Comments from amboyurbex

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amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Amboy Multiplex Cinemas on Dec 6, 2017 at 12:39 pm

moviebuff82 I didn’t see any major film reels there. The only film I saw were trailers and other ads, but those were far and few between. Nothing seemed very damaged as it was all upstairs. Everything downstairs was in worse condition.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Concession Stand on Dec 6, 2017 at 12:26 pm

It is, but no cash unfortunately.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Concession Stand Close Up on Dec 6, 2017 at 12:24 pm

I actually shot this at night. It’s the only way I could get in undetected. The light coming in was from the Parkway and Rt 9.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Seats on Dec 6, 2017 at 12:21 pm

SNdoniB_1999 Thank you, but I am unwilling to participate. I will do no interviews until this place is torn down. Even after it is gone, I will need to reassess the situation.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Amboy Multiplex Cinemas on Jun 26, 2017 at 7:13 am

markp, I looked into the concession stand and did not see any sinkhole. There were mostly cracks on the floor. It must have been primarily under the cabinets. I am certain under the floor tiles and debris, the sinkhole is more prominent, but I wasn’t willing to risk my safety any more than being in that building alone in the dark to test fate.

davidcoppock, other than the concession stand and water damage in the ceiling, the building was mostly okay looking. I’m sure for just one or two people, it was okay, but I wouldn’t expect daily crowds of moviegoers to go there like they once did. I took every step as if I was walking on glass (especially upstairs) and made no sudden moves. I’m sure I didn’t have to be that careful, but I’m not a structural engineer and didn’t want to find a hole in the floor the hard way.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Lobby on Jun 26, 2017 at 7:01 am

Hey Thundarr. I will only respond here for now. Perhaps after the statute of limitations wears off and/or the theater is torn down. I have taken a calculated risk accessing this place, but I have no reason to risk my identity in sharing pictures with other curious strangers. I hope you understand. Thank you.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Amboy Multiplex Cinemas on Jun 22, 2017 at 8:36 am

Hey all. I am back. Sorry for the belated response. Sadly this isn’t a site I frequent too much. It appears my photos and story were spread on Facebook, which is fine, but what I didn’t account for was this site seems to show highly detailed and revealing EXIF data. A person I know did find me to give me a heads up. To those who found me, I am not afraid of being found and respect your perseverance, but I would at least like to stay on the down low until that theater is demolished. I would like to add that while I did enter the building, I did so in a respectful way to document and preserve what was left behind.

I decided to delete all the pictures I already posted here so unfortunately your comments are gone. But as an added bonus, I decided to add them again with some more pictures from that day. I am not really a fan of the upload feature of this site and that EXIF thing causes me to double my efforts to share my work, so I may upload a few more shots in the future.

To answer SNdoniB_1999’s question: Sadly there were no posters of movies on the walls. There were ads for food and there was a mural for the upcoming Madagascar painted on the front window. I did not get a photo of that because I didn’t want to shine my flashlight on the widows what with Route 9 and the Parkway being right there. The front windows are boarded up, but a little light does shine through and I would assume my light would be visible to the outside. I honestly felt exposed being in the lobby using my flashlight to light anything really.

It appears the sinkhole is there and I knew of it before going there, but I didn’t see it. It could be I overlooked it or that it was hidden under the concession stand. In any case, I was extra cautious there and spent little time by the concession stand because I was not sure of the nature of the sinkhole. I didn’t want to fall into it if it was bad.

amboyurbex
amboyurbex commented about Amboy Multiplex Cinemas on Mar 29, 2017 at 1:06 pm

I went inside Amboy Cinemas last year. I will not tell anyone how I got inside, nor will help anyone do it and/or accompany them. For the record, I will never go in there again. It is situated by the Parkway, Route 9, and Route 35 and even though I know what I am doing, I consider myself incredibly lucky I was not detected at all considering the high traffic all around. Not to mention, just days after I gained access a cop killed himself on that property, which scared me and made me hesitant to share these photos. I don’t want to sound harsh, but I want nothing to do with anyone else’s urban exploration excursions unless I know and trust them. Maybe when they tear the place down, I can reveal my research and methods, but until then, I do not wish to have any part in anyone’s plans to go there.

That said, I posted a few photos of my time there. It is very dark in there and once I gained access, the air was old and stale. There were many signs of water damage but it seems like no one vandalized the building and it seems like very few people have ever been inside since it closed. Although there was evidence of people messing around with what was left. Much of the office furniture is there as well as movie related equipment. I walked into only a couple theaters. Some posters and signs were still up. One of the last movies that played there was Star Wars Episode III, and they had mentions of the cartoon Madagascar coming there soon.

If you have questions, I will be happy to answer some, but nothing related to gaining access. I know people will feel the need to go now that I revealed it can be accessed so I will offer one last warning and advice. Do not go if you are unprepared, ill-equipped, and did not do the proper scouting prior. If you do, you must not be detected at all including from the highways. I have had the cops called on me by a person passing in a vehicle just for taking pictures on an overpass (legally). Consider any passerby a snitch and in that location, someone will see you unless you know the correct access point and time to go… and have luck on your side. It is also 100% dark inside and there are many hazards on the floor. Do not think a cell phone flashlight will be enough to see. I had to change the batteries on my main light, and I used my cell phone to see that. It was not enough to see across the theater. I would suggest to not do it, but I won’t tell anyone what to do.