I'd never considered exploring abandoned places until I randomly had the opportunity to explore perhaps one of the last batch of Woolworth's to be closed on the

I'd never considered exploring abandoned places until I randomly had the opportunity to explore perhaps one of the last batch of Woolworth's to be closed on the Eastern seaboard. The entire several story building used to be a shopping center, with a restaurant in the basement, fed by a kitchen and dumb waiter. The street level had been retrofitted for shops, but the basement and upper floors were still abandoned and left essentially as is. I had the opportunity to work with one of the street level shops, and they had a key to the basement. I did my work there, and then got curious because the same staircase that went to the basement also went up. I very carefully and quietly crept upstairs, attempting to stay away from windows (which had been painted over, but you never know). I found a giant stove used by the restaurant, several rooms of shelves, gutted bathrooms, a completely analog cash register, and posters from halloween and Christmas events (which I dated to be around mid 90s). I felt scared the entire time, from getting caught (considering I didn't want to ruin my relationship with the shop) to anything bizarre I might find. I didn't record it and deeply regret that. In the grand scheme of things, a middle class shopping center might be far down the list of places to preserve. Or perhaps not. Grand cathedrals inspire awe, but the mundane places visited by magnitudes more people are forgotten.