Filed under: ART, CULTURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET | Tags: burlesque, philadelphia, zombie crawl
Happy Hallooooow….I mean Easter…HAPPY EASTER!!!!!
Before do anything click the link below…its a much needed soundtrack for the read
Easter sunday was full of bodies that resurrected from the dead and took to South st to get drunk. Hundreds of zombies roamed the streets and made the families enjoying a nice easter dinner confused, worried and mortified. There were everything from zombies enjoying a nice dinner to zombies posted at the bar to zombies dancing the night away. I took part in all three.
This was probably not for the religious at heart. I am not religious and still felt slightly guilty.
Plenty of blood , brains and chaos for one of my more weird easter sundays.
Til next time.
Filed under: CULTURE, MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY | Tags: Cobra Starship, Gabe Saporta, philadelphia, xfinity live
Gabe Saporta & DJ Jeffrey Tonneson rocked the first City Six Thursdays at Xfinity Life last thursday. That night made me fall in love with that place. I went through every club atmosphere from beer hall to country music bar to electronic dance hall to your wildes imagination, and it was all in the same building. The place was packed with thousands of attractive men and women all just looking for a good time.
Xfinity Live is perfect for a night out and for a place to watch your philly sports team if you dont have tickets. I will be at Xfinity Live for all the flyers playoffs games. I fell in love with that place and if your from philly I suggest you check it out. My favorite bar in Xfinity Live is PBR Bar and Grill. Its a straight drinking country bar with a mechanical bull in the middle. I’m not a fan of country music, but I love country bars. Something about them are always wild and everything about drinking and being at worst/best.
Please…if your in philly…Check out Xfinity Live.
Til next time….
Filed under: ART, CULTURE, MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY | Tags: A Silent Film, music, pa, philadelphia, Union Transfer
Englands own A Silent Film just made their return to Philadelphia, PA to perform at Union Transfer. This was the first time I saw them since the Radio 104.5 Summer Concert at The Piazza. This show was a lot more intimate and personable. The band was incredibly grateful and expressed their love for Philadelphia, and that we brought them their biggest club show on their US tour.
A Silent Film’s sound is addicting. The singers voice is perfect and when accompanied by the rest of the band creates a unique and intriguing sound. No instrument over powers any of the others, and they all seem to always play with each other. This is band isn’t nearly as big as they should be.
If you have any interest in Coldplay, Keane, Arcade Fire, Of Monsters and Men….indie rock in general…then please check out A Silent Film.
Take a second and check out their single at the link below…
A SILENT FILM – YOU WILL LEAVE A MARK
Til next time.
Filed under: ART, CULTURE, MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY | Tags: Of Monsters and Men, philadelphia, The TLA
Of Monsters and Men came through Philadelphia yesterday for two days to play at The TLA. To be honest, their song Little Talks began to really annoy me after hearing it several hundred times on the radio. With that said I still decided to listen to the rest of the work, which wasn’t much until their first CD was released two days ago. I quickly forgot about Little Talks and was hooked, listening to their songs on repeat for days.
I prefer their song Six Weeks.
This band has an amazing talent. Their sound is incredibly addictive. Their stage presence is very welcoming and you feel as if your at the venue to enjoy each other. Its been a long time since I’ve lost my self at a concert, I walked away from this show feeling refreshed.
Check out their video for Little Talks…even though I prefer some other songs…the visuals in the video are pretty interesting.
Here is a live video of Six Weeks…just as good live as they are recorded
Til next time….
SIDENOTE: Too my followers looking for new explorations…they are coming.
Filed under: ART, CULTURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET | Tags: concert, philadelphia, photo, third eye blind, xfinity live
Philadelphia is the best sports city hands down! Too have every stadium in walking distance from each other…and only a 15 minute subway ride from the city incredible. Now Philadelphia has added Xfinity Live directly in the middle of the stadiums. A hand full of crazy bars, gigantic screens and more than enough food makes going to the game worth it even if you don’t have a ticket. Check out the details at the link below…its impressive, loud and chaotic….all qualities I love.
