Time in the city:

Birthdate:

Bad Habbits:

Exploring HIstory:

Breakins to my car:

Visits to 36th District:

Favorite Building:

14 years

Awesome '80s

The Packard and forgetting my Mag-Light

From the time I could steal a car, sorry mom.

Going on 8

6... all for parking violations

Fort Shelby Hotel & The Michigan Central Depot

Now going on 7 years living in the city, I was first exposed to the streets of Detroit at the all so innocent age of 11. My mom was receiving her treatment for a terminal case of Leukemia at Harper Hospital in the Karmanos Cancer Institute. She fought and survived this rare and devastating disease. I spent almost every night of those years in and around the medical district on Mack Avenue. Before long, I was exploring areas of Brush Park that most people, sensible enough to know better, would never venture through. Houses like the Ransom Gills and others in the area fascinated me in their demise.

By the time I reached High school I was becoming more and more advantageous in Detroit. It wasn’t just the urban decay that got me, but also the underground nightlife of Detroit Techno partys known around the world. By 1997 I was deeply emerged in the underground rave culture. My parallel worlds of suburban schooling and Detroit inner city exploits would stand in great contrast for years. Never feeling like I fit into the whole suburban lifestyle and its many deceptions of false wealth and stature, I opted to move to the heart of the city and begin life as I saw fit.

I have spent countless hours walking the crevasses of the industrial zones, scaling abandoned skyscrapers, and scamming my way into buildings all to gain access to places unseen by the everyday passer by in hopes to understand why, and how this great city could fall so far from its storied and remarkable past. You may not agree with my reasoning, or with some of the tactics we may use, but try to keep in mind what a waste it would be not to share the hidden parts of Detroit that make it what it is. This is my city… beautiful and inspiring, tragically betrayed by the people who once called her home. The city will be forever motivating me to keep going and to never stop believing in the Detroit spirit that built this great city.

Time in the city:

Birthdate:

Bad Habbits:

Exploring HIstory:

Breakins to my car:

Visits to 36th District:

Favorite Building:

13 years and counting

Early '80s

Falling in holes... I'm in Detroit

Since I could drive

Only once... eat it up suckers!

2 providing moral support

United Artists

I was born and raised here in metro Detroit. It’s hard to even think about living in another city. Until I was in High School, I lacked the freedom to make it downtown unless it was with my family going to Old Tiger Stadium or a Wings game at the Joe; Basically normal family stuff. Fascinated with the design and abundance of buildings the city had to offer, I could not get the city out of my thoughts. This led to dreams of being lost inside abandoned skyscrapers. Possibly the Train Station or the Book Tower, I remember that it was mostly dark, smelly, and filled with trash and smoke. I was about ten years old in my dream, roaming inside a large abandoned building, looking for windows as to gauge where I was.

When I was a bit older, I was still drawn to the city, mostly going to concerts or shows downtown. Somewhere along the way, Techno and Detroit’s rave scene sucked me in, and I found myself partying through the night in dirty warehouses across the far corners of the city. After high school I attended Wayne State University, before landing a job in a prominent downtown office. While making my daily commute, I would pass by the Packard Auto Plant. The size and immensity had something to offer my curiosity. The aging rust covered structure was just begging to be entered. In fact, a couple years later I broke my cherry with the Packard. Exploring, and being somewhere I knew I shouldn’t be triggered a huge rush of adrenaline. I was inside, and I was hooked.

It may sound crazy, but after that first trip into the Packard, I was completely taken by urban exploring. Because of what I discovered the city has to offer, there is no way I will be moving out of Michigan like so many others have. It is really sad that so many people have left, but otherwise the exploits of this web site would not be possible. If you can’t find something to do in Detroit, then you must be doing something wrong.

F. A. Q.'s

Do you carry weapons?

We do not carry firearms if that is what you’re wondering. That would be asking for trouble. We prefer to carry less-lethal means of defense. This could be anything from a can of bear mace, to a skateboard or Mag light.

What kind of cameras do you use?

-Fuji S100sf

-Cannon XL-1 (3-CCD) video camcorder

-Cannon Rebel XSi

What would be a good building to start exploring if I have never done this sort of thing?

Going into abandoned buildings would be unsafe and therefore we at onlynDetroit.com do not recommend that our readers should in anyway try to attempt exploring the buildings listed or described on this site, but if you really think you want to do this stuff…

Open industrial sites are a good place to start. Be very conservative when doing things that seem out of your comfort zone. Places like Packard, Continental, and Kelsey Wheel Factory on Livernois are easy to access and relatively safe to wonder through. After you have become familiar with the industrial zones you can start tackling the smaller buildings in the city. As someone who has done this for a decade I do not encourage anyone, under any circumstance to attempt explorations of skyscrapers. It’s simply too dangerous.

What are some good things to have if I want to explore large vacant buildings?

1) Mag Light – I can not stress this enough. Also know that there is a spare bulb in ever end cap of every Mag Light, it may just save your life.

2) Respirator Mask – This may also save your life. Maybe not now, but in those golden years you’ll be glad you had one.

3) Camera – You don’t want to forget those memories

4) Bear Mace – Don’t bother with that small stuff, go right for the bear canister. People and aminmals are no match.

Are there places outside of Detroit to do this kind of thing?

Of course there are. Detroit just happens to offer the best and the most concentrated areas of urban blight and decay. Basically it is Disney Land for people like us. Baltimore, New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, and parts of New York all have very nice sections of industrial zones prime for exploring. Just don’t expect to see anything like we have here in the D.

What’s with all the Gothic text?

The old english D is the regions identifying symbol. But…beyond that, Gothic text is inscribed on most of the old buildings through out the city. It can be seen on everything from Churches, to Landmarks and even the ordinary neighborhood schools. Its a Detroit thing I suppose, but...a classy thing it is.

Where did the site name come from?

Well, if anything absurd, or crazy has ever happened to you in Detroit and it seemed like that sort of thing could never happen anywhere else then you have probably said it…”only in Detroit. Only in Detroit could something so F***ed up happen”. That’s how we got the name.

Are there any other writers / contributors to the site?

Writers, no. We have had many contributors as far as pictures and rave flyers. We always identify that it is someone else’s materials in the watermark copyright in the lower right had corner of the scans & images submitted. Thank you to those who have been kind enough to help the archive grow; your contributions are much appreciated.

If I have rave flyers or photos I want to submit what should I do?