Condemned

This afternoon I went on a random jaunt, as I am wont to do every so often.  I didn't know where I was going, but I had decided to explore some areas in my local neighborhood that I don't usually frequent.  So I just picked a direction and set out on foot.

For a while there was nothing particularly interesting, just the usual rows and rows of impersonal apartment blocks, prettified villas and small shops, and I was on the verge of giving it up as a bad job and turning back when I spotted something that seemed more promising.  Some ways down a side street off the main road I could see some rather desultory-looking buildings, with what looked like broken furniture and trash strewn about.  As I turned the corner and went down the lane, the buildings became more rundown and before long I finally came across a subject that's right up my alley -- a whole block of condemned apartments!

They obviously had been abandoned for quite some time.  They were all open to the weather and overgrowth and trash littered the sidewalks.  Loose wires hung down from windows.  The only living things I encountered were two stray cats -- one calico, one tabby.  Although I would have dearly liked to explore the interiors, some of the buildings actually had "Danger -- do not enter" tape stretched across the entrance.  I chose not to enter.

I wonder why the buildings were simply left to rot, rather than being subjected to demolition.  Maybe the city ran out of budget.  In any case, it was to my profit.