The Site

Vacant New Jersey serves as a documentation of suburban ruins, mostly localized to the Tri-State Region. The site started in 2006, as a small webpage where I would post photographs and stories from the various local abandonments I had explored. Over the years the site has expanded and matured with my ever increasing interest in exploring and documenting abandonment. With every location I explore I try to include a personal written account about the exploration, as well as a galley of photographs to complement the account. When possible, I also try to throw in a bit of history about a location.

This site has taken on quite a few revisions, however the current version (as it stands now) has been entirely hand coded by myself within TextEdit. I in no way claim to be a web designer or graphic artist, so what you see is my best attempt at creating a strictly HTML based website. As for now the site suffices my needs, but I would like to learn about other more complex computer languages, and with that knowledge improve on what I have coded.

All photographs and stories posted on this site have been created by myself. However I must give some credit to my good friend John who has remained one of the few people crazy enough to tag along on most of my explorations.

Vacant New Jersey is hosted through FatCow, a 100% wind energy powered hosting solution.

About Me

My name is Justin, however in the online world of Urban Exploration I more commonly go by the moniker Vacant NJ. I'm nineteen years old and have a hankering for anything decayed, ruined, or abandoned. Beside exploration, I have a passion for writing, photography, music, weather, and hiking. I am also a full time college student, and I work a part time minimum wage job. Feel free to add me on any of the following social networking sites:

Myspace

Youtube

Facebook

Flickr

A couple of self portraits.

About Exploration

Everywhere I travel I am fascinated with the various abandoned structures that dot the landscape, seemingly forgotten in the chaos of everyday life. The thrill and danger associated with exploring, combined with the often times beautiful decay and forgotten artifacts, is something that just drives my senses crazy. I love re-discovering what has been left behind by our wasteful society, and uncovering the forgotten rich history associated with many of these locations.

My explorations take me to beautiful and fascinating places, where peeling paint covers the floors and decay dominates. Collapsed hallways and rotting roofs allow for the outside elements to easily infiltrate, transforming an otherwise dull environment into a vibrant decayed masterpiece. Sunlight filters in through broken windows casting intricate shadows, while illuminating darkened rooms and hallways unlike any modern-day electric fixture ever could. I love the feeling of being alone in a structure that was once traversed by many. Walking down a destroyed hallway, shaking hands with danger, and capturing it all in photographs and words, this experience is something that just can't be beat!

Please read this disclaimer highlighting legality and danger issues associated with exploring

My Equipment

Camera's:

• Nikon D40
• Casio EX-Z60
• HP Photosmart M415
• HP Photosmart 720

Len's:

• Sigma 10-20mm F/4-5.6 EX DC
• Nikorr 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G ED II

Tripod:

• Some Ambico POS I found in the garbage, but it works!

Computer:

• Apple iMac
• Apple MacBook