this christmas was the first time in years i was able to spend the full day back home in LI without having to rush back to philly. since my family & i celebrate mainly on christmas eve, we were left a bit at ends on the actual holiday & somehow i was able to convince my stepdad (best ever ! who indulges all my weird interests ) to stop at pilgrim state psych ward, which is very close to my parents home and where i spent the bulk of my childhood. i wrote a little about what this place means to me here, and wanted to elaborate a bit: the reality of mental illness nor the brutal / strange conditions mentally ill people were placed in is not something that fascinates me; yet i feel drawn to the abandoned places where afflicted people once lived. i think this is in part due to an interest in abandoned places in general, they have a haunted, strange feeling i find irresistible, like stumbling upon ancient ruins. the residual feeling of life in place that barely or no longer is in use feels akin to personal feelings, a kind of visual metaphor for how i feel on occasion.
so ! we made a fast stop and took some quick photos, my stepdad having taken the one above of me and me the ones below.
i hope you all enjoyed the holiday with whomever you spent it with and whatever you did.
