  Spirit2028 Member Username: Spirit2028 Post Number: 24 Registered: 01-2007 |
Here is a video clip of some urban explorers in action. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY2Ha9 x42as | ||
Displaced Member Username: Displaced Post Number: 14 Registered: 01-2009 |
i can't see the video, but im assuming its someone breaking shit and making an ass of themselves? i love exploring in general, and really love urban exploring. but i follow a certian set of rules...leave everything how you found it, leave nothing behind, and personally enjoy the strange serine beauty of the buildings, the lost dreams of the place, etc. | ||
Mcwalbucksnfitch Member Username: Mcwalbucksnfitch Post Number: 85 Registered: 10-2006 |
I've made up my mind and I am jumping on the bandwagon. | ||
Raj313 Member Username: Raj313 Post Number: 13 Registered: 01-2009 |
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Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 2953 Registered: 01-2004 |
wow. why didnt they just walk in the back ? | ||
Davemarc Member Username: Davemarc Post Number: 159 Registered: 06-2008 |
Its seems that for every person that wants to observe,there are ten that want to be idiots,that group was o.k.(for those unable to view)No need to just go in and tear the place up.Mauser,I wondered the same thing,seemed like alot of work..They need better recon.Dave | ||
Soulhawk Member Username: Soulhawk Post Number: 140 Registered: 04-2004 |
Given the recent frozen body incident, these suburban kids must be the dumbest "explorers" I have seen yet. "I hearby claim this previously unexplored Train Station for for Spain...I mean Birmingham." Can we really call them explorers anymore. Let's call 'em as they are, Urban Tresspassers who don't really pose that much of a threat. Explorer is so self-agrandizing. (Message edited by soulhawk on February 06, 2009) | ||
Wolverine Member Username: Wolverine Post Number: 586 Registered: 04-2004 |
What? Why are they doing that? They should have gone around the back. You could drive a city bus through the gaping holes in the back of that building. These destructive idiots don't deserve a second in that place. | ||
Navi Member Username: Navi Post Number: 31 Registered: 09-2005 |
Explorer has come to define this - kids and people that go into 3 buildings and want to start using all the slang they can. Anyone who would make your requirements of being called an explorer, doesn't want to be called an explorer because they realize how dumb the term is. "Yeah! I'm an urban explorer! I search the ruins for meaning and feeling in these crumbling urban spaces." "Wtf are you talking about? You walked in a doorway to a burned out building. You're not special." | ||
Displaced Member Username: Displaced Post Number: 15 Registered: 01-2009 |
navi, i guess you're right. i guess i'll call myself "an individual who takes interest in the history of why and the natural reclamation if uninhabited structures, and finds a strange art in the photography of said structures" i do get what you say though, most just like to break shit even more and act like an ass, with no respect as to whatever the structure may have been, or those who are more mature than a 14 year old | ||
Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 2955 Registered: 01-2004 |
the phrase and associated "movement" are embarrassing. | ||
Brownfieldguy Member Username: Brownfieldguy Post Number: 11 Registered: 02-2009 |
I have been in many of these structures as part of various activities involving their redevelopment, remediation, or demolition. I have gotten to investigate many "landmarks" of sort in Metropolitan Detroit and other urban areas. All I can say is use caution. I usually enter these facilities as part of a team and we have the proper gear and training to work in some of these environments that are both environmentally hazardous or structurally dangerous. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 2235 Registered: 04-2006 |
I like how they drove from the train station to tiger stadium. Urban Explorer my @$$ you can't even walk through Corktown without feeling scared. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 698 Registered: 08-2006 |
This is a terrible example of urban explorers. The best of them travel in small numbers under the sly of night to take photographs and talk about industrial history. They do not destroy the environments or steal from the property, and usually photos or a good view of the city are the only ulterior motive. These suburban idiots don't know what they're doing. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 902 Registered: 08-2007 |
I,d like to explore the DPS building, Maybe save that Fallout Shelter sign for history. | ||
Navi Member Username: Navi Post Number: 32 Registered: 09-2005 |
Thanks Displaced. You get what I'm saying even if I'm not the best wordsmith. | ||
Davemarc Member Username: Davemarc Post Number: 160 Registered: 06-2008 |
I think alot of us feel that way,I don't want to be lumped in with a bunch of teenagers drinkin' cheap 40's.I do enjoy creeping through historic buildings/areas.The term sounds cool untill you see the people associated with it. | ||
Erikto Member Username: Erikto Post Number: 428 Registered: 11-2003 |
