Jared Axelrod of the Voice of Free Planet X posted an essay as Episode 13 titled "A Casual Sense of Adventure" in which he talks about the difficulty of justifying casual adventures after the fact. A casual adventure is a "Sounded like a good idea at the time" kind of experiences that ends up taking you someplace different, interesting, or unexpected, but with out the decisive intent of a real adventure.
Hearing his I've been inspired to post one of mine here in hopes others will follow.
Downtown Detroit is home to some of the most spectacular abandoned buildings in the nation, one of which I've had a long-standing fascination with. The
Train Station is more than a little out of place being several block from anything important, and more than three times as tall as its neighboring buildings. The property is surrounded by chain-link fence, and the building is surrounded by stories of rat-men, gay pagan clans, gang fights, FBI operations, and angry hobo housing. My curiosity got the better of me one afternoon and I convinced a friend who lived in the area to go urban spelunking with me.
We didn't see another living soul while we were in there, but the architecture is stunning. Floor to ceiling marble walls that have crumbled to the floor looking like ice flows. Ballroom floors with have scorch marks from bonfires. Elevator shafts with "lofts" where bums sleep. Frescos covered in "Catfish Is Still Here '08". All the best examples of fine design for the era, falling into ruin.
It was awe inspiring, and depressing at the same time.