vanshnookenraggen blog » Urban Exploration

UrbEx: Glenwood Power Station

vanshnookenraggen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:30:13 +0000

A look inside the abandoned Glenwood Power Station of the defunct New York Central Railroad. Located in Yonkers, NY along the Hudson River this cavernous edifice is a silent reminder of the power that the railroads once held over 100 years ago. Built to provide electricity to the newly electrified lines running from New York to upstate and beyond, the power station was a marvel of engineering of its day. When municipal power became a cheaper and reliable alternative the plant was shut down. The large spaces are now well traveled by urban explorers, graffiti artists, performance artists, or those just looking to get away from the public eye for a time.

More images can be found in the Flickr set.

[Show as slideshow]

UrbEx: Greenpoint Terminal Market

vanshnookenraggen — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:44:17 +0000

The complex is in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right on the East River. I really don’t know anything about it other than it seems to be used to store clothes at one point and is now very derelict. There are a couple businesses that still use the ground floors.

About a year after my explore I woke to find the complex engulfed in flames. They say that a bum started the fire looking for wire but we suspect that the owner burned it down to prevent it from being declared a landmark.

More images are on the Flickr page.

[Show as slideshow]

Now for sale at society6, these hauntingly beautiful prints from Urban Exploration New York: Greenpoint Terminal Market depict the now long gone warehouse complex that once dominated the waterfront of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The abandoned section was destroyed by fire some years ago but two other buildings remain and house artists studios and lofts. These prints will look great hanging on your wall or going with you with your iPhone!

These prints are available as the following products:

Fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality. Custom trimmed with 1″ border for framing.
Framed fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality.
Fine art print on bright white, fine poly-cotton blend, matte canvas using latest generation Epson archival inks. Individually trimmed and hand stretched museum wrap over 1-1/2″ deep wood stretcher bars. Includes wall hanging hardware.
iPhone Case: Protect your iPhone (fits all iPhone 4 and 4S versions) with a one-piece, impact resistant, flexible plastic hard case featuring an extremely slim profile. Simply snap the case onto your iPhone for solid protection and direct access to all device features.
iPhone, iPad Skins and Laptop: Skins are thin, easy-to-remove, vinyl decals for customizing your device. Skins are made from a patented material that eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles for easy application.

Prints are available at my Society6 page, http://society6.com/vanshnookenraggen/

UrbEx: A Walk on the High Line

vanshnookenraggen — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:41:08 +0000

I moved the New York in the summer of 2005 and I had been interested in urban exploration photography for some time before that. New York had so much to off for me but the first thing I wanted to see was the High Line on the west side of Manhattan. At that time it was still a hulking abandoned relic hiding in plain sight. A few initial attempts were made but all ended in failure of getting up to the tracks. On a warm November day I tired again. While walking into the truck lot across the street from the
Javits Center I noticed a couple who were following me. When we got across the lot and onto the tracks that lead up to the High Line I turned to talk with them. The man had grown up in the area and had visited the High Line many times in his youth. That day he was bringing his girlfriend along because she had never seen it. As an urban explorer I wasn’t really used to running into people while exploring so I let them wander off ahead of me while I tried to document and take in the incredeble natural landscape which floated through the city.

At the time I was actually dismayed that these people were in my photographs; after all the point of urban exploration is to go where there are no people. It wasn’t until years later when the amazing High Line park opened and this once tranquil preserve became a world attraction, flooded daily with people, that I realized how lucky I was to capture that moment. These two people, out in the alien zone above the city, all alone, represent our spirit of adventure and discovery

More images can be found on the Flickr page.

[Show as slideshow]

Now for sale at society6, these hauntingly beautiful prints from Urban Exploration New York: A Walk on the High Line depict the famous High Line as it was before it was transformed into the amazing park it is today. Weeds and trash strewn about, graffiti tags lining the walls. Take a walk back in time. These prints will look great hanging on your wall or going with you with your iPhone!

These prints are available as the following products:

Fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality. Custom trimmed with 1″ border for framing.
Framed fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality.
Fine art print on bright white, fine poly-cotton blend, matte canvas using latest generation Epson archival inks. Individually trimmed and hand stretched museum wrap over 1-1/2″ deep wood stretcher bars. Includes wall hanging hardware.
iPhone Case: Protect your iPhone (fits all iPhone 4 and 4S versions) with a one-piece, impact resistant, flexible plastic hard case featuring an extremely slim profile. Simply snap the case onto your iPhone for solid protection and direct access to all device features.
iPhone, iPad Skins and Laptop: Skins are thin, easy-to-remove, vinyl decals for customizing your device. Skins are made from a patented material that eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles for easy application.

Prints are available at my Society6 page, http://society6.com/vanshnookenraggen/

Inside the Hell Gate Bridge

vanshnookenraggen — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:02:35 +0000

The Hell Gate Bridge is one of the more impressive bridges in New York City. Completed in 1916 to allow through service by trains from New Jersey to New England, the 4 track arch bridge was the longest of its kind in the world when it opened. Supposedly, it was over engineered so that it looked trustworthy enough for people to believe it would stand. Because of this it is thought that this bridge, after humans are gone from the earth, would be the last New York City bridge to fall, lasting almost a thousand years.

Having spent much of my time in Astoria near the bridge I’ve always wondered what it would take to explore it. Unlike the High Line or other right-of-ways I’ve explored in the past this was very much active and very dangerous. We had to keep lights off as not to be spotted and had to keep a keen eye out for any on-coming trains. After a long mile and a half walk in the middle of the night we made our way up the tracks.

It is quite a beautiful sight to see the city from that height, about 7 or 8 stories above the ground. We reached the southern support tower, designed to emulate the great triumphal arches of Rome. Inside there was a small iron spiral staircase leading up to the top of the arch, inside the arch that is. The cavernous space was a sight to behold (no pictures were taken due to the complete lack of light). The structure has large slits in it which seems like a nod to arrowslits in medieval castles. Continuing up another set of spiral stairs leads to the roof. Inside the air was heavy and filled with particles, no doubt from the inches of decaying bird carcases and dirt which lined the floors.

The archways surrounding the roof of the support tower created an interesting effect in that you did not feel at all like you were in a dangerous place much like you do on the roofs of ordinary buildings. The archways created a room with windows out into the city. The weather was so nice that you hardly realized you were outside at all.

The city was only an idea at this point. The noise, the energy, the problems, all were a distant hum; all was quiet and peaceful. Trains passing below offered the only clue to the reality of the situation, but also brought out the adolescent fascination we had of big powerful machines.

We were there for a while, not to do damage but to experience something few ever have the chance to. It was a moment. What has always attracted me to urban exploration was the curiosity in knowing that what one sees in their daily life is only skin deep, that a thousand levels of infrastructure supports everything you take for granted in life. The bridge was there before I was and will be after I am no longer.

We would have stayed, the sunrise from this vantage point would have been indescribable, but legal reasons kept us wary. On our way down we happened to catch sight of a light further below in the tower. Climbing down further we discovered that the tower itself was hollow and inside were four great halls, 7 stories tall each.

While exploring each great hall we quickly ran the numbers as to the feasibility of throwing the worlds most exclusive party inside the base of the tower. Obviously David Byrne was in… A stairwell led down under the floor to a locked door, one which was familiar to me from my many walks around the outside of the bridge in the day. This was the easy way, the less fun way, the practical way in.

We made the climb back to track level and back along the tracks. The night was completed to full, breakfast awaited as a reward.

A Walk on the High Line

vanshnookenraggen — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:00:45 +0000

I moved the New York in the summer of 2005 and I had been interested in urban exploration photography for some time before that. New York had so much to off for me but the first thing I wanted to see was the High Line on the west side of Manhattan. At that time it was still a hulking abandoned relic hiding in plain sight. A few initial attemps were made but all ended in failure of getting up to the tracks. On a warm November day I tired again. While walking into the truck lot across the street from the
Javits Center I noticed a couple who were following me. When we got across the lot and onto the tracks that lead up to the High Line I turned to talk with them. The man had grown up in the area and had visited the High Line many times in his youth. That day he was bringing his girlfriend along because she had never seen it. As an urban explorer I wasn’t really used to running into people while exploring so I let them wander off ahead of me while I tried to document and take in the incredeble natural landscape which floated through the city.

[Gallery not found]

These prints are available as the following products:

Fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality. Custom trimmed with 1″ border for framing.
Framed fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality.
Fine art print on bright white, fine poly-cotton blend, matte canvas using latest generation Epson archival inks. Individually trimmed and hand stretched museum wrap over 1-1/2″ deep wood stretcher bars. Includes wall hanging hardware.
iPhone Case: Protect your iPhone (fits all iPhone 4 and 4S versions) with a one-piece, impact resistant, flexible plastic hard case featuring an extremely slim profile. Simply snap the case onto your iPhone for solid protection and direct access to all device features.
iPhone, iPad Skins and Laptop: Skins are thin, easy-to-remove, vinyl decals for customizing your device. Skins are made from a patented material that eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles for easy application.

