Have it Your Way – Visiting the Abandoned Burger King

Have it Your Way

Visiting the Abandoned Burger King

Written by: Sean L.

Photography by: Amanda H.

    We all love fast food when we’re kids. There’s just always been something captivating about the process that fascinates young children. You drive up to the restaurant, place your order into a talking box, and then drive up to a window where a smiling employee hands you a bag full of food. The chicken nuggets are juicy and plump. The fries are crisp and salty. The milkshakes are thick and chocolaty. Plus you always got a toy with every meal. What kid doesn’t like that? Going to fast food restaurants when I was a kid was always a special occasion, a rare delicacy that you usually got only on your birthday or after a tough soccer game. My personal favorite fast food chain when I was a kid was Burger King. They had slushies, whoppers, and a mascot that was way cooler than Ronald McDonald. But the older you get, the less exciting fast food becomes. I started to sour on the whole subject after having to watch Morgan Spurlock’s Supersize Me in seventh grade health class. Lately, we’ve started to see the decline of the fast food empire as people become more health conscience.

Founded in 1953, this nationally beloved fast food chain was originally called Insta-Burger King. The original founders were convinced to start the franchise after first visiting the young and revolutionary McDonald’s restaurant in southern California. The name was officially shortened to just Burger King a few years later when ownership of the company changed hands. Unlike McDonald’s which originally served hotdogs, the original menu of the chain was very similar to what it is now. It was known for serving cheeseburgers, French fries, and milkshakes. The flagship of their enterprise, the Whopper, didn’t come about until 1957. Though ownership of the franchise has changed hands many times over the years, the company has always resided in the southern United States. Their original catchphrase has always been “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way!” It has since been shortend to just “Have it Your Way!” As of 2013, the Burger King Corporation operates over 13,000 restaurants in over 79 countries. Most of these establishments are here in the United States.

Not all of these Burger Kings survive though, and some are forced to close down. I haven’t eaten at one since 2010 when I got food poisoning from a bad chicken sandwich. Now, that Burger King that I once went to lies empty and abandoned. Though we had driven past many different abandoned fast food establishments, we had never taken the time to do any investigating of one. This particular Burger King was located smack dab in the middle of a busy downtown area in Connecticut. Why it went out of business is a mystery to us. It is in a relatively busy location, and is right off the highway. But with two McDonald’s and a Wendy’s right down the street, the Burger King seemed a bit outgunned. Lately, their menu choices haven’t been exactly appetizing, with things like the French fry burger for 99 cents. The franchise has also faced scrutiny of the years for animal rights violations and a lack of cultural sensitivity in their international locations.

If you didn’t know what it was before, this place would be hard to recognize. It is clearly a fast food building, but there is nothing left to signify it as a Burger King. Every single window and door has been completely boarded up with thick and heavy plywood. All signs and traces of the Burger King name and logo have been removed from the signs and outer walls. The parking lot is slowly cracking due to lack of maintenance. A few handicapped parking signs are still standing though. The building is slowly falling apart, whenever the wind blew the entire building would shake and rattle as if it were about to collapse. A large security camera sits on the back of the building, though it is unclear if it is still operational. We were able to get a peek inside through a large crack in the plywood panels. The inside of the former restaurant sits in complete darkness. Only a few rays of sunlight are able to reach the inside. All tables and booths have been removed, but the counter still remains shrouded in darkness.

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The place is so heavily boarded up and in such a populated area that we did not find any signs of vandalism and attempted entry. The ground was covered in old leaves and a few pieces of trash.  Though there wasn’t much to see here, the most interesting part of this abandoned place was the drive-thru. Fast food restaurants are famous for their drive-thru service, and this one was still intact. Though the drive-up menu has been removed, the clearance bars are still hanging above it. You can actually walk through this abandoned drive-thru, right up to the now boarded up windows where people once paid and received their deep fried goodness. It was kind of a ghostly experience, imagining how many people had driven through here to receive their order. All of the signs for the drive through are still here, each one a simple shade of blue with white writing. There is one indicated “Exit Only” and “Entrance Only.” There is also a big for sale sign out front, though God knows how long that has been there.

