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Last a month myself and a good friend of mine made our second trip down to the Catskills area of New York. Once know as the Borscht Belt, it was at one time home to hundreds to resorts, camps and hotels. Most are now gone and the ones that remain are in ruins. This resort, turned Hasidic Jewish boys summer camp, was the last stop on our list for the day.
I could not find much online about this particular resort, except that Neil Sedaka got his start here and ended up marrying the owners daughter. Being a smaller resort it has managed to escape the wrecking ball, a fate most of the large resorts have been unable to avoid.
This place was shut down in 2011 after numerous safety violations were found, including raw sewage sitting outside and many electrical hazards. Upon entering the first building it was plainly obvious why the camp was shuttered. It looked like it had been abandoned for at least 10 years, not four.
The fact that only four years ago 400 boys from Brooklyn called this place home for the summer just blew our minds.
Time for a cold pop.
What was once the pool room had been poorly converted to a library
Very, very poorly.
Bathrooms were still nice at least.
Come on in! Not one building was secured in any way throughout the whole complex.
Memories of better days.
As we were getting ready to leave I spotted what looked to be the outdoor pool in a corner of the property. As we made our way there it began to rain ever so slightly.
As we started to head back to the car the rain stopped and immediately the sun came out. It was then that the biggest rainbow either of us had seen appeared in the sky.
The rainbow stretched from one side of the sky to the other. I could not come close to getting the whole thing in the shot.
Without a doubt this was one of the coolest experience I have ever had while exploring. Seeing a rainbow like that shining over a abandoned and overgrown resort is something I will never forget!!
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Was just out that way this after attempting to check out a place in Ellenville. Got turned away but would love to head back out. If you have any info on said place, or could give some info on the spot you took these photos of, would be much obliged! It's really amazing how much buildings can devolve during a few short years without human upkeep....
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went camping the last weekend. seen a few dozen camps like this - was hard to tell which ones were truly abandoned
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Awesome stuff man! Looks like a really cool place. And I guess the exploring gods approved of your time there  .
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Posted by dwhogan
Was just out that way this after attempting to check out a place in Ellenville. Got turned away but would love to head back out. If you have any info on said place, or could give some info on the spot you took these photos of, would be much obliged! It's really amazing how much buildings can devolve during a few short years without human upkeep....
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I know the place you are talking about. Me and my buddy got turned away from there last year. They were doing renovations. I'll send you a message with some more info.
Post by eyevolve
went camping the last weekend. seen a few dozen camps like this - was hard to tell which ones were truly abandoned |
You can't drive more than a mile or two in that area without running into some sort of camp or bungalow community. Some are abandoned, some are for sale, others are still used as Hasidic Jew summer camps. One small hotel we wanted to check out had been converted into a house!!
Post by Sanitarium Sean
Awesome stuff man! Looks like a really cool place. And I guess the exploring gods approved of your time there . |
Thanks dude! It was a excellent explore. Little to no signs of vandalism or scrapping, which is rare. If you make it down to that area it's worth checking out for sure.
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Poor job of turning indoor pool into library...indeed!
Love the shot of the outdoor pools when the rain starting to fall.
Lovely rainbow! Something always SWEET about seeing a rainbow
A place of Mystery is Always worth a curiosity trip!
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The timing of the rainbow was just perfect, the 10 hour round trip drive would have been worth it for this place alone. But we also got into three other excellent locations in our three day trip. Photos of those to come at some point.
Oh and that pool still had a considerable amount of water in it! There were holes all around where the wood met the concrete floor, big enough to shine a light down in and see some very nasty black water.
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That stretch there in the Catskills is just full of stuff there. I've checked out a bunch and seed a lot come down too due to various causes. It's true that in the area they all look abandoned until you see someone's car in the overgrown driveway or something to that affect. I want to get back down there again I used to be all over that area a bunch. These shots made me all nostalgic for when I lived down there. Looks like a sweet place!
| I know the place you are talking about. Me and my buddy got turned away from there last year. They were doing renovations. |
Yeah last time I went past it things were locked down tight. I'll have to go back down there and check it out again.
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The place that you guys are referring to is actually better protected now than it was 5-6 years ago. I worked there as a subcontractor briefly late last year. They installed PIR motion sensors all over the property, including several outbuildings, and all throughout the tunnels, all tied back to a silent alarm. When a zone trips, it sends a message over the 2-way radio saying what zone tripped. Pretty neat really considering how much ground one guard would have to cover otherwise. Good luck if you try.
