I finally visited the Packard Plant!

[Mugen_1]

After years of yearning, I finally had the opportunity to go to Detroit earlier this month for the third round of Midwest Drift Union Formula D Pro-Am competition in front of Michigan Central Station at Roosevelt Park. The day after the drift event, myself, a buddy from St. Charles, Missouri who came with me, former Formula D driver and winner of the Detroit round Mike Skudlarek (and his girlfriend), Sarah Burgess and about 15 others all met up to check out the monumental behemoth that is the Packard Plant. With our semi-celebrity laden posse, we checked out the grounds for close to six hours and barely saw half. A man named "Rusty" watched our cars while we all contracted mesothelioma, tetanus, and other diseases exploring the hulking relic of Americana.

A good chunk of the property was "off limits" due to a "film crew" making a "movie." We bumped in to a few other explorers, a photographer with some models, and the occasional scrapper. Never once felt threatened by anyone. Heck, the police even drove by a few times and didn't bat an eye, and the fire department ignored a roof fire that was smoldering on one end of the property. All in all it was a good day, but not nearly long enough. Only had my 7D and 10-22 and with all the dust in the air, didn't want to go opening the camera to change lenses, so I lack detail shots. Anyway...enjoy!

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21. I later found out Mike's girlfriend is a legit model. She wasn't afraid to get dirty though.

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31. We were pretty sure all that dust on the floor originated as asbestos ceiling tiles.

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37. That line of cars in the background is where the "movie" was being filmed.

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All in all it was a great time and if it weren't a 9 hour drive for me, I'd frequent the plant to further document it. Perhaps one day I'll return, but I'm just happy I got to check my number one urbex destination off my list.

[ucitygal]

SWEEET! Totally jealous. Kick-ass pics!

[mindwaave]

Awesome work!

[mindwaave]

(double post redacted)

[redox]

Awesome work!

+1

[slow_walker]

beautiful pics

[cdevon1200]

I was just in Detroit last weekend!










Sadly, Packard was a night shoot/end of day drinking event. Awesome pics man!

[m0ridin]

Just curious: anyone that has explored in Detroit, were you armed in any fashion? Seems like too shady a place to NOT be packing something...

[Mugen_1]

Armed only in numbers really. There were about 15 of us when I went so we didn't worry much. That said, I had MACE, a couple friends had small knives, but shy of having to beat someone down with my tripod if that's what it came to, no heavy artillery.

I never felt as endangered or threatened in Detroit as I thought I would. That said, I think my heart rate was up a few percent the entire time I was anywhere besides the hotel which was out by the airport, if for no other reason than the preconceptions I had garnered from reading the news and other people's horror stories.

[cdevon1200]

I am canadian, that like a super power.