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Since we were unable to get inside, the abandoned Burger King is just a giant boarded up building. Our rule has always been never to break into a place, but we will go in if someone else before us has already broken in. This former fast food joint is clearly pretty protected. There are several security service stickers posted upon the outer walls, and a rather wealthy neighborhood of private condos lies right beside it. Though there is a large for sale sign out front, whether it will ever return to its former glory is another question. The answer to that question doesn’t look too promising, as the building slowly begins to crumble. It is now a mere shell of a once proud member of the fast food chain. Their slogan has always been “Have it your way,” but things clearly didn’t go the way they wanted them to. There are no more orders to be made here. The reign of the Burger King is over.

Fortress of Solitude – The Abandoned Fort Mansfield

Fortress of Solitude

The Abandoned Fort Mansfield

Written by: Sean L.

Photographs by: Amanda H.

   The waves of the ocean crash up against the sandy shore. Fierce gusts of wind shriek through the tall sea grass. Packs of white gulls soar overhead, cackling and cawing to each other. The sun shines powerful and radiant in the sky. The deep Atlantic water is an enchanting shade of bright blue. This is Napatree Point, Rhode Island. And somewhere, lost in the vegetation of this place, lays an abandoned military fortress. The ramparts crumble as they slowly succumb to the barrage of time. Dark and empty corridors are haunted by the ghosts of the past. What once served as the first defense of the American homeland now lies in total silence. This is Fort Mansfield, forgotten by some and a legend to others. Unlike one of the other famous abandoned military forts in Rhode Island, Fort Wetherill (see our write-up here), this former coastal artillery instillation has been all but lost to the white sands of Napatree Point. Located in the village of Watch Hill, Fort Mansfield was one of our most difficult treks, but also one of our most rewarding discoveries.

Fort Mansfield has called Napatree Point home since its creation in the early twentieth century. The point is a small piece of land branching out from the town of Watch Hill. The United States military first purchased the property in 1898, as part of a new program to install artillery batteries all along the coast of New England. Though it may not have as rich of a history as Fort Wetherill, Mansfield does have a much sadder story than its legendary cousin. The fort was officially commissioned in 1902. However, during the war games of the early 1900’s, a fatal flaw was discovered in the fort’s design. The guns of the fort would be unable to repel a head-on assault from the sea, and it would be an easy target for an amphibious assault. Thus, the fort was decommissioned from active status in 1909. Over the years, the garrison of the fortress slowly dwindled as the military lost all interest and faith in it. The land was finally sold back to the town of Watch Hill in 1928. The fortress has remained abandoned ever since.

Having heard whispers of Fort Mansfield in the past without ever finding much information about it, we decided to go searching for it during the fall of 2014. As a burrow of the town of Westerly, Watch Hill is quite the summer hotspot, but it goes quiet during the offseason. Napatree Point is perfectly legal to walk, except for the handful of beachside bungalows at the very beginning. There is a nice little parking lot that is free to park at right in the middle of downtown Watch Hill. After parking, we began our walk down the point. There is beach on either side of the point, with thick vegetation in the middle. This is also a bird sanctuary during the summer nesting season. It is roughly a little over a mile to the very tip of the point. It is also fiercely windy due to the proximity to the ocean. The early stages of the point are decently trafficked by beachgoers, but the end of the point is deserted. After a long time combing through the point’s thick grass, we finally came upon the abandoned fortress.