I've seen some damn fine web pages and pictures thanks to some 'urban explorers'. The recent link (thanks again to that poster) to the 'onlyndetroit' site led to a very decent site. I rather like poking around empty buildings myself. I don't add to the wreckage or take anything. I've been stopped by Detroit cops and by homeland security on the train tracks when we were contemplating a look inside the MCS. I'm surpised people can still get in there, the homeland security people were after us as soon as we climbed the stairs outside (on Vernor near the underpass?). They accepted we were curious Canadians up to no harm, and amicably but definitively sent us on our way. The Detroit cops told me I must be crazy when they found me in an empty factory. They didn't make me leave though, they just told me not to wander upstairs. A few weeks ago in Highland Park, one guy stopped us to talk for a while and he was really friendly. Then another guy came out of nowhere, and sauntered after me, accusing me of profiting from his dead grandmother's house. Ho hum... anyhow, I think the graffitti in these places is harmless (compared to tagging exterior walls on active buildings), and the destruction is caused by vandals and scrappers who have as little to do with us as the homeless people who often live in such buildings. | ||
Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 2960 Registered: 01-2004 |
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Mauser765 Member Username: Mauser765 Post Number: 2961 Registered: 01-2004 |
I heard a REALLY funny story about the mighty OID explorers when they happened upon some other people in a building they had just finished painting on. How hilarious. These people wear..like, "explorer" costumes. HHAHAHAHAH! | ||
Gralr Member Username: Gralr Post Number: 68 Registered: 12-2008 |
take me along I would love it! I'll bring my camera! | ||
Spirit2028 Member Username: Spirit2028 Post Number: 26 Registered: 01-2007 |
This message is for Detroitplanner (see post #2235 above) who wants to bet his ass that I'd be scared walking through Corktown. Well this video clip is for people like you who make stupid and blind assumptions. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwggQe e0Z38 ... You just lost your smart ass, dumb ass and stupid ass in one fell swoop. For others tuning in to this thread, as a rule when I shoot video I like to capture an event and put it into the context of the neighborhood. The best way to do that is by walking because you can absorb things nice and slowly. Occasionally I do what I like to call a drive-by shooting but that is mainly to show the transition from Point A to Point B. I used that technique when I went from the train station to Tiger Stadium in the original post. I used it again that day when I went from Tiger Stadium to Point C (Cass Tech). I will in the near future show a video clip of the sad and unfortunate destruction of the old Cass Tech H.S. I shot 40 minutes of video that day and because of the constraints of uploading video on the web I limit the clips to around 5 minutes. In this case I made an exception for Detroitplanner. I am fascinated with the city and I like sharing with others who enjoy Detroit. Lowell started with the tag line "Fabulous Ruins of Detroit". I agree they are fabulous and as an urban explorer I like to show that. I realize some people get upset about this. I can assure you that I do not vandalize, scrap, spray paint or do anything destructive. I document the scene and save law abiding citizens from risking any of the hazards inherent in this activity. Let me add though that as much as I like urban exploration I am more interested in urban planning and what Detroit needs to do to get it's mojo back. I'm a big fan of mass transportation. Well all this is probably more information than you care to know but there you have it. As another side note to Detroitplanner, I did not make a special trip for you. I attended the Winter Blast (future post) and later went to Cafe D'Mongo's. I shot 1 hour of video and had a nice walking tour of Downtown. I could have walked from Downtown to Corktown but I was to scared ! Actually it was getting late and I needed to get home to my lily-white suburb of Dearborn Heights so in the interest of saving time I used my 2000 GMC Sonoma truck. | ||
Newport1128 Member Username: Newport1128 Post Number: 262 Registered: 05-2007 |
By trespassing, do "urban explorers" give up the right to sue the property owner if any harm should befall them while "exploring"? | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 699 Registered: 08-2006 |
