Urbexing

Branca 2, originally uploaded by y0ze.

In an undignified surprise, I discovered that my peculiar disease for exploring decaying urban sites is actually shared by an entire subculture of folks called "urbexers". Of course, my explorations tend to be a meditative excursion to try to train my eyes to notice the overlooked spaces that folks actually DO look at every day...For example, the way a billboard makes the building below it peacefully and blissfully nonplussed in its surreal and lonely beauty.

Not related: The photo above actually reminds me of a season I spent in the decaying and gothic Hotel Imperial in the Old City of Jerusalem. Warm shards of dusty light suddenly flood my memory stairwells.