P L E A S U R E L A N D

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home --John Howard Payne

Pleasureland, Oakland, New Jersey

explored & photographed by: Shady

One sweltering July day, the Scooby crew got lost in North Jersey. Realllly lost.

But it's ok- because as we always say, lost is a good thing. At least, it turned out to be in this case! We had pulled over at a gas station to peruse the database of maps/directions in order to figure out where the Hell we were, when I discovered by accident that we were literally across the street from the legendary abandoned complex known as "Pleasureland". Of course, once we knew that, we just had to find it. Of course.

We looked around at a long wall of chain link and dense intertwined foliage with dismay- how were we supposed to find anything here?? We couldn't see any trace of the place. We moved along the fenceline, when suddenly, we spotted a narrow, hidden opening cut into the fence! Yay! We all squeezed through, scattered into the greenery like adolescent hooligans, and entered "Pleasureland"...

Pleasureland, as the large, crumbling place is called, obviously used to be some sort of recreation complex. The decaying remains of the old swimming pool, basketball courts, picnic tables, cabanas and other outlying buildings still sit scattered throughout the funereal compound...

This place is silent, vast and lonely. Rumor claims that a violent gang shooting was the cause of the compound closing down so many, many years ago; although we could not find any supporting evidence of this story, there is definitely an ominous air of menace hanging over Pleasureland...

Maybe it's the various buildings, each mysteriously marked with a spray-painted number, which stand empty and abandoned. Maybe it's the encroaching foliage that casts shadows over every corner it creeps over. Or maybe it's just the eerie silence where laughter and shouts of glee once rang out. Whatever the case, it is spooky.

The buildings still contain many clues to their past; one cabana has a bar and and old freezer; while another holds supplies for the swimming pool. All of the structures are scarred with evidence of vandalism, graffiti and even arson. We slowly, carefully made our way through each, totally expecting something to jump out at us at every shadowy turn...

MORE PLEASURELAND AHEAD--->

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