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The fortress is comprised of two sections: one part contains the first two artillery instillations and the second section is a brief walk away containing the third instillation. There were once a few buildings here, but they have long since been demolished. The first section is a pretty good size. Though it is not as covered in graffiti as Fort Wetherill, Fort Mansfield is still pretty vandalized. Lots of tagging covers the walls, and there is plenty of liter down in the lower tunnels. The local fire department had put up some fencing around the outer walls of the fort to prevent visitors from getting in, but they are quite easily bypassed via a few still functioning ladders and former staircases. Several metal slabs have also been placed over certain points. Except for the blistering gusts of wind, this place is completely silent. There are several entrance points down to the lower levels. Since the front walls have been knocked out, there is a decent amount of light down here. The floor is also completely flooded in certain rooms from years of rain and high tides.

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The second section of the fort is a brief walk down an overgrown path. It sits on the very edge of Napatree Point, giving an excellent view of the Rhode Island coastline. It is much smaller than the first section of the fort, and is much more difficult to see. Tall sea grass and vegetation keep it very well hidden. The graffiti here is actually much more light hearted than the first section. At the very top of the fort, there are a couple of small staircases leading up to what must have once been look out posts. They provide excellent cover from the merciless wind. Unlike the first section, there are no barricades or fences to deter visitors here. Down to the lower levels, there are several large empty rooms. They are in complete darkness, yet they are completely empty save for the trash of vandals. Someone, or something, is most definitely living here. While exploring the dark passages of the lower levels, we heard something moving around in the tunnels. We didn’t stick around to find out what it was.

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Though it is a bit of a trek and can be difficult to find if you don’t know where to look, Fort Mansfield is definitely worth a visit. Unlike the legendary Fort Wetherill, this abandoned base is not home for teenage destruction and vandalism. Because of its remote location, the fort is only enjoyed by those who are willing to make the journey. The fierce winds and the hot sand make it a tough trek, but the fort is more than worth it. While the coastal town around it continues to grow and flourish, Fort Mansfield continues to stray out of thought and time. It is the ruins of a fortress that never got to be. Its run as a coastal artillery unit was cut tragically short by a fatal flaw. Now the land weeps, haunted by a purpose that it never got to fulfill. It is truly a fortress of solitude; quiet and alone, but still standing guard over its former territory.

View on the walk back

Cape Cod’s Psycho – The Abandoned Bates Motel

Cape Cod’s Psycho

The Abandoned Bates Motel

 Written by: Wilk

Photographs by: Lassie

Cape Cod is a place of wonder and enjoyment for people all over New England. During the summertime, this place becomes the most popular hot spot for tourism in the entire region. Beach goers frolic in the rolling ocean waves. Families vacation in old school cottages. Tourists from around the globe get a taste of what New England life is all about. There’s fishing, sailing, whale watching tours, and even colonial history in Cape Cod. It is truly the crown jewel in the state of Massachusetts. But nestled deep in this vacation destination is a place saltier than the ocean air. It is the subject of many legends, and shares the name with one of the most feared places in Hollywood movie lore: The Bates Motel. Between the luxurious hotels and extravagant summer homes lies a place that would make even Psycho creator and horror master Alfred Hitchcock himself uneasy.

To this day, we have found very little information at all on the Bates Motel. We cannot even be positive if that is its real name. It does in fact bear a striking resemblance to the fabled motel of the film Psycho and its contemporary series Bates Motel. From what we have gathered, the motel has been abandoned for at least twenty years, it has been the sight of many alleged hauntings, and it is smack dab in the middle of a very rich neighborhood. What we can tell you is that Bates Motel is located in the small town of Truro, Massachusetts. It is the second to last town on the furthest corner of Cape Cod, just slightly south of the beloved and lively Provincetown. It located right of Route 6A. Once called Old King’s Highway, this stretch of highway runs across the entire length of Cape Cod.

We made our pilgrimage to the abandoned Bates Motel on a hot summer day in early June. The school years were just coming to an end, so Cape Cod was just starting to wake up from its off-season slumber. It was far from being a ghost town, but it was nowhere near as busy or as crowded as it gets during the later summer months. The trip down 6A was about an hour from our hotel, which was in the heart of the Cape. The trip up was rather nice, as 6A is a beautiful road to travel on. The traffic was light, the sun was out, and there is always something to see while driving around Cape Cod. The closer you get to the edge of the Cape, the narrower the land becomes. So by the time we got to Truro, there was ocean on either side.

