revisited

And so i go back to the Union Carbide/Tesla factory for the fourth time this year. I don't think I'll ever get sick of all these machines. Even after what turned into the fail explore of failness last weekend. First, a picture that isn't of machines... But really, this is why I'm here And this And this Although really this trip kind of sucked. I don't think these pictures were anywhere near as good as the spring... Then as soon as I got home, I realized just how much fail there was. I was locked out -- and my keys…

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Last of the Summer Grime

One more trip from the brief summer season of the Concrete Collective before all the students are back in town. We'd hoped for more, but real life got in the way, and I missed most of my own meetings thanks to Laura taking control over everything, and we lost our longer trips to Nate backing out at the worst possible moments. And that's how we end up spending a Monday afternoon out exploring, the last day before the start of classes and the fall routine. We didn't have to go far to find our first location... Mt Hope chapel, which…

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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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