Where You're Madder Than I Am: Part I

Hey. Remember me? I’m Amanda. I used to run this blog regularly before I fell off the face of the planet.

I’ve had my plate full the past few months. I’ll spare you the million and one things I’ve had to deal with, on top of my two jobs. These pictures are…so old. I’m annoyed with myself for how long it has taken me to finish editing them. Especially because this is one of my favorite places. But they’re done now, so here they are.

This children’s ward turned daycare center was (is?) part of a sprawling psych hospital that is still open and operating. This particular building is careening downhill at a very upsetting rate. Every day something else is destroyed. The tagging is getting utterly obnoxious. (I clone out so much!) Every time I’m there or see new photos, it’s worse. All I want is for this place to be left alone, but the Internet has done so much damage.

I’ll talk more about my very strong attachment to this place in the next set of photos (from my favorite building on campus). But the children’s ward is, like the rest of the old facility, very creepy and surreal. It’s filled with toys and old VHS tapes that I either recognized or owned as a kid. There’s an undeniable energy in here, like you never feel alone in a room. You keep looking over your shoulder. It’s part of what I love about being here.

Also, Bye Bye Buggies. Bye Bye Buggies everywhere.

There’s a little auditorium in here that’s been totally wrecked. I didn’t have much interest in photographing it, because it’s such a disaster. The even sadder part is you should see what it looks like now.

This wall got tagged a day or two before I went to shoot. I know, because it wasn’t there for friends who went right before me. I was so annoyed. And, naturally, the rest of the walls in here have been covered since.

The daycare closed in 2005, as evidenced by the sign. I assume this was a daycare for hospital staff’s children and not the general public, since I’ve seen that layout elsewhere. But I’m not sure.

The humidity in this room was really high despite how freezing cold it was outside (-22 degrees, to be exact). My lens kept fogging up.

In a back corner was the stairwell into the hospital’s tunnel system. The tunnels at this point were heavily flooded. I decided to go down and shine my light to see just how bad. I made it maybe three steps from the bottom when I heard splashing and ran immediately back up the stairs like a baby. I don’t know what caused it, and I don’t need to know. Bye.

I had those blocks. I loved them.

That’s it for the little ones’ ward, at least until I’m there again to shoot some more. Next time I’ll share one of my favorite buildings of all. Cheers.