The grand opening was set off by a free concert by Third Eye Blind. I didn’t know about this show til a few hours before it started. I phoned a few friends and found some willing to head down…it was worth it. I danced to some classics and was able to see one of my favorite bands. How can you not like Third Eye Blind.
I was also able to snap a few photos.
After the show I was decently drunk and headed to Chickies and Petes and stuffed my face with mussels, crab legs, wings cheese fries and few more beers. That was my idea of heaven.
Til next time….
Filed under: ART, CULTURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET, STREET ART, URBAN EXPLORATION, URBEX | Tags: foxy shazam, north star bar, philadelphia
Back in December 2010 I put up a post on FOXY SHAZAM performing in San Diego, CA
…well I was finally able to reconnect with them on the opposite coast. I recently saw them perform at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia, PA. The place was no larger then a decent sized studio apartment and I had to dodge heads, hands and people dancing to grab a few photos (while still remembering to dance a lil myself.
After the show I was able to have a brief conversation with the lead singer, Eric Sean Nally. I was able to pass along my business card which features a picture of Foxy Shazam from their show in San Diego, CA. I hope it brings me more work, but I did it more a sign of admiration of their music. I hope they found it a compliment that I would feature them on an object that I would hand to the world.
Check out the link below to see their latest video for “I Like It”.
FOXY SHAZAM – I LIKE IT http://youtu.be/4rz4I69mQMo
Til next time….
Filed under: ARCHITECTURE, GRAFITTI, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET, URBAN EXPLORATION, URBEX | Tags: abandoned, north philadelphia, philadelphia
Here’s a short preview of a building I explored earlier today. I only got an hour before the sunset. So I will be going back and shooting more, and a full post will be up soon. Future shoots are in the works as well.
Thanks you to everyone who is still following Urban Setting…even though I’ve been way to quiet.
Filed under: ARCHITECTURE, ART, CLOTHING, CULTURE, GRAFITTI, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET, STREET ART, URBAN EXPLORATION, URBEX | Tags: art, culture, philadelphia, street art, urbex
Location: Philadelphia, PA
With new cities come new adventures. My new move to Philadelphia is going to supply a whole new stomping ground of architecture and culture to explore. Keep in touch and keep checking URBANSETTING.
Cya soon
Filed under: ARCHITECTURE, ART, GRAFITTI, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET ART, URBAN EXPLORATION, URBEX | Tags: abandoned, abandonment, pa, pennsylvania, phila, philadelphia, tim becker, urban exploring, urban setting, urbex, warehouse
LOCATION: Reading, PA
So as of late my license has been getting worse and worse. The plastic is cracked, the film is peeling, and the picture is faded. I took a trip down to my local DMV and had it replaced. I got all nice and clean and was expecting to get a brand new beautiful/ridiculous photo. Apparently they just give you a new ID with your old photo. Oh well….I didn’t feel like sitting in that DMV for hours anyway. I was in and out within 10 minutes.
As I was heading home I was driving east down Lancaster Ave. As I came over a slight hill a beautiful sight appeared off in the distance. It was a giant rectangular building with busted out windows, do not enter signs, and a half assed fence surrounding the property. My eyes lit up with a hope of a new abandoned building to explore! I quickly turned down the following street and circled the building a few times. Yep….it was definitely abandoned.
I had a few errands to run so I decided to wait a few days. I returned a week later ready for action. I parked the car and checked my camera and prepared myself to find an entrance to the warehouse. I noticed a piece of wood that has been peeled away from the door and decided to enter through there. There was one problem…the entire building was surrounded by busy streets and businesses. No matter where I went to jump the fence, someone was going to see me. So I circled the building a few more times finding the best spot to enter. I found a somewhat hidden corner where the fence was next to a higher than normal curb. This was perfect cause it allowed for a quick one hop and I would be in. I waited for the traffic to die down and I leaped over…..and landed directly into a thorn bush! As the thorns scratched their way up my bare shins…I silently shot off a few expletives to myself. I sucked it up and dove into a shadowed corner and once again waited for the traffic to subside. My entrance was now 20ft from where I was waiting. When my chance finally came I took it….I quietly sprinted and jumped in the exposed entrance. I was in!
