My wife grew up in Gary from late 40s to mid 60s. She remembers it as a vibrant, energetic city with a booming, lively downtown, especially at Christmas. It saddens her every time she sees one of these tours. Her high school is now an abandoned building, her old neighborhood still is hanging on. Perhaps it still might see better days.
Scottsman895 I've been living in Minnesota 28 years come September, but I was born n raised in Gary, Indiana. My first 29 years I was a resident there. I've watched many utube videos of people driving through Gary hoods. Most all of them are negative. Most videos I've seen about Gary, people make sure they point out everything abandoned, and burned 🔥 down. Yours was the best I've seen. Your vendetta wasn't about trash talking the city, or it's citizens. Yours is the only utube video of Gary where you did show some areas that were a lil decent. They've built more stuff than I realized. I last visited last year, but I didn't drive down some of the streets you toured. I still have 3 sisters who live there...They've never been in any trouble with the law. I have many friends I grew up with in Gary who've never been to jail. I care for many people who still live there. Thanks for sharing your video, and thanks for not being purposefully nasty about our hometown. I'm gonna search your video on Michigan City, I had a girlfriend who I used to visit there in the 80s, plus I use to attend church there in the 80s. Great job on your commentary as well.💯👌
Thank you very much! I am glad you enjoyed the video. I know Gary has gotten a bad rep by many people just like Detroit and Flint have in Michigan, but there are a lot of positives about each city. While it is true that there are areas there which aren't the greatest unfortunately, it is important to know that not all of Gary is like that. It is great that there are a lot of hard-working people living there to this day. I see a lot of potential in Gary especially with Detroit making such a great comeback. Thanks for watching!
I remember Gary when I was a child living there. The beautiful two story houses and gorgeous lawns. Walking through the pretty parks and seeing the "Oklahoma" play at Horace Mann High School. Its buildings with awesome architecture. Would love to see Gary, Indiana make a comeback.
What is important to know is how all this started. JP Morgan that owned the main income for Gary, US Steel, sold it in 1986 to USX which is a conglomerate of 6 other companies. Some of these are Japanese. The point being that when that happened, the kickback to politicians ceased to continue and they ceased to care about the commonwealth and left the occupants to their own demise. When USX took over, they left 10`s of thousand of employees out of work.And so it goes on to the faith of the unwanted.
They've cleaned up a LOT of the burned out and falling down buildings. Gary looks much better than it did a few years ago. Used to live there many years ago and it was a pretty tough place even then.
Take time to appreciate the architecture of the buildings in Gary. From the old Gary Bank building to the relatively new Gary South Shore Railcats baseball stadium, Gary is in a perfect spot to be revitalized.
@@scottman895 There is a lot on line about Gary!! Believe it or not! There are documentaries, movies, history info etc... But the Steel City Storm Channel And Midwest Flesh UrbEx are the most interactive. Steel City Storm just reached one million views and 5,000 subscribers almost simultaneously! 👉Steel City Storm Channel👈 (I am a monitor for Storm's Channel.)
Thank you for the recommendation on visiting Gary! It is a very interesting city with a lot of great sights and buildings although many are abandoned, and I am glad to hear that it is slowly trying to revitalize itself! Thanks for watching!
Around the 3 minute mark you were headed towards the steel mill and union station was featured in Original Gangsters Seeing my old high school (Roosevelt) damn near brought me to tears
@@scottman895 No problem. I had plan on taking my son to my hometown for Christmas, but due to covid19 we had to cancel. I decided to just show him a ton of videos of people driving through my old city...it hurts though to see it looking so bad...I left for good back in 2004
@@KnowledgeSeeker78491 That's a bummer that you had to cancel the trip, but it is understandable. Hopefully you will get a chance to go back next year!
Very interesting, TY...We drove through it in the mid 60's, I was a kid. The downtown part was sad...and it seemed very dark, foreboding and smoky from the mills air....I guess. There were many forlorn people just standing around staring at us as we drove by. I never forgot the sadness of the place.
Thanks for watching! The drive was quite interesting with a lot of abandoned buildings. Fortunately there are some areas I drove through which did not look bad at all.
I would like to add, if I may, the story of Gary, from former citizens and present day citizens' comments and experiences. And you can learn a bit of real-time history from citizens who can vividly recall and re-live the past. Fascinating. If interested in a very complex, and often misunderstood Gary, Indiana, as a story of two cities, I'd like to recommend a couple of RUclips Channels, that can better explain and actually show you so you can see (POV via personal video cameras) the REAL down and Gritty Truth of Gary as it stands today, and the Gary of Yesteryear, at the same time. 👉"Steel City Storm Channel" 👉"Midwest Flesh UrbEx" are two very good RUclips Channels that are most devoted to Gary's past, present, and the new future visions that are currently coming to fruition. The beautiful Photography, Videography, and REAL Urban Decay Explores are among a few categories offered. There is something for everyone. The playlists are concise and self-explanatory. They are also wonderfully entertaining and funny as well. Something for everyone who wants to understand a city that is so misunderstood. Thank you.
@@scottman895 I thought just in case you were intrigued by Gary, you would like to find out more about it? I was raised in Gary in the 1960's. It was a whole different era, for sure. But thank goodness I have nothing but good memories. I really enjoyed your video😊
@@gibbyswife9218 That's awesome! I always enjoy learning about different places. Like Detroit has been through a lot of changes, I know Gary has seen a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
@@scottman895 You are so welcome. It was my pleasure. Like I had suggested, please consider looking at Steel City Storm Channel and Midwest Flesh UrbEx. There you can find a wealth of knowledge in their videos, but even more than that, reading the comments will give you the bigger "picture" of living in Gary from former and present day citizens. You can understand through Gary's citizens, the true dichotomy of a once vital and thriving city to what has become the norm of the empty neighborhoods you see today. Through it all, I still long for my grateful and happy childhood growing up in Gary, Indiana. I took a part of Gary with me, and left a piece of my heart there, just the same..
The only place in Detroit that truly reminds me of Gary would be sections of Delray - like parts of Fort and Jefferson Avenues. At least with the Ford Rouge plant and U.S. Steel in River Rouge, both Gary and Delray smell the same from the burning Coke.
Very interesting! I haven't driven in Delray yet. I do know that things will likely change there in the coming years with the new Gordie Howe International Bridge going in there. Thanks for watching!
Parts of that city look like there should be an exploded nuclear reactor nearby. That's sad. I really want to see this place someday. I've always been interested in those backwater areas that are far outside the experience of the average American. This is the closest thing we have to Pripyat/Chernobyl. And thank you for not racially profiling the place. This is the only video tour of Gary I've seen that doesn't do that.
Thank you very much for the comment. Gary is quite interesting to drive through. There are definitely areas which are really sad to see where there are other areas which aren't all that bad. I think Gary has the potential to make a comeback. It has happened in Detroit. Thanks for watching!
I grew up in Gary, my Grandparents owned the EL CORRAL restaurants all over the city, I also lived in Glen Park and went to Riley School in the mid 70s.
Scott, I just arrived in Springfield , Illinois, tonight and was on the perimeter of Gary, Indiana but I just a bit apprehensive about that from things I've read and heard ! Anyway, please be careful out there and thanks for the video
I originally did not have plans to drive into Gary except maybe drive by the Michael Jackson house off camera as it is pretty close to I-80/I-94, but my friend recommended the video idea to me. I'm glad I did this video as it was an eye opener. I probably would not want to drive around there at night however. Thanks for watching!
Nice way to spend some time with your new joy, the Honda. I've never been to Gary or Indiana for that matter. Flying into Detroit in two days. We're driving to Ohio to pick up a bus and transport it to the Denver area. We will be going through Gary on the interstate without time to stop. So your video is very timely. I found your channel last week when we stopped in Monroe, MI, saw your video on the River Rasin. My wife thought I was a tour guide - I confessed, after the fact, about your videos. We were on the way to Detroit Metro as the bus broke down and we had to leave it for repairs. Anyhow, I enjoyed you driving tours of Ford Street and Detroit Metro too. Keep up the good work on the driving videos scripted or in scripted. Thumbs UP from Golden, CO!
Thank you very much! Gary was definitely very interesting to drive around. If you do decide to drive into the city, I would stick to the main roads and only during the day. I'm glad you enjoyed the River Raisin video and the driving tours around Metro Detroit! Thanks for watching!
We are planning to start tomorrow from a point just south of Toledo and go through to Des Moines - last attempt the bus made it from Erie, PA to where it is now. But with our luck, it will die in Gary! It reminds me of a time I was in L.A. on the interstate. I thought I was going to run out of gas, a feeling that had been building for miles. This portion of the interstate had walls built along it on both sides - noise abatement, I thought. As I turned from the on ramp to the street I was shocked. This was no place for me! I was fearful, I immediately got back on the interstate thinking I’d be safer running out of gas there then I would trying to buy gas in that neighborhood. I’ve wondered for years, were the walls there for noise of to hide Urban Blight? Anyhow, all ended well and I did not run out of gas.
Before clicking on the video I thought this video was a Charlie Bo 313 video because he tends to do driving videos through bad neighborhoods lol. Always wondered how Gary compared to Detroit. Stay safe out there, you know that since you do driving videos in Detroit.
It was a very interesting drive for sure! I've driven in many parts of Detroit, but they did not compare to what I saw while driving around Gary. Thanks for watching!
I had friends here late 60s, besides the steel mills downsizing, the people needed retraining and given a map to new jobs in the area. When I lost my best job in my career in 1982. I couldn't stop working I ended up at Amtrak working on locomotives. But only a couple of years. I retired disabled from AMGENERAL, military trucks in2005. You have to drive to keep the money going.
@@oldgoat50 I use to go to Cosmopolitan Radio and Gary Radio & Cycle on Washington Street all the time. I'm afraid those days are gone forever. Yaaa Gary Edison !!! >
Scott thanks for visiting the city and highlights from your POV. Greatly appreciate it, there are some things of course I would say “ you missed” however, I thoroughly enjoy watching and listening to an outside view of the city. I comment on everyone’s video about Gary, so please don’t be offended. Ps if you’re an investor friendly person I see a lot of transition happening in the city a lot of infrastructure that’s been necessary for the last 60 years has been done in the last 5. A few more franchises, additions to the beach area (Marquette Park) . Yet starvation of its roots the education system etc. however an additional arts building to the IUN and a Hard Rock casino is coming in next year or so. Yay another casino. I’m no seasoned investor yet but I know the property value is going to do great if you own anything and have patience. And there are waaay nicer neighborhoods than what you highlighted as well. I would say the “best” one you drove through is an C neighborhood at best in terms of Gary’s best sections which there are a few in despite of the contrary! I digress
Thank you very much for the comment, and I really enjoyed reading your feedback. I am really glad to see potential in Gary