Finding the abandoned Bates Motel wasn’t too difficult. It is located quite literally right off of Route 6A. It is along a road heavily populated with beach houses, summer homes, small cottages, and big hotels. You get an excellent view of the ocean from this neighborhood. If you look closely, you can even see the bustling town of Provincetown from the road. Just a short stretch down through this rich vacation neighborhood, we found the abandoned motel. Though its ghastly state of disrepair sticks out like a sore thumb amongst these summer palaces, it somehow blends in with the buildings and the sand around it. It is almost as if the abandoned Bates Motel is still trying to fit in with these vacation homes that it once resembled, even though it has been many years since any guests passed through its doors.

The motel itself is truly a sight to see. Though all around it are busy and popular resorts, it is completely silent in front of the Bates Motel. The only sounds to be heard are the pesky seagulls soaring overheard and the steady lapping of the ocean up against the shores of Truro. The paintjob of the building seemed to once be a shade of white or yellow, it now has a strong brown tint to it. There are about twelve rooms total across the motel. Every window has been boarded up. Every door to every room has a sturdy padlock on it, guarding the former motel from any unwanted guests. There are NO TRESPASSING, NO PARKING, and KEEP OUT signs posted all over the grounds. Clearly, someone out there does not want the Bates Motel to have any visitors. And for good reason.

Not only is the building and the grounds in a harsh state of disrepair, there is a very strong and uneasy sense about this place. This once happy and fun filled place is now a place out of a nightmare. Strange and unsettling graffiti can be spotted along some of the walls and doors. Tall beach grass grows all along the sides of the building. The pavement of the parking lot is cracked and broken. Yet from the back of the motel, you can still get an excellent beachfront view of the ocean. It is strange to see this place the way that it is now, especially with the flourishing community surrounding it. Three small derelict cottages sit next to the motel, just as decrepit and abandoned. It is unclear whether they were a part of Bates Motel or were simply left behind for having the unfortunate bad luck of being neighbors with this dark place.

What makes Bates Motel so baffling and unsettling is its location. It is located beachside in a very busy and beautiful summer destination, yet it remains in a state of very poor disrepair. This property could be sold for millions if it was purchased by the right person and turned into a functioning hotel. It allegedly is for sale. Yet mysteriously, it remains abandoned. One rumor that we heard about the legendary motel is that the property became caught up in some sort of family legal battle, and eventually closed. Never to reopen. Though it bears a striking resemblance to Norman Bates and his beloved mother’s establishment from the films and television show, the connection between the cultural icon and the abandoned motel has yet to be made. It may not have any connection with the movie legend, but the real Bates Motel is definitely just as creepy.

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Everything Must Go – Visiting Manchester’s Abandoned Car Dealership

Everything Must Go

Visiting Manchester’s Abandoned Car Dealership

Written by: Sean L

Photographs by: Amanda H

   Good credit? Bad credit? No credit? We finance everyone! Zero money down, zero percent financing, zero hassle! Get approved today! Everything must go! Come on down! Yeah, car dealerships are seemingly everywhere today. These lines are recognized by just about everyone, because they are something that we are all familiar with. It’s impossible to avoid. We hear about them constantly on the radio. Their advertisements invade our favorite television shows. Their giant billboards decorate our highways. Most car dealerships today are family run, seemingly age old dynasties. They are empires, ruling over the world of used cars with an iron fist. But what happens when these empires inevitably crumble? What happens when there aren’t any more customers, or cars to sell? What happens to the giant inflatable gorilla and all the tacky promotional stuff that these dealerships use? It all fades away. Like a dying tree, these places fold up, and their ashes are cast to the four winds, leaving nothing but empty lots and broken dreams.

