What is Urban Exploring?
Urban exploring (or urbex) is usually unauthorized exploration of manmade structures such as hospitals, factories, and even dwellings.
So you trespass?
The answer (and yes, my parents know that I do this for a hobby).
Who are you and why do you explore?
My name is Michael Lalonde. I live near Hamilton, Ontario. Many years ago before social media turned everybody into urban explorers, I learned that Ontario had several ghost towns tucked along the back roads. These were the old paper mills, railway towns, and mines that our busy society had forgotten about. It fascinated me to think that every day we drove past these old buildings and cemeteries.
I wanted to share these places with Canadians and traveled many kilometers while documenting my adventures with a 35mm film camera. I posted my travels on the first Canadian website for urban exploring which I created under the name of, “Mike’s Ontario Ghost Towns”. That website is no longer operational but I do maintain this blog. The days of developing film are long behind us, and I now create content digitally. I began exploring before I’d ever heard of ‘urbex’, and before social media was thing.
Most of these ghost towns were piles of rubble and so I eventually expanded my travels to include houses. This website features a variety of content ranging from rural farm houses to exquisite multi-million dollar estates to hospitals to correctional facilities.
I’ve been featured by the CBC, Blogto, EKSPress, The New York Post , and The Daily Mail. My photography is amateur, it’s a learning process. I keep it real 100% of the time, focusing on the true stories behind these houses. I don’t exaggerate, embellish or utilize click bait. I don’t steal from houses, and I try to leave these places just as I found them.
Legal Disclaimer
The legalities of this hobby are that you should always ask for permission before going onto someone’s property. Please note that while I use the word ‘abandoned’ in my travels, it doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a property owner.
Also here are answers to your most asked questions.
Between the online and in-person interactions, I’ve met hundreds of people. While I keep in touch with those closest to me, and have forgetten about the haters, amusingly enough the haters never forget about you. 🙂
