Who are the Urban Explorers?
Thread started by
User1 at 10.3.07 - 10:09 pm
I was just going through a site on urban explorations.
http://www.infiltration.org and http://www.uer.ca/
Seems like there's a ride somewhere in these sites. I was thinking abandon mansions or something like that. Do we have any urban explorers in our group? Just spending a half hour in these sites showed that there's alot of crap out there.
The sites above have some awesome pics too. This one ---->
was found here......
http://www.uer.ca/forum_showthread.asp?fid=1&threadid=48904
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These sites are cool but if you look more closely you'll notice that all this stuff is in the East Coast.
Perhaps one of the coolest and most accessible (at least from the outside) abandoned sites in LA would be the theatre on Whittier and Eastern in East LA. Big ornate facade in front of a weedy vacant lot, Next to a taco stand too. Could make a cool stop.
Even with the gentrification of downtown there are still quite a few empty or semi-empty office buildings left with peeling paint interiors and pigeon shit covered floors but they are best suited for small clandestine infiltrations rather than massive bike tours. The ground floors have shops and the lobbies security.
One fun destination could be the 1930s garage on the SE corner of 9th and Hill. 9 floors of corkscrew ramp leading to a glorious rooftop.
I DOES SCOUT
marino10.3.07 - 10:47 pm
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If you are interested in California architectural oddities check out the
Center for Land Use Interpretation (C.L.U.I.)
The old zoo is between the Merry Go Round and the Golf Clubhouse.
It's a nice picnic spot.
marino10.3.07 - 10:58 pm
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Marino...
Next to the Merry Go Round. Cool... I'll check it out. Oh and that website you linked is awesome... So much info.
User1...
This UE stuff is interesting. The Infiltration site has a pretty long thread on L.A. alone. I must continue reading.
Al
digablesoul10.3.07 - 11:09 pm
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Yeah alot of it is east coast, but there's a section for the southwest,
http://www.uer.ca/forum_showcats.asp?fid=1 and you can search with keywords too.
I like the sites you were mentioning in downtown LA. Sure this would not work for a large group, but having up to 50 people would be doable.
You guys missed a stop we were on one night by the Smell. This gate was all twisted and the door it was protecting was broken. We went through there and it lead to the basement. There was all kinds of rooms and passages down there. We even found some dude was living down there! It was fuckin blast going through there and getting all scared and stuff. Well I wasn't scared, but Eddy in LA was!
Let's talk about doing a ride around Halloween!
User110.3.07 - 11:52 pm
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I'm totally down for this. It'll be kinda hard finding anything in LA though.
web77710.4.07 - 12:21 am
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I've done a lot of urbex in LA. This is a great city for it... tunnels under UCLA, abandoned commune in the Palisades, AltaVista hospital, the old subway access point to the LArio tunnel system, plus countless of abandoned warehouses, schools, factories and mortuaries. There's tons of old buildings and relics to discover... especially when you hit the outskirts of town. Just stay safe and always remember one of the golden rules to urban exploration: when you leave, make like you were never there.
onethirtynine10.4.07 - 1:10 am
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Tried to post something a little bit ago, but a server crash occured and all my work was lost.
Anywho, I too would be down for something like this.
Definitely something I would be willing to reroute back home for.
I've tried urban exploration out a few times by myself, but each time I did, I should've just said I was house-hunting.
Because I didn't run into shit!!
Another reason I began taking an interest in this sort of thing was because of it's loose relation to the subject of "ghost-hunting".
If it's old and abandoned, chances are that some bad shit might've went down and someone never left.
Yeah, so if this thing ever becomes a go, expect the desert rats to travel.
bentstrider10.4.07 - 1:50 am
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How dangerous can UE get? Trespassing is one thing but how about you get in somewhere and it turns out to be some crazy guys hideout? Run like the wind!!
digablesoul10.4.07 - 10:31 am
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But, digablesoul, that's just another way to build overall endurance.
Find something freaky like that, you could either get some killer cardio by running from them, or some killer aerobics by engaging them in a kickboxing contest.
Most would prefer the first though.
bentstrider10.4.07 - 11:05 am
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Some other L.A. UE places: Van de Kamps bakery, Sanatarium, abandoned Military Base, Los Angeles River/Taylor Yard, storm drains (in the dry season!!).
"I've done a lot of urbex in LA. This is a great city for it... tunnels under UCLA, abandoned commune in the Palisades, AltaVista hospital, the old subway access point to the LArio tunnel system, plus countless of abandoned warehouses, schools, factories and mortuaries. "
onethirtynine - you gotta get in touch with me.
There's a local UE Meetup
http://urbanexplor.meetup.com/115/
Also, RideArc includes elements of Urban Exploration.
thinkpeace10.4.07 - 11:06 am
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Halloween is the perfect time of year for this
spiraldemon10.4.07 - 11:09 am
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Oh man, I LOVE URBAN EXPLORATION. I grew up in Riverside and I spent a good deal of my restless summers wandering around the city. That place is much easier than LA for finding abandoned buildings, but, clicking through the links in this thread, there is now so much I want to explore here in LA.
