Sunday, November 13, 2005

Berlin, New Hampshire

After my grandparents brought me out to lunch, and we were driving back to their house, I kept seeing all of the great pictures I could be taking. I drove back through the town on my way home, and took a few pictures from my car window. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to walk around and take pictures.

This church is right around the corner from my memere and pepere's house. I was fascinated by the design of it when I was younger. I love Russian Orthodox style churches, unfortunately they're really aren't that many that I'm aware of in Maine or New Hampshire.



This is just a small church (or religious structure of some sort) right along the "downtown" strip of Berlin. I just snapped a picture of this for no reason in particular.



This is a building alongside the river and near *A* mill. I just liked the look of this building.



Berlin is a mill city (seriously, it WAS ONCE a city, the population dwindled a lot, just checked and I guess technically it is a city, though a smaller one than it was.) The downtown is amazing to me. It's pretty much in shambles. The inner-side of the downtown (on the other side of these buildings) isn't too bad. I *think* almost all of the storefronts are being used, but I honestly don't drive down that way very often (it's a one way street, and not on the way to my grandparents house). This side is pretty sad.



All the way down the strip there are boards up. Besides two competing drugs stores, pretty much RIGHT next to each other, there aren't any real stores open, until you get down to Dunkin' Donuts. (There is a city office and a bank on the other side of the road, but not much else). So sad..but so pretty to me.

I will, in the future, take MANY more pictures of Berlin. I often wonder if the huge amount of decay, the mills, factories, warehouses, run-down apartment buildings with clotheslines on the porches...little decayed bridge underpasses (pictures to be taken later), railroads...old churches..all of it, kinda attributed to my obsession with urban decay and stuff. I love the character of it all..the feeling I get when I look at certain buildings that are practically falling apart is almost like a rush. The fact that many share the obsession weirds me out. I've always liked the dark side of those things for some reason..the old rail tracks, alongside old unused, dirty, factories and warehouses of sorts..
The broken windows, the boarded doors, the mystery of what's inside..

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