We visited one of these fallen empires during the early days of 2015. Formally known as “Family Auto of Manchester,” this former dealership was open for about twenty years. Located along Main Street, Manchester, the dealership was in a pretty decent location. There are, however, much larger dealerships in the area that caused competition. It went out of business about a year ago. From what we could find in our research, the place was not very well liked by its customers. We found one scathing review on Google Plus condemning the dealership for its unprofessionalism, poor service, and disrespect for its female customers. Perhaps things like this had something to do with its downfall. I can tell you that ironically, I shopped for a car here once when I was sixteen. It was an Acura Integra. Though I saw no real issues with the place, I didn’t end up buying the car because I was just too tall for it. Seven years later, I returned to this place, though it is now abandoned.

“Family Auto of Manchester” is located right on Main Street, Manchester. Though it is not nearly as trafficked of a road as others in Manchester, it is still a pretty busy area. It is right next to a heavily used gas station and a few small businesses. It is also right down the street from a Walgreens and the lovable local watering hole The Main Pub. Funny enough, there are also several auto repair shops located very closely to the abandoned dealership. From what we had gathered, lots of people parked their cars at the empty lot when they could not find street parking. Whether this is legal or not remains to be seen. So for our investigation, we simply drove up and parked alongside the abandoned dealership. Luckily, this was all before we had piles of snow on the ground. The lot itself was in really bad shape. There are pot holes everywhere, and cracks ripple through the pavement like a spider web. Thick yellow grass protrudes from the cracks here and there. We also found piles of leaves and a few tires scattered around the lot.

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The building itself is in moderately good shape. Though the paint is now fading and aging, the building was clearly never a very good color. It’s rather bland tan paintjob is now accented with a decaying brown. Only one or two of the windows have been broken, and there appears to be no structural damage. The walls, however, are absolutely coated in graffiti and gang signs. It’s everywhere; on the walls, on the windows, on the pavement. The place is definitely a hot spot for teenagers and delinquents who have nothing better to do with their time. Along the outer windows, there are still brightly colored and worded signs offering hassle free financing and credit approval. Old wiring and air conditioning units still cling the walls, though they have been devoid of power for some time now. Attached to the building is the garage. Clearly some sort of animal is living in here, as we found evidence of it and because there is a perfectly sized hole that has been made in the garage door. This was also the way inside of the dealership.

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It is rather dark and foreboding inside the garage, but inside the dealership is very bright. The outer wall of the building is solid glass, so you can see inside no problem. The inside of the dealership is very eerie. Most of the furniture has been left behind for some reason. Inside the main office, a desk still sits with a once comfy looking chair accompanying it. Out on the sales floor, a large round table and four chairs still sit, waiting for the next deal to be made. Several desks are pushed into the corner, with stacks of old paper and other liter strewn across them. A bunch of old computer parts and car manuals lie in ruin on one of the old tables. There are even a few carpets left behind on the floor. A pair of old school vending machines, the kind where you put in a quarter and get a handful of candy, are back along the wall, though they are now empty and covered in dust. Sadly enough, a forgotten plant still waits for water as it gathers sunshine in the main window.

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Having been here and test driving a car here all those years ago, it was very interesting to return now that the place is abandoned. The lot once full of beat up used cars now lies empty and broken. I stood in the exact spot where I turned down an offer to buy a car here. And today, I am very glad that I did turn down that offer. Not just because of the height issue, but because this place has completely fallen into darkness. To answer my question from earlier, this is what becomes of these once illustrious car dealerships when their empires finally crumble. There are no more radio ads, no more tacky gimmicks, and no more used cars. They simply lie in ruin, waiting for a day that will probably never come. Though it has long since gone under, “Family Auto of Manchester” still haunts the main street of this busy little town. And even though its signs still beckon eager car shoppers to enter its gates with the temptation of financing, you won’t find any obnoxious salesmen or tacky decorations here. Everything is gone.

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