We should definitely organize this ride.
markedge10.4.07 - 11:31 am
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The old LA Zoo is pretty cool. It's near the merry-go-round. It's not much, just a trail with these creepy looking old cages. I always thought it would be great for photos. I read somewhere once that there is a lot of poison oak there.
I also read somewhere about an old red car tunnel downtown somewhere that's supposed to be pretty impressive.
cured110.4.07 - 11:44 am
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I should have checked out the links first
cured110.4.07 - 11:50 am
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i'm totally game for any of this stuff. finding that dude living underground near the smell watching TV was funny as hell. i've been wanting to explore storm drains for a while now... my brother is quite experienced at it.
neverclever10.4.07 - 12:05 pm
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I've been in that red car tunnel before. One end is now sealed I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's the Belmont end where there's apartments now. The other end is still intact and was the other way I went in. It is protected with a building you have to go through. This building is across the street from Angels Flight and caddy corner from that Mexican bar and taco stand we rolled up on a few times.
User110.4.07 - 12:59 pm
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you're right user1. it's sealed I think about a half a mile or so into it. Apparently they built some hotel above it and the city gave them permission to build the foundation where the tunnel is or something like that. I was reading about this a couple months ago. There are a lot of people who want to put the tunnel to use.
cured110.5.07 - 11:29 am
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Actually there's a beam that goes through the tunnel. From what I understand you can still get around this beam. I was in there on a tour with LA Conservancy. They wouldn't allow use to go in there very far. We weren't equipped for it anyways.
BTW, I joined up that Meetup group for UE. Would be able to get alot of info on the first meetup.
User110.5.07 - 12:17 pm
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Someone set this up already. Maybe we should start a list of places. The red car tunnel fascinates me.
Van De Camps is under construction now.
web77710.5.07 - 2:19 pm
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I love urban exploring.... peep these photos I took a few years ago from the old subway terminal building downtown. It's the other side of what is known as the Belmont Tunnel which starts at Glendale and Beverly Bridge and used to continue downtown to I believe its 4th and Hill
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:10 pm
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there's a door that slides open and you have to walk down a flight or two but the subway terminal was all still there.... you just had to avoid a couple security guards on the surface level.
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:11 pm
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dumb ass city planners.... fucking wasted this great resource like morons that they are.
this shot is looking north (north east?) towards the Glendale / Beverly Bridge
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:13 pm
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looking south from the base of bonneventure hotel foundation that splits the tunnel and renders it useless
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:17 pm
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's too bad they can't punch a small hole in that foundation... would make a GREAT bike path...
FuzzBeast10.5.07 - 3:21 pm
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these photos are from December of 04 and it looked as thought there was some kind of construction activity being planned... I'd love to break in again if its still there.... I walked all through the underground terminal, into the old offices of the conductors and subway workers, up and down the ramps that people used to walk along to get to the terminal.... most of it was pitch black. I found a storage room off in the back where there were street lights and terminal light shades etc... yes, I borrowed a few items of interest....
this is the outside of the building
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:21 pm
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this appears to be some sort of operators booth. a shot from up above shows the view from inside looking north
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:23 pm
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you can barely make out the words "subway terminal building"
for all those that dont know, GM Firestone and some parts and other automobile interests bought the license to run the subway system and then over a period of years shut the whole thing down city wide. they were fined $5000 for conspiracy.
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:25 pm
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Oh man, Roadblock, thanks for posting those pics. I am endlessly fascinated by this.
And fuck GM for killing the rail system so that people would depend on cars.
markedge10.5.07 - 3:42 pm
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"'s too bad they can't punch a small hole in that foundation... would make a GREAT bike path..."
too bad they cant punch a small hole into the brains of the idiots on the city council and Henry Waxman too!!
Roadblock10.5.07 - 3:51 pm
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I shot a video in there years ago... I wanted to go where you went RB, I couldn't getaway, Exploring is one off the things i & my coworkers like the most about shooting on location.
Speaking of ghosts: I've spent a week on the Queen Mary... Definatly haunted, by at least TWO spirits I saw. But THE MOST AMAZING, FUCKING REALLY AMAZING GHOST Experience I LIVED thru in LA was at the Old Oscar Meyer plant next to Farmer John, in Vernon. REALLY FREAKY SCARY SHIT. I was there a for a week on a job as well, and I sure pissed off one of the people killed there in the mid 1980's, boy he got me back... I've been in several "situations" and this one tops the list of extraordinary events.
Gern10.5.07 - 6:40 pm
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Man... great pics RB... you went by yourself?? That would freak the heal out of me. Gern... sounds freaky.
You guys got really big balls. Props!
My scary story isn't as impressive. The only freaky shiet for me was walking in Elysian park at dusk w/ my gf in high school. LOL.. shiet... we took those small paths and freaking got lost and couldn't find the road out to Broadway. It's like the Blair Witch Project... only that it was in Elysian Park. And all this time I was thinking of was, "Fuck!! I could hear the damn freeway!! Sheiet... It's the 110. Shiet it's the 5!!!" Oh... and the "Hillside Stranglers"... and thinking we'd come upon a body under a bush. Then we found Broadway. We hoo!! All good.