Once I was in I noticed that there wasn’t that much to see. The floors were massive and besides for some interesting stained glass and color choice for the beams, the rest of the building was empty. I explored each floor and found mainly the same thing…empty rooms and massive amounts of beams and stained glass.
While the majority of floors were boring there were other aspects which made the building interesting. There were doors that led to 50ft drops…I called them suicide friendly exits. There were also large chunks of wall missing that led to 50ft drops. Im sure these are used for when the suicide friendly doors are just to much of a hassle to deal with. I mean…come on…when you have to full around with turning knobs and opening doors…killing yourself just seems like a waste of time.
There was also the common distressed stairs….which I always enjoy.
While climbing the stairs I noticed what I consider to be the grail of any of my adventures…..it was the access to the roof….and the door was practically half open inviting me out.
Sadly the roof wasn’t that interesting. I’ve been on more interesting roof tops. This roof was just flat and not much to see. There were decent views of Reading, PA…that was about it.
I made my way out of the warehouse. I kicked my way out through a rusted exit in the basement. I thought I was done for the day, but what was directly in front of me said otherwise. I was staring at a slightly smaller building with mostly all windows boarded up. It looked as if it was an office building….when I crawled through a window I noticed it definitely was an office building.
The building was torn to shreds. Im suspecting a group of rowdy kids got inside and tore the place apart. Phones were thrown in every direction. Paper was tossed in the air and littered the ground. Every computer screen was shattered.
The place was filthy, dusty, moldy, humid, and I felt sick walking around and breathing the air. I walked around the office with my shirt and hand over my mouth. Im positive I was breathing in asbestos and bird flu from the pigeons that made this building their temporary home.
The pigeons were also incredibly entertaining and dumb. I would scare the hell out of them when I would enter a new room. With every room I entered I would see a few pigeons try to fly away. There main plan of escape would be to fly through the windows, but would mainly heading beak first into glass. Then they would try to exit at the same area. So I would end up just watching a pigeon slam into a window pain over and over and over and over again. I got one of the birds on video….I’ll upload it onto youtube and attach it soon. The pigeons finally escaped and I went back to exploring the second building.
As I saw all I could have seen…I then decided it was time to leave. I once again decide not to exit the way I came, and just muscled through a rusty door. I hopped over the fence and left the property. It was once again a successful exploration and a great use of my time. Thanks for reading!
SIDE NOTE: To anyone who is interested in exploring abandoned buildings I suggest buying a respirator.
I bought one similar to this from home depot for $25. This last adventure I most likely encountered the nastiest building I was ever in. Im almost certain I was breathing in paint chips, dust, asbestos and pigeon shit. It was awful and had my shirt over my mouth almost the entire time. I realized a respirator is a necessary item for exploring abandoned anythings. BUY ONE NOW!
Filed under: ARCHITECTURE, ART, GRAFITTI, PHOTOGRAPHY, STREET ART, URBAN EXPLORATION, URBEX | Tags: abandoned, art, explore, naval yard, navy, phila, philadelphia, photography, PNSY, urban exploration, urbex
LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA
So its be a little awhile since I have posted anything to Urban Setting. I have been on a number of explorations recently, but I haven’t had time to update the site. So to lighten my work load….here is the next installment.
Welcome to the PHILADELPHIA NAVAL SHIPYARD
BRIEF HISTORY
So to cut back on some time of writing my own version of the history of PNSY…here is a lil segment I took from wikipedia.
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on 30 September 1995. Soon after, the west end of the site became a commercial shipyard, currently called the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard.
Presently, Navy activities there include the Naval Surface Warfare Center Ship Systems Engineering Station and the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NIMSF), which stores decommissioned and mothballed warships and auxiliary naval vessels.
You can find more info on the PNSY at this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Naval_Shipyard)
Now onto my story….
PERSONAL HISTORY
I was recently back home in Pennsylvania for mothers day. I was discussing this site with family and friends and was told about the PNSY. I never knew of the facility and was really interested to learn more and possibly explore the area. A family member was going to the PNSY to visit a company that is currently operating out of the buildings. I was invited along and was very excited to see the area. I had no idea what to expect. I did some slight research, but for the most part I figured I would learn about the place as I was exploring.
