I visited Gary, Indiana a few weeks ago. I had seen some websites saying that those who enter the abandoned sites have to pay $50 for permission otherwise they'd get arrested. But I couldn't find any further information, like who I should pay to, so I just gave it a try on my own (there seem to be meet-ups but I couldn't find any either), without any permission.
Luckily enough, I did not get caught or arrested. I saw some patrol police cars around the town but they didn't seem particularly for explorers.
Jackson Five Theater 41.597035,-87.33668 - Google Æ’}Æ’bÆ’v
I didn't take a photo from the front because there were cars and people walking around there. It looked almost same as you can see on googlemap.
I used this stair to enter the projection room and the audience seats. A few step were gone so you should be careful if you use this way. Probably there is an easier way but it seemed the best to avoid getting caught.
The projection room
The seats
All the seats other than these were removed and scattered around the place.
Backstage or office?
The Post Office 41.599815,-87.335474 - Google Æ’}Æ’bÆ’v
Getting in was really easy. You can just pop in from the open entrance on Massachusetts St and use the stair to the dark, creepy basement then there is another stair for upstairs.
During the exploration there, a barking dog with keys around his neck came from nowhere and scared the shit out of me. As I said, there is an open entrance so the dog might have been just a dog walking around but since he had keys, he could have been sort of a guard or something. Also, when I was in the basement, I heard some noise which probably was someone's voice or just wind. So I assure you the post office is really, really creepy but it's worth it.
The basement
The main floor
The second floor
I met the dog around here so this was the last photo.
The Church 41.600917,-87.338246 - Google Æ’}Æ’bÆ’v
I'm sorry I forgot the name of the church but this is the one on Washington St. There is a school on the other side of the street but as there were lots of parked cars there, you might not be seen by anyone.
I didn't stay there long because I was still scared of the dog in the post office. So I don't know if the surrounding buildings are abandoned or not.
This could be the name of the church?
The basketball coat
I would strongly recommend Gary if you are not scared of dogs. I had heard that Gary was sort of a ghost town so I was surprised to see so many people (not so many as the other city)especially in the station. There were many abandoned stores/houses/unknown buildings all over the city so I wondered how the residents thought about them or maybe they didn't care...
It takes just a few hours to Gary Metro Ctr from Chicago city by South Shore train. So you'd better just stay in Chicago and commute to Gary, if you don't have a car like me.
Anyway, I also visited some sites in Philadelphia, Buffalo and New York so I hope I can post some of them soon.
Luckily enough, I did not get caught or arrested. I saw some patrol police cars around the town but they didn't seem particularly for explorers.
Jackson Five Theater 41.597035,-87.33668 - Google Æ’}Æ’bÆ’v
I didn't take a photo from the front because there were cars and people walking around there. It looked almost same as you can see on googlemap.
I used this stair to enter the projection room and the audience seats. A few step were gone so you should be careful if you use this way. Probably there is an easier way but it seemed the best to avoid getting caught.
The projection room
The seats
All the seats other than these were removed and scattered around the place.
Backstage or office?
The Post Office 41.599815,-87.335474 - Google Æ’}Æ’bÆ’v
Getting in was really easy. You can just pop in from the open entrance on Massachusetts St and use the stair to the dark, creepy basement then there is another stair for upstairs.
During the exploration there, a barking dog with keys around his neck came from nowhere and scared the shit out of me. As I said, there is an open entrance so the dog might have been just a dog walking around but since he had keys, he could have been sort of a guard or something. Also, when I was in the basement, I heard some noise which probably was someone's voice or just wind. So I assure you the post office is really, really creepy but it's worth it.
The basement
The main floor
The second floor
I met the dog around here so this was the last photo.
The Church 41.600917,-87.338246 - Google Æ’}Æ’bÆ’v
I'm sorry I forgot the name of the church but this is the one on Washington St. There is a school on the other side of the street but as there were lots of parked cars there, you might not be seen by anyone.
I didn't stay there long because I was still scared of the dog in the post office. So I don't know if the surrounding buildings are abandoned or not.
This could be the name of the church?
The basketball coat
I would strongly recommend Gary if you are not scared of dogs. I had heard that Gary was sort of a ghost town so I was surprised to see so many people (not so many as the other city)especially in the station. There were many abandoned stores/houses/unknown buildings all over the city so I wondered how the residents thought about them or maybe they didn't care...
It takes just a few hours to Gary Metro Ctr from Chicago city by South Shore train. So you'd better just stay in Chicago and commute to Gary, if you don't have a car like me.
Anyway, I also visited some sites in Philadelphia, Buffalo and New York so I hope I can post some of them soon.
