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comment by elizabeth
elizabeth  ·  4010 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Detroit's abandoned buildings draw tourists instead of developers

I would be lying if I said I wouldn't enjoy going on that tour. I've done a bit of Urban Exploring in Montreal (like the boiler plant i visited not too long ago ) but i'd probably be a bit afraid to go visit abandoned buildings in anther city without a local. Of course it's preferable if a friend could show me around, but I would rather pay for a guided tour than not go at all. Decay can be beautiful, and it's not about pitying someone else's home. It's about lots of things for me. The graffiti that usually pops up in those places can be fascinating. I find it interesting to see how nature takes back what used to be very urban environments. It also makes me sad to remember how hose places used to be lived in, but it also gives you a snapshot into the past.

Ruins can be charming, which is why I love Havana so much. When you visit, you see the remains of what used to be rich neighborhoods, beautiful architecture. Now it's all falling apart and it's only by looking at these old houses that you realize how much has changed in half a century.

The buildings in Detroit will be abandoned anyways and it's sad. Might as well make use of it to help the city get back up.