The day came to head to Philly. She packed her resume….I packed my camera. We took the hour drive and arrived at PNSY. We approached the gate and the security guard let us through.
At first glance all that could be seen was huge naval ships that didn’t seem to have been in use for years.
I immediately thought those would be my first target, but I noticed security and construction workers all along most of the entrances to the ships.
We parked our car and as she went to her interview I went to explore.
I only had an hour too explore a massive shipping yard. I had no idea where to start. Most of the buildings that surrounded me where in use by Free People and Urban Outfitters.
This company made PNSY almost look like a college campus. There seemed to be an endless amount of fashionable twenty somethings running around. This was somewhat comforting because I was able to blend in fairly easily. Construction workers viewed as just one of those kids walking to their car or heading to work. Anything that makes me disappear is a plus when I’m bout to break into somewhere were I know Im not allowed to be.
I decided that if I got caught….I would play the role of a location scout for Urban Outfitters for a future photo shoot. Somewhat fashionable clothing….check. Twentyish something appearence…check. Camera….check. It could work!
I found a building in the distance from Urban Outfitters which seemed to be somewhat unkept. The windows were broken and the grass outside was long and seemed to be forgotten.
I walked in front of a huge sliding door and gave it a try. It slid open fairly easily. Good thing too because only about twenty some feet from me were workers in hard hats doing something to something. I slipped into the building and was surprised to see a fairly clean beautifully white building.
It wasnt currently in use….but wasn’t totally forgotten.
The building was almost completely white. There were some hints of greys and yellows, which added a nice contrast. The building was a giant inspiration for black and photography.
The sun shining into the window made the white walls even more beautiful. The entire building just had this sense on happiness and relaxation. I felt content just walking around the walls and exploring the building in silence.
I took one more look around and left the building. I shut the door and looked for my next location. I walked down a street and found another building which had the tell tale signs of not being in use….broken windows, dirty, locks on the door, keep out signs, boarded windows…looks like I got a winner.
The building wasn’t in use, but the grounds definitely were. I walked around the building as if I were heading to my car. Construction workers continually passing me. I got a few looks but for the most part I was ignored. As workers passed I kept checking windows and doors. I was not having a lot of luck. I walked around the building and found a somewhat hidden inlet.
I explored that area a bit….hopefully finding an entrance.
I found a ladder and used it to climb to the roof….
….while on the roof I got a call. The interview was over and it was time to leave. I began to head back to the car disappointed that I was unable to get inside of “Building 18”. I got back to the car and was pleased to hear that she got a second interview.
Good for her! Good for me!
A few days passed and we made the trip back to PNSY. I was determined to find my way into “Building 18”. Once again she went to her interview and I went to explore. I headed straight to the front door. I was afraid to use it last time because of the traffic out front of the building. Today I just waited outside til I was clear and turned the handle. To my surprise the door opened and just like that I was inside.
“Why did I not try that last time?!?!” I said to myself quietly frustrated. I quickly got over it and moved on. I was once again on a time limit as well.
This building was huge! It was a huge contrast to the building I explored my first trip to PNSY. It reminded me of a giant machine.
The interior was filled with massive rooms. The rooms were wrapped in colorful piping. In the middle of a room was a cross in the ground which was filled with water. The entire building couldn’t be explained. It had this sense of destruction and power. I felt the building was alive and I was just devoured. I felt small. I felt like I didn’t have enough in me to properly explore every inch. I did my best to prove myself wrong.
This building just seemed to be room after room of dusty metal, which just seemed to want to move. It appeared as a giant machine rusted stiff.
The one sign my natural life from the massive creature came from a plant which broke through the concrete.
The building was lit, but the sun was well blocked. Some how this plant was able to sprout from the concrete. The leaves were a beautiful green. The lone plant was thriving. There could be some witty saying and thoughtful comparison to the plant thriving in a place like this….but its to late and you can think of your own. If you have an idea send it to me!
I spent a good amount of time wandering the building. I got the photos and experiences I was searching for. I felt my phone buzz. It seemed the interview was over. I head back to the car satisfied.
Thank you PNSY.
Til next time….thanks for reading.
URBAN SETTING 