The first time I heard the term 'Urban Exploration' was while reading a website about the Buffalo Central Terminal. I don't remember how I found the site, or what its address was, but I was hooked. The idea of exploring abandoned, or just forgotten, buildings was entirely novel to me. Buffalo's past intrigued me, but I had no way to explore it outside of a book. There's nothing wrong with books, but Buffalo is a living city; abstracting its past from text seemed cruel somehow.

   Time passed, and I forgot about the whole Urbex thing until I stumbled upon Infiltration.org. Like so many before me, and a new world was opened before my eyes. Whereas before I received but a glimpse at what Urbex was about, Infiltration had me swimming in it. Here again was mention of this Buffalo Central Terminal place. The name seemed to suggest it was within Buffalo, somewhere. But I had never seen it. A few google's later, and I had directions and an idea of what to expect. Driving up to the Terminal for the first time simply takes one's breath away, it still takes mine. You drive through run down streets, trying to ignore the garbage in the streets and the people glaring at you because they somehow sense you're not from around there. Above all this, you see the tower, calling you as a siryn. I stared at it so long that I missed all the potholes in the street, or rather didn't miss them. I Ran a stop sign or two as well. It's hypnotic.

    I pulled alongside the baggage depot, and slowly got out. I was there, at the Buffalo Central Terminal. The sun was low in the sky, painting the sandstone and brick facade in a soft yellow light that faded to red the longer I stayed. At first I gaped, just taking it in. I had never seen anything so big in my life. Absurd as that seems now, it felt so true then. Eventually I remembered the camera around my neck, a new purchase from Christmas, barely used at all. I snapped away like mad, not caring how the pictures came out. I was desperate to try and capture the beauty so I could take it home with me.

    The baggage depot was the first building I ever explored... illegally anyway. I didn't go far, or stay long. I was sure that crack addicts would attack me at any minute and the police would arrive just in time to save my life so they could arrest me for trespassing. So, I was young. But that was the thrill, part of what made the Terminal so great for me. Knowing that was I was doing may be dangerous, but also knowing that it was more than worth it. To see such things...

    I've gone back many times since. I've explored the inside, outside, topside, bottom side, and outlying buildings. The Terminal never fails to make me smile in wonderment. These pictures are simply my humble way of trying to share that with people.