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It doesn't get any more jewish than plastic lawn chairs bolted to a broken wooden bench lol.
Softly creeping through
Empty hallways decades old,
glimpsing history. |
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Posted by puddlejumper12
That stretch there in the Catskills is just full of stuff there. I've checked out a bunch and seed a lot come down too due to various causes. It's true that in the area they all look abandoned until you see someone's car in the overgrown driveway or something to that affect. I want to get back down there again I used to be all over that area a bunch. These shots made me all nostalgic for when I lived down there. Looks like a sweet place!
Yeah last time I went past it things were locked down tight. I'll have to go back down there and check it out again.
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Yup the whole area around Liberty, Monticello, Fallsburg etc. has abandonments everywhere. Most are just houses and bungalow colonies. All the big places, with the exception of Grossingers, are either gone or being re-purposed. Me and my friend have gone down the last two years and have been to most of the decent places still left.
Post by INeedAttention.com
The place that you guys are referring to is actually better protected now than it was 5-6 years ago. I worked there as a subcontractor briefly late last year. They installed PIR motion sensors all over the property, including several outbuildings, and all throughout the tunnels, all tied back to a silent alarm. When a zone trips, it sends a message over the 2-way radio saying what zone tripped. Pretty neat really considering how much ground one guard would have to cover otherwise. Good luck if you try. |
Yea we did not even bother trying at that place this year. I know of three other resorts in the area I would love to get into, but they are currently being either worked on or used in some capacity.
Post by gr8fzy1
It doesn't get any more jewish than plastic lawn chairs bolted to a broken wooden bench lol. |
The whole place was filled with highly sketchy repairs. I'm surprised it did not get shut down sooner.
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Looks decent enough for a check. My google-fu found it easily due to the Neil Sedaka comment. I'll have to stop by next time I'm in the area.
Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 50mm 1.2, Canon 28mm 1.8, Canon 16-35 f2.8L
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenbley/ |
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Ha I figured anyone looking for a location would be able to use the Neil Sedaka hint. It is absolutely worth a stop if you're in the area. Somehow the place has not been hit by much vandalism or scrapping, most of the decay is natural. Watch out for ticks though! They may have hitched a ride with us from the resort we visited earlier in the day, but I'm pretty sure they came from this place.
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I love these resorts, there is simply nothing like them here in the UK and I hope to see more when I'm next over, this looks like a peach.
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Those colorful steel beams are pretty fabulous I must say
Striving / Stillness = Presence
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Posted by mybluehighways
Those colorful steel beams are pretty fabulous I must say
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I was drawn to those as well! Which probably explains why they showed up in two of my shots. They were quite unusual and seemed out of place.
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Posted by TheSwanStation
I know the place you are talking about. Me and my buddy got turned away from there last year. They were doing renovations. I'll send you a message with some more info.
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I had the total opposite experience there. We went there twice in two days while camping nearby and wandered all over the damn place. Inside and out. From what I hear though, we must have been lucky.
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Posted by EsseXploreR
I had the total opposite experience there. We went there twice in two days while camping nearby and wandered all over the damn place. Inside and out. From what I hear though, we must have been lucky.
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When we went the place was filled with workers. This was two years ago. This past June we did not bother since it was out of our way and not near any other places, at least none I am aware of. Any chance you got some pictures when you went? I would love to see them!
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They were probably tossing all the old furniture. The place was barren by the time we got there. Here are some photos.
https://www.flickr.../72157653474944144
https://www.flickr...62837453@N07/sets/
http://www.tfpnj.blogspot.com |
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Posted by INeedAttention.com
The place that you guys are referring to is actually better protected now than it was 5-6 years ago. I worked there as a subcontractor briefly late last year. They installed PIR motion sensors all over the property, including several outbuildings, and all throughout the tunnels, all tied back to a silent alarm. When a zone trips, it sends a message over the 2-way radio saying what zone tripped. Pretty neat really considering how much ground one guard would have to cover otherwise. Good luck if you try.
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 VICTORY! by Steven, on Flickr
Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 50mm 1.2, Canon 28mm 1.8, Canon 16-35 f2.8L
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenbley/ |
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