Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club

Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club was the last of the Borscht Belt grand resorts, opening it's doors in 1907 and expanding through the 1920s, with the largest expansion occuring in the post-war era through the 1980's economic boom.  The nightclub saw such acts as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong perform during it's heyday.  Amenities for guests included kosher meals, an indoor pool, indoor raquetball, and indoor ice skating, as well as outdoor sports.  The hotel continued to operate until an accidental death in 2013 and the hotel was sold to a developer intent on demolition.  Kutsher's Hotel was demolished in 2014.
I visited soon after the furniture auction was held, but prior to pick up.  Lights were lit, rooms intact, and the elevators mostly functioning as we roamed the hallways on found bicycles.  The color scheme spoke of a different era, with pinks and greens decorating the halls and rooms.  One could almost hear the strains of jazz music in the dark blue starlight lounge.  And so it stood, one of the last functioning giants of the Borscht Belt left us with the decaying notes of an age gone by.

Heart of The Poconos Resort

Once upon a time, the rooms here were filled with happy couples and the sounds of celebrating honeymoons and anniversaries.  Featuring a wedding bell shaped pool, mirrored ceilings, heart shaped hot tubs, and shag everything, The Heart of The Poconos Resort was the image of 1970's love resorts.  Now vacant and perpetually for sale, the resort has seen the ravages of time and vandalism, looking not unlike an aged pornography star that faded into obscurity.

Don't worry, it pulls out.

Las Vegas - The Death Of The American Dream

In 1972, Hunter S. Thompson went to Las Vegas, NV in search of The American Dream.  This past June, I headed there chasing The Death Of The American Dream.  Many things have changed since the 1970's, including Las Vegas itself.  Vegas is a tourist city, dependent on the money that casinos, gambling, and luxury stays bring in.  With the recent economic decline, the city has seen a rise in unemployment, foreclosures(beating Detroit in 2010), and the ever present homeless population.  The Sahara Hotel closed it's doors for the first time in 59 years this past year, as other smaller businesses flounder and fail.  A walk two blocks off the glitz and glamour of The Strip reveals a Las Vegas that most tourists never see: a world of desperation, of squatting in abandoned hotels and living in the storm drains that run underneath the fabulous Strip.
The Key Largo Hotel and Casino is located two blocks off of the Strip.  Once opulent, as is the manner in Las Vegas, it has since fallen into severe disrepair and is almost unrecognizable when compared to photos when it was operational.  Populated by the homeless and possibly mentally ill, the grounds are not safe for the unseasoned explorer.  Although the one fellow I met upon entry was amicable, a secluded corner later in the morning yielded the unmistakable stench of rotting carcass.  I did not stay to investigate the source of the odor.  Once a spot to stay for gamblers and vacationers, The Key Largo Hotel is now home to the unacknowledged underclass of Las Vegas.

Courtyard.

Ghost Town.

Destabilize.

A Room with a View.

An Excerpt; Americana is dead.

Remodeling.

Vacancies.

What they really meant.

Sidewinder.

Hire a decorator.

Hire a gardner.

Fire the plumber.

Living quarters.

Poolside.

No A/C, just heat.

May as well jump.

Braced and boarded.

The Ballroom - shattered glass, shattered dreams.

15 feet from an unknown carcass.

Like bones bleaching in the desert sun.

Washed out.

EDIT: A fire tore through in 2013 and this site is now demolished.