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A lot of strangers have written to me over the years asking how to access specific buildings, and I refuse to give away access information. This photograph illustrates one of the reasons I almost never share - abandoned buildings can be dangerous, potentially deadly. In 2007, fire struck the male wards at Hudson River State Hospital, a stately 19th century Kirkbride-plan asylum in Poughkeepsie, NY. This is one of the parts of this wing that wasn’t damaged by the fire. This is the fourth floor of the building; beneath the looming void visible ahead is a drop straight down into the basement. To get to the position from which I took this photograph, I had to leap from the archway off to the left and catch what was left of the floor - had I missed, it would have been about 60 feet down into a pile of metal, brick, splintered wood - in other words, almost certain death. To me, this is just part of the job - taking calculated risks to get great shots. But I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. Within a year of taking this photograph, this entire area had dropped out - this floor is no longer accessible. Had I tried to make the jump six months after I did, would the floor have held me? I’ll never know.
Most likely to win a Nobel Peace Prize: Libra, Aquarius, Pisces
Most likely to take over the world: Aries, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius
Most likely to marry only for money: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Libra, Capricorn
Most likely to appear on Dr. Phil: Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces
Most likely to break a world record: Aries, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius
Most likely to win the lottery but lose the ticket: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces
Couple most likely to get married: Cancer + Pisces
Worst Driver: Aries
Most Gullible: Pisces
Most Sarcastic: Scorpio
Most Creative: Aquarius
Most Annoying But Loved: Taurus
Biggest Drama Queen: Leo
Biggest Gossip: Libra
Class Clown: Gemini
Teacher's Pet: Virgo
Party Animal: Sagittarius