Al
digablesoul10.5.07 - 8:22 pm
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All that and more in downtown LA alone?!?
Lucky bastards.
I'm lucky enough to traipse through an abandoned house in my neck of the woods.
And usually those have a pretty good security presence around them.
bentstrider10.5.07 - 8:30 pm
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UCLA's tunnels are amazing, from the bridge to all the random places you can end up when you take an exit or an entrance, just have to watch out for all the hot pipes.
Jaz10.7.07 - 9:28 pm
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Fucking awesome pics RB. Now I really want to go there and check this out! I'm up for any kind of trip that brings in UE around the city. One of my favorite ride in Santa Monica was going through the tunnels under USC. Not sure if this board is the best way to work on doing something, but if anyone has any ideas on how to proceed, lets do it!
User110.8.07 - 12:54 am
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I'm up for another expedition to this place.... I just dont know if it still exists. I have a feeling that it was on the verge of being developed. there were security guards and some construction lights down there..... lets roll
Roadblock10.8.07 - 1:51 pm
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I'm down! Just let me know the place and time.
web77710.8.07 - 6:12 pm
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Ever since Robotz III, that little romp we pulled through the convention center got me back to thinking of this thread.
I remember a post on the UER.CA threads in regards to "Active Site Exploration".
Well, for the fifty or so, brave troopers that were there that night, that is exactly what we did, on multiple occasions to boot!!!!
bentstrider11.11.08 - 10:03 pm
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Adam,
We got to go back to that abandon insane asylum again. I drove through there one afternoon and noticed that that auditorium was deboarded up. I didn't have the time that day to check anything out. Been dying to go back.
User111.11.08 - 10:49 pm
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Well, it's been getting a little slower with loads this time of the year, and that's quite normal for the trucking industry.
I'll have to check and see when I'm back down here, if it's a dead night, we could probably gather a posse and head down there on bike, or car.
The Montebello yard I'm currently at is only an 8.5 mile ride away.
And I've also got this sweet, colored-lens military flashlight I use in the truck!!!
bentstrider11.11.08 - 10:53 pm
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Several years ago The Cacophony Society did a fair amount of urban explo stuff and many of us are now the strange old men you see lurking about on your bike rides. Some of us ,oblivious to this thread, have been talking about doing just such a ride. Unfortunately some of the old spots have been torn down (Van De Camps) or closed up after 9/11 (JPL tunnels) but there are still plenty of weird places to go in this city. Personally I'd love to find a way into Lincoln Heights Jail at night. That place is creepy as hell in the daytime and would be super fun in the dark. Maybe there is a location manager here somewhere who knows someone who could look the other way while we sneak in. (hint hint)
frumble11.12.08 - 2:05 pm
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I was there for a art show one time. Every floor and just about every cell had some kind of art work. It was an awesome experience. I can't imagine what it would be like at night. I seriously doubt someone is going to let us in cause of liability concerns. As long we follow the ethos of leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories, I don't see why we couldn't go in on some dark stormy night. If we have to cut a lock, we can leave one for them when we leave.
User111.12.08 - 2:58 pm
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Man, the main thing I miss about St. Louis, (other than having actual weather and seasons) is the constant potential for
exploration. You could just ride around downtown, where 1 in 5 buildings would be abandoned, or go across the river, where only 1 in 5 buildings would be occupied. It was almost too easy.
I really want to check out Sybil Brand...
nathansnider11.12.08 - 3:38 pm
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yes MOAR.... last expedition was too fun. to the top of the very top of the City Hall building..... wow! thanks user1
Roadblock03.18.09 - 3:27 pm
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I can show people around the caltech tunnels if anyone is interested. Lots of strange geeky graffiti down there.
zombiefiesta03.18.09 - 3:57 pm
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Oh fuck yeah!!!!!
zombiefiesta, I'm down!
allanalessio a yahoo dog con or 56 to 67 tree 06 for tree
The next big one will be the Nike Missile Silo in the spring. Bring ropes, flash light and bat repellent! I would also love to go to that Moonie Temple in the summer if anyone wants to work on doing that.
User103.18.09 - 4:40 pm
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@user1
i was just up at the silo this weekend.
the cops torched all the vehicles.
silo doors are still open.
i took my camera along
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikekim/sets/72157615286460338/
check it out!
KiMS103.18.09 - 4:42 pm
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@user1
btw, if ur doing any of these urban exploration rides or hikes, please let me know!!!
kimsoner [at] hotmail.com
KiMS103.18.09 - 4:48 pm
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Cool shots Michael! I'm really stoked on going now!!!
User103.18.09 - 4:51 pm
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i heard there's an abandoned psychiatric hospital in pasadena somewhere.
ill post it up if i find the info.
unless it's already on this thread.
KiMS103.18.09 - 4:56 pm
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I used to do this in AZ lets do it in LA!
apineda03.18.09 - 5:22 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
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