Spirit, you're going about it all the wrong way. Real urban explorers are discreet, and do not flaunt their adventures for the whole world and the Internet. Because of the images you record, and the glorification of trespassing you seem so excited to share, more and more people will attempt to enter these structures, advancing their quick decay and putting a bad name on those of us who do not 'spread the word', who come back from exploring with a few good shots and don't advertise on the internet about their adventures. My recommendation is that if you do post these videos on the Internet for all to see, then refrain from telling people where you shot it except to say that it is to document the urban decay in Detroit. "An abandoned historic high school in Detroit" is just fine. But once you say it's Cass Tech, then people from all over the area are gonna flip their shit and try everything they can to get in. Let's be honest, we don't need everyone crawling all over these structures and looting and pillaging the place, they're in bad enough shape to begin with. And on another note -- you don't need to prove your badassness or your Detroit knowledge by flaunting it with Youtube videos and picking fights on the forum. This just makes you look more silly. As a request, can you take one of your 40-minute video walks near Chene & Forest, or maybe in the neighborhood around City Airport? I am pretty sure the neighbors would love the sight of a white suburbanite documenting the sad decay of their neighborhood for the world to see. They won't care at all, so long as you post it on Youtube!! | ||
Navi Member Username: Navi Post Number: 36 Registered: 09-2005 |
Well said gsgeorge. | ||
Displaced Member Username: Displaced Post Number: 16 Registered: 01-2009 |
By trespassing, do "urban explorers" give up the right to sue the property owner if any harm should befall them while "exploring"? -enter at your own risk | ||
Eastburn Member Username: Eastburn Post Number: 664 Registered: 03-2008 |
I suppose they can sue. Anyone can pretty much sue anyone else. Suing successfully is a different matter. As I recall from my claims adjuster training 40 some years ago, the only duty owed a trespasser is to not set traps for them. | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 2164 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ive known a lot of scrappers/trespassers. Theyve all taken there bumps and moved on as best they could, all without suing. Thats not to say Eastburns point hasnt had had its effect. Personally I think the whole 'leave only footprints' ideal is pretty unrealistic in Detroit. You live in fucking Detroit for cripes sake. Wish all you want for all the abandoned buildings to be refurbished, its not gonna happen. Decay happens, be it weather, bugs eating wood beams, or scrappers cutting out I-beams. The kids in the video as far as I could tell did absolutely nothing wrong. They went to experience something that is happening more and more in America, and that is decay. They jumped a fence, big fucking deal. Those kids are the future, and the more understanding thay have of what can happen to a city the better. | ||
Bobl Member Username: Bobl Post Number: 479 Registered: 07-2008 |
D: How's the weather down there? Any decay on the beach? | ||
Spirit2028 Member Username: Spirit2028 Post Number: 27 Registered: 01-2007 |
This one is for Gsgeorge: I understand your comments to some degree. What got under my skin was the comment that I would be scared walking in Corktown. That is one of the most vibrant and promising areas of Detroit and is one of the most walkable. The real challenge is like you say to go to some neighborhoods that are a bit more sketchy in nature. It's interesting that you mention the Chene/Forest neighborhood. I've videotaped that neighborhood several times. In fact if you like blues music they have a blues jam every Sunday starting around 4:00 pm at the corner of St. Aubin and Frederick when the weather warms up. That area also has Tyree Guyton's Rosa Parks bus, the 19th hole, a few storefront churches and the occasional hooker. I've videotaped some great blues musicians and then walked through the surrounding hood stirring up a few pheasants along the way. It's a perfect blues neighborhood and I enjoy the whole scene. By no means am I some bad ass. If you saw me you would probably say that your grandmother could beat me up. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. In no way am I going to post responses to everyone who is a smart ass on this forum. I've checked this blog enough to realize some people are very brave when they can post anonymously as opposed to saying something face to face. It's been a few years but I've also taking a walking tour on Gratiot Ave. from Downtown to City Airport and back documenting the good the bad and the ugly. You always have to be careful but I have respect for what and how I shoot video. Having said that I'll have to admit over the years I have had a few incidents. The State Fair neighborhood is one of them. Pit bulls chasing you down the street was a little bit disconcerting. I also learned a lesson when I videotaped an outdoor house party as I was going to the State Fair. I was chased down by a half dozen men who I thought were going to kick my ass. The leader of this group ended up just taking the camera tape and left me with my camcorder and teeth intact. Incidently that day I was taping what I called at the time the Woodward Avenue Dream Walk. I'm still upset that the Motor City is technically not part of the Dream Cruise. I walked Woodward Ave. from Hart Plaza almost to the fairgrounds only to have my tape confiscated. I consider myself lucky though. As far as putting things up on youtube, I do that mainly so I can post things on this forum. My main thing is airing shows on Comcast. Thanks for watching. |
