In New York, I indulged my interest in old machinery and abandoned buildings on two Open House New York tours: MTA Substation #13 and Ellis Island's South Side.
Jennie and I toured MTA Substation #13, which still houses the turbines that were in use from the 1900s to the 1990s. Now they have new fancy-pants automated methods for supplying electricity to the third rails, but I'm glad we had an opportunity to see these large graceful machines. Photos>
My friend Michele and I froze our butts off on a cold and foggy Sunday morning to photograph the abandoned hospital grounds where new immigrants, in the early 1900s, were inspected and treated for various diseases. Unfortunately, they had already removed much of the equipment and boarded up most windows, so the photos aren't as creepy as I would have liked. Photos>
We also visited the Octagon, a former lunatic asylum on Roosevelt Island that is currently being turned into luxury apartments. In lieu of a tour guide, or access to anything interesting, were some foam core presentation boards showing 3-D renderings of the future condominiums. If the renderings are any indication, the old sanitarium will be end up looking a lot like a cheesy hotel lobby. Too bad. Anyway, I'll post photos of the last remains of the Octagon -- a spiral staircase -- later, as they're still on undeveloped film.
