Dramatic title for a true adventure that went swimmingly!

Today I made the journey across the boarder to visit our neighbors to the south in Detroit city. In my hit list of things to do was photograph graffiti and find an abandoned building to photograph. With a quick google search before I left I found out about the “Z Lot” in Detroit as one of the top destinations. It is a parking garage that is known for the graffiti art throughout the structure and the impressive view from the roof of the garage. Many photographers are said to come to the location to shoot photos and the honest truth is the place was swimming in photographers!

Here are a few shots from the garage. I noticed one fella photographing his car from the top floor so I mimicked him with my bug covered Kia Forte. I’m well overdue for a car wash after my 2000 km road trip earlier this month!

Next I went to Basement Burger for; well… I went for a hamburger! Along the way I picked up on the football tailgate vibe of tonight’s Lions vs Patriots game. The burger was INCREDIBLE. I had an american Kobe beef. I thought Kobe was Japanese but whatever. Tricked me into paying more and loving it! I had a great beer too called Vanilla Porter by Gonzo’s BiggDogg Brewing of Kalamazoo, MI.

Finally, I flipped through my list of possible abandoned buildings and decided upon the Fischer Body Plant 21. I think I chose it because it was at the top of the list on the web-page I found it on! I’m a simple man. I crawled under a broken garage door later to find out there were two open entrances I could have walked through. My way was cooler! Inside was creepy and amazing. I took my headphones off, moved slowly and frequently paused to listen closely before moving again so I had an idea of who was around me. I came across a group of kids who confirmed the only way up was climbing a section of collapsed floor to the second level.

I packed up my camera and scaled the rubble to the second floor. Up top I setup my ancient Nikon D5100 and moved on. Partway along the collapsing hallway I came across two more people. This time looking a little rougher but thankfully with a big camera around one guys neck. Chatting for a moment about cool spots to shoot inside they pointed me to the stairs and warned me on the upper levels there were some more people and that it had been a surprise to come across them. I thanked them and carefully moved onward and upwards.

I stopped at every floor I could and walked carefully through frequently stopping to listen to the environment. I could hear the people on the upper levels but as I slowly made my way up they must have made there way down by another staircase. I believe I ascended 5 levels and then to the roof. The second level felt the most dangerous with the collapsing sections of concrete flooring.

The entire time I waited for the zombie attack to start. It never did. Maybe because it was still daylight? Who knows. I won’t be finding out what happens there at night! Very happy with the adventure and photos I made my way back to my car and tried an abandoned church out. It was locked up tight so I figured I would call it a day and head back home to Canada. The day had gone very well and I wanted to end on a high note! I’m sure it could have been a low note considering the state of the buildings I was crawling through. I had rolled the dice, come away a winner and went home!

Here are a few highlights from Fishcer Plant 21. In particular I really like the massive panorama I came away with! Hope you all enjoy. I’ll keep working on new and interesting photos for you all.

Enjoy!

~ The RPG