Ruins in New York

As seen on a post in Design Corner: One misty morning while in New York City, take a cab uptown to West 64th Street in Manhattan. When you reach the Riverside park, observe a dark undulating skeleton sticking out of the Hudson River. The twisted metallic construction that stimulates comparisons with Frank Gehry’s architecture has been there since 37 years ago. Before Pier D was consumed by raging fire in 1971, it was a part of the New York Central Railroad Yard. Today Pier D is the kind of design form that quite literally follows the function – chronologically leaving its original practicalities behind in the smoke of Manhattan’s industrial past. Back then, Pier D’s utility was to be used as a deck for longshoremen to unload bulk cargo. Now Pier D is all about emotional significance – it serves no purpose other than the aesthetic one. However, the official confirmation of the site’s new aesthetic status was issued no earlier than in 2003 – through a timely gesture of Adrian Benepe, the parks commissioner who has been known for his protective stances vis-à-vis the city’s natural and historic beauty. He was called on the phone one day to be put on notice that a crane had begun dismantling the pier – according to approved plans deliberated and finalized in Benepe’s absence. The commissioner rushed to the site and ordered to stop the demolition.Accidental landscape design… In the opinion of a nearby dweller, since the arrival of Trump Place “everything looks so new here, […] we need a reminder of what it was like 80 years ago.”

Rural Exploration Group on Twibe

I started a group for Rural Exploration on Twibe, a Twitter offshoot site. Not sure what to do with it but could be a way to connect with others and find more photos, maybe even more locations to check into here in Ontario.

Urban Exploration on Twibe too. I don't get into the city much but still would like seeing the old buildings, forgotten things and abandoned places there.

The Houses are Dying

Lee-Ann sent me this link, 100 Abandoned Houses. It is heartbreaking to look at them but I looked at all 100, cringing and sighing over some of those beautiful homes being left to fire and eventual death. A house can die I think. It may not be alive in the sense of having blood or opposable thumbs, but it is a creature of sorts. When (if) you look at these houses think of them as a home, a place that used to have a friendly kitchen and bedrooms where children lined their stuffed animals up along the headboard of their bed. These houses aren't homes but they have lost more than that. One, in particular, just seems to be moaning "I'm hurt." Where did the people go? I read the about page for the site, that explained some of it.

Maybe knowing Detroit is/ was a big part of the auto industry explains even more. Will this be the future for more of our cities as the big employers buckle under and there are fewer jobs for an increasing population? Could the cities become ghost towns, like out of some science fiction story? It's a weird feeling to look at these houses and know they are all in a large city, not some out of the way farmhouse in rural Ontario.

Gorgeous but Abandoned

Originally uploaded by phrenzee

I hope to make this my first Spring rural exploration road trip. Hard to see something with all that work on mouldings and such just left to fall to ruin. I really want to spend time and see it all, to the last detail of that detailed work.

From what I heard someone does own the property (of course) and they may be unsettled by explorers. I will see if I can talk to someone and get permission. I've always had good luck doing that, so far. Would be a real shame if I didn't get to see this one. I'm still sorry I missed getting to see inside of the gorgeous artsy looking house with the weathervane.

Grrl Explorers on Flickr

Female Urban Explorers -

Urban Explorers tend to be men...which is no bad thing for us girl explorers ;) but being such a rare breed, it's always nice to meet other girls interested in UE. This group is a place for UE girls to get together to talk about our explores and experiences and a place to share our images. Let's celebrate the fact that we are female Urban Explorers....and proud of it!

FUSE - Female Urban and Street Exploration

...interesting artifacts found on the street that have been abandoned or unused for quite sometime, parts of a building that has lots of character, or urban exploration in general (the inside of an abandoned building, house, etc).

Why females only? The art of UrbEx is male dominated. I wanted it to be known that women are out there UrbEx'ing too.

Do it for the grrls!

Old House Quote from Calpurnius

Sometimes you read something on another blog that you could have written yourself. It's a good thing that the world has so many different people in it who can think or feel the same way.

"I have a nasty habit of traveling roads left to themselves. As I came around a curve, I saw this house on its hill. Empty. Abandoned. The windows as dark as soulless eyes. I stood there in the overgrown driveway for what seemed like a lifetime as I debated going further. Something compelled me to move; something compelled me to stay. In that I found myself trapped like the house."

From Calpurnius.com

I read this a couple of days ago but have been traveling a lot this week and have not had time to catch up here. This week I have been as far north as Sturgeon Falls and North Bay and as far south as the heart of downtown Toronto. (Drove through the Exhibition grounds and under the CN Tower).

Abandoned Bed and Breakfast Photo

This is one of my favourite photos from this place. I also took a lot of photos of pebbles and rocks with grass growing through the cracks. I love rocks, pebbles and stones. I thought I would try out one of those photos as a blog background.

Abandoned Art

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” - Leonardo da Vinci

I really like this quote. Both the art aspect and as related to photographing the abandoned houses. They do have a feeling of being unfinished, or in the stages of un-evolving, becoming a different kind of art than architecture.

Entropy Photo Challenge for April

Ben Spark has been taking photos of entropy for PhotoChallenge.org. I will be getting out on Sunday for my own rural exploration. Might start around Stayner as we found a great little place (just off the main street) for coffee there.

Downtown Barrie, Ontario

Downtown Barrie, Ontario taken yesterday when I was out for coffee on my day off. I'd like to get a better photo of that window. Can't really see the design well yet. Looks like it had a jewel or something interesting in the middle.

New Glasses on the Grrl

I picked up the new glasses today. They are purple framed and a different shape from the old ones. A bit longer across the face. Linda came too and got her nose piece fixed. She says the new glasses look better on me than the old ones. That is always a good thing to hear. I'm not so sure, yet. Still getting used to them on my face. Still feels like I'm in a fishbowl but it is getting better. I think I like them and that's a good thing for sure.

Back to work again tomorrow. I've been dreading it all day every time I think of it. Graham and Tony are supposed to be out tomorrow to do some more home repair/ renovation work. He is talking about painting my room again, telling me to get everything out of it. Would be a handy time to be fired from the tech support job so I could vacate the premises which they paint. I could stay with my sister. I'm really allergic to fresh paint. I wouldn't be too worried but I have not bothered to get another prescription for the asthma inhaler all this winter. I have not needed it, maybe only used it three times in the past few months. So, did not do anything about refilling it. With paint in the house it will be a different story now. I hope they are not going to get doing it yet.

My sister says she is going to print and fax the contract for BOTW tomorrow. So I have that to look forward to starting. I am too! Each time I look at the blog section there my fingers are itching to dig in. It really needs some work! I checked 5 listed sites and 4 of them need to be deleted as the blog is no longer being kept updated. I'm also making plans in my own mind for restructuring and having qualifications for getting listed at all. Nothing too tough, but practical for having them listed in a directory. Mainly in the case of blogs which are about blogging, seo, monetizing and technology in general. There are just too many of them out there, all saying the same thing. I think there need to be restrictions on which get listed. I've never been a blog snob, always listed just about anything that wasn't abandoned or chocked with ads. But, that is going to change in this case. It needs to be made into a worthwhile resource. I'm putting my time and energy into it so I want it to show up well.

I found the website of the production? company behind the Urban Explorers TV series.

Urban Explorers

13 x 60

A shadowy figure stands on the edge of blackness inside a cavernous industrial shell lit only by a tiny headlamp. Somewhere in the darkness ahead lies a secret entrance to a forgotten tunnel system, burrowed deep beneath the city. It's rumored to be a place of homeless 'mole' people, graffiti masterpieces and unknown danger. Follow our team as they discover urban landscapes that only the fearless would dare to explore.

Sent a note asking if they are continuing to make more of the series.

WebUrbanist

WebUrbanist - blog collective writers are interested in all things urban - from urban design to subversive art and strange architecture. We scour the net to find neat new stuff then boil that information down and pack it into an article with relevant images and links, as exhaustive as we can manage on a single subject area. Our team is comprised of web designers, bloggers, architects and other curious urbanists.

Thursday Thirteen: Urban and Rural Exploration Links

Live Journal Urban Decay

Rural Ruin's Live Journal

Urban Exploration Webring

Stumble Upon Urban Explorers

Infiltration

Urban Exploration group on Ning

Rural Exploration group on Ning

Bumpzee Urban and Rural Exploration group

Rural Exploration on Flickr

Urban Explorers Network

Ontario Rural Ruins on Flickr

Beautifully Ruined on Flickr

UrbEx Barrie

For the Thursday Thirteen

Urbex Fascination from CopySix

The CopySix blog has a really great post about urban exploration, the end of civilization and why those things interest some people, like myself. I wrote a comment, trying to put into words why I like the old, abandoned farm houses so much.

For me it's something about the people who built the places and how they had so much promise, hope, potential and now are left to the elements. I like to see both the man-made and the nature made as they come together. I love the old wood, stone and iron work and the way the trees, vines and wildflowers gather back in around. My favourite abandoned farm houses are those well seasoned, weathered ones. Reminders of what was, kind of a mystery, something forgotten. I think about it's past yet also see it for the present. It's like a courage, or strength to see those old places surviving the elements. Giving up parts and pieces of themselves to the battle yet still not fading out to nothing, not yet consumed by nature and the elements.

Rural Explorer Grrl

At the end of my rainbow is a pot of gold and a derelict, weathered and seasoned farm house.

Red and White House in the Trees

This is an abandoned house in Scarborough. On Kingston Road, near Markham Road, as far as I remember. It was all painted red and white. I remember seeing this house before when it was something, I don't remember what it was though: car lot, restaurant or something else. But it was red and white then too, many years ago. Now it is abandoned but the city is saving the trees on the property. More photos on the Ontario Rural Ruins blog.

House for Demolition in Scarborough

A quick photo just as the traffic light changed to green.

Another Abandoned House

Photoblog for Ontario Rural Ruins

I've been adding all my abandoned farmhouse photos to a new blog. I've put more there than I did here in this blog or on Flickr. I am nearly caught up with adding all the farmhouses and such. I'm not sure if I will get the Guildwood Inn photos on there this week. I know Guildwood isn't quite rural is it is part of the city (urban) of Toronto. But, it's my blog and I can include them if I want to. :)

Guildwood Inn: Not Open for Lunch