A 'No Regrets' Tour With One of Our Top Photo Contributors - Atlas Obscura Lists
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A 'No Regrets' Tour With One of Our Top Photo Contributors

Exploration has many rewards.

by Jonathan Carey, Senior Associate Editor, Places
8 Places

Atlas Obscura would not be possible without the dedicated work of our community, who help us add more wondrous places to the site every day—and improve the ones we already have. A big part of this community is a dedicated group of intrepid photographers who venture to some of the most wondrous locations in the Atlas and give us the breathtaking images that bring our collection of places to life. We want to give a few of our most dedicated photographers a chance to share some of their favorite snapshots and the stories behind the images.

Sandi Hemmerlein, who goes by Avoiding Regret on Atlas Obscura joined the site in 2012 and worked as an Atlas Obscura Los Angeles Field Agent from 2013 to 2019. Since then, she has added hundreds of her shots to existing place entries. 

“I grew up in Syracuse, New York, and led a pretty sheltered life until moving to New York City the day after I graduated from Colgate University,” Hemmerlein says. She was also featured in a 2013 profile on Atlas Obscura about her photography process. “I’ve been a writer my whole life—but I only took on photography even remotely seriously around 2006, when I began relying less on disposable film cameras and, for a time, experimented with a 35mm SLR and then digital cameras.” 

That also happened to be around the same time she decided to explore the world: Morocco and Tunisia, and California’s desert parks, including Death Valley and Joshua Tree. “[Atlas Obscura’s 2009 debut] came along at just the right time—when I quit my office job and set off on a journey of self-discovery through world exploration,” she says. “It helped me feel less alone in the world because even though I didn’t personally know anyone with the same interests as me, here was this online community of like-minded kindred spirits, sharing their discoveries.”

Hemmerlein also realized that her ethos aligned perfectly with one of Atlas Obscura’s core values, “to take the path less traveled by, because there’s so much more out there than meets the eye. And 12 years later, I still consider myself a ‘superfan’ of Atlas Obscura,” who checks the site weekly for new places to discover—in particular to add her original photography to the site. 

In addition to Atlas Obscura, Hemmerlein also shares photos on her personal blog, also called Avoiding Regret, and her Instagram to help bring the world to those who are unable to venture out and explore. 

Here are a few of Hemmerlein’s favorite places to which she has contributed, and the stories behind them. 

New York, New York

The High Line

“I can trace my current sense of adventure back to a tour I took of the High Line hosted by Open House New York in 2005—back when it was still an undeveloped, elevated freight line and the only way to see it was to go into the former meatpacking houses (which had fortunately been cleared out of their meat and juices by then). I loved witnessing its revival into a public space and it became my favorite place in New York to watch the sunset. That tour I took kicked off a passion for abandoned places and a compulsion to explore that persists today.”
Added by Henry
Queens, New York

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

“Once I first visited Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in 2006, I immediately became obsessed with it and made it my mission to go back as often as possible. One of the highlights of my life was being able to volunteer for NYC Parks in 2009 to help weed the terrazzo floor of the New York State Pavilion’s Tent of Tomorrow, including bagging loose pieces of the Texaco map for future cataloging before they covered it in sand to protect it from the elements. I treasure the opportunity to have gotten that up close and personal with an off-limits relic of the 64/65 World’s Fair.”
Rebekah Otto Added by Rebekah Otto
Brooklyn, New York

Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

“When I climbed down into the manhole in the middle of a busy intersection at Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn in 2009, I thought I’d finally outdone myself—and perhaps for the last time. I couldn’t imagine any adventure more delicious than exploring an abandoned trolley tunnel that had been dug out by a historian gone rogue. I had to stand in line for a couple of hours to get in—but I realized then that getting access to that tunnel was better than anything that might stand beyond any velvet rope.”
Dylan Added by Dylan
California City, California

California City: The Unbuilt Suburb

“California City was my first Obscura Day event ever—one that I flew cross-country from New York to attend in 2010. It was my introduction into what was to become the local Obscura Society, which I had a field day working as a field agent for over the course of about six years. The funny thing is that there’s not much to actually see in California City—it’s the absence of what was originally planned that makes it interesting. But I’ll never forget driving my rental car down all those dirt roads, each named after a different automobile maker, with nothing built for miles.”
New York, New York

Holographic Studios Inc.

“Unbelievably, I lived on the same block as this place—just a few doors down—for seven years without ever knowing it was there or what it was. It wasn’t until I moved to California that I discovered it listed in the Atlas, so I didn’t get a chance to visit until 2016—six years after moving away from the neighborhood. The convergence of art and science—with a unique personality at the helm—is totally up my alley, so I’m glad I ultimately didn’t miss out on this.”
meganmichelle Added by meganmichelle
Las Vegas, Nevada

The Neon Museum

“This is one of those places I discovered in the Atlas and made a trip to go see—in this case, on my birthday weekend in 2011, from my new home in Los Angeles. I’d been to Las Vegas once before and wasn’t really that inclined to go back—until I read about the Boneyard and saw the photos. I’m glad I got to see it while it was still a true boneyard (it’s been fixed up and formalized since) and was thrilled to contribute my own photos to the collection on the Atlas listing. I’ve returned several times since (including at night), but these old daytime photos are still my favorites.”
stanestane Added by stanestane
San Bernardino, California

Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Healing Center

“I think some travelers to and from Las Vegas discover this place accidentally when they see the exit sign off the I-15, but for me, it was a destination during a weekend trip exploring the Mojave Desert around Amboy, Barstow, and the Mojave Preserve. This place has everything: a dry lakebed, bighorn sheep you can spot in the wild, abandoned swimming pools, and a crazy backstory involving a swindler and fake miracles. It’s not abandoned (it’s occupied by the CSU Desert Studies Center), but it feels like a desert ghost town, with pristine ruins. One of my favorite places in the world.”
anhie Added by anhie
Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripyat Amusement Park

“Chernobyl had long been a bucket-list destination for me, so I was so grateful when I had the opportunity to travel there with Atlas Obscura in 2017. It was literally a life-altering experience for me—so much so that I hate to reduce it down to just an abandoned amusement park. But as a huge amusement park fan—and a competitive rider of bumper cars anywhere I can find them—this stop on our Pripyat tour in the Ukraine Exclusion Zone was more than just another site of beautiful decay or ruin porn. It’s become such a symbol of the everyday lives of the people who had to leave their homes behind, never to return—some of whom eventually lost their lives. It brings true humanity to a story of the disaster.”
Allison Added by Allison