Urban Explorers: Embracing the Buried and Abandoned

In response to Erik’s post about Urban Exploration, I offer up one of my favorite sites on the subject: www.infiltration.org.  Although Urban Exploration can simply mean the exploration of a city, its true meaning is far more subversive.  Urban explorers actually explore areas of a city that are closed to the public or otherwise condemned.  This includes abandoned buildings, sewer and utility tunnels, storm drains, old factories, and pretty much anywhere else that has an easily climbable fence or a broken window to worm through. 

We all did this as kids (storm drains being my specialty) but now this curiosity has manifested itself into well-organized (but nonetheless illegal) clubs and organizations.  Infiltration.org is a wonderful resource for finding a club or chapter near you.  Aficionados can hook up with fellow troglodytes and trespassers in Poland, Belgium, Detroit, Moscow, San Francisco, New York and countless other locations thanks to the site’s interactive map. 

There is also a link to those infamous college tunnels across America.  Since students are routinely informed they would be expelled from school if ever caught within these tunnels, you can imagine the allure.  I sadly chickened out and never did the ones at my university, but thanks to this site, I can at least explore them virtually today with degree firmly in hand. 

Filed under: Activism