Prints are available at my Society6 page, http://society6.com/vanshnookenraggen/

Miru Kim at TED

vanshnookenraggen — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:13:02 +0000

Miru Kim is a New York based artist who is famous for doing urban exploration in the nude (which she explains in this TED video). I remember the first time I saw her work was right after I explored the former Revere Sugar Factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I saw the nude pics of her on LTV and thought it was pretty dumb at the time but now that I’ve seen the result and understand what she was trying to do I’m kind of in awe. I’ve seen a lot of urban exploration pictures but hers are just on another level, precisely because she creates this character for them. Most urbex (including mine) is more of a way to document these great places. She goes to the next level and I have to give her mad props for it.

Last day to order the 2009 Urbex Calendar

vanshnookenraggen — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 05:46:33 +0000

Today is the last day to order my 2009 Urban Exploration NYC calendar in order to get it by Christmas. Above is a quilt of the images included in the calendar. I got mine in the mail a few days ago and it looks really nice.Featuring images from the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse, Revere Sugar Factory, High Line, and more!

Printed: 12 months, 13.5″ x 19″, coil binding, white interior paper (100# weight), full-color interior ink, $29.99.

Click the image or click here to purchase.

Happy Holidays all!

Urban Exploration New York City 2009 Calendar

vanshnookenraggen — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:53:55 +0000

Just in time for Christmas, the 2009 Urban Exploration New York City calendar is now available. Featuring images from the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse, Revere Sugar Factory, High Line, and more!

Printed: 12 months, 13.5″ x 19″, coil binding, white interior paper (100# weight), full-color interior ink, $29.99.

Click the image or click here to purchase.

Photoblogging

vanshnookenraggen — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:40:45 +0000

The last new image I posted on my photoblog was on December 7th, 2006 (a date that will live in…. something.) What happened? Well if you look at the images I was taking at the time you will notice that they weren’t taken with a lens. I broke it in my bag and was too poor to afford a new one. To make up for it I used a piece of cardboard with a pinhole through it, which produced some interesting results but exposed my sensor to the elements and I knew if I kept it up I’d be without a body as well as a lens.

So I stopped taking pictures. For a long time. Finally for my birthday my parents stepped in. They’ve always been there to support me, for which I am eternally grateful. I replaced my broken lens and, like any kid with a new toy, went straight out to play with it. Only something was wrong. I realized as I walked around that I didn’t see the city as I once did. When I first moved here I was heavily into urban exploration and having exhausted most of the interesting sites in Boston I was excited to find new places in New York to explore. But my interest in that passed once I broke my lens and had stopped taking photos. I remember when I got to New York everything caught my eye. The one thing I love most about this city is how the light strikes it. I love walking down an avenue when the sun is low; the streets shine like gold and all the people and cars lose all detail and become dark masses scurrying about. I also loved how the buildings looked. Unlike Boston which is so small that almost every building stands out, there were so many buildings in New York that they all melted together. This texture, along with the various shadows that were inevitable, created a world that I felt few people saw in their daily rush. But after rushing for so long, not stopping to see the city in this way, I seemed to had lost my sight of it. So for months now I’ve been wandering around, taking pictures but doing nothing with them as I never saw anything in them (I think I still have a memory card that I haven’t uploaded to my computer from Thanksgiving.)

This all changed in December when I found out this friend who I hadn’t talked to in over a year was not only a photographer (and good one at that) but had also had some urbex experience. I bemoaned the fact that I hadn’t been exploring in well over a year and she immediately pulled me out of my slump and suggested we go find something. That something is in the post below, the abandoned subway station in the Bronx.

Ever since I’ve felt that I’ve gotten my eyes back. Since then I’ve been out to a few places I’ve always wanted to go. Since it’s winter there usually aren’t any people around, which I like because I like images that show cities devoid of people (post-apocalyptic.) The tipping point came when I got an image on Gothamist yesterday, a website I frequent and a place for New York photographers to show off their stuff. I’ve had images on their before but this time I really feel vindicated. I feel like I’ve gotten my sight back and other people are acknowledging it.

So finally I have a reason to update this site. I’m back baby.

Urban Exploration New York

vanshnookenraggen — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:19:17 +0000

Abandoned Subway Station in The Bronx

Hipsters and the Homeless: Exploration of the underground.

A relic of the old elevated subway days, Sedgwick Ave station connected the Jerome Ave line (4 train) to the 9th Ave Elevated. This was the connection between the old Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, the origin of the term “subway series”. The elevated were torn down over 50 years ago and very little remain. When the 9th Ave was torn down Sedgwick Ave stayed in operation as a shuttle between Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds but when the Giants packed up for the west coast there was no need (also the city had built a proper subway connecting the two stations in the 1930s).

For more information on Sedgwick Ave: Abandoned Stations : Sedgwick Ave

For the full sets of mine and reveire’s images (as well as full sized ones for your desktops):
Reveire3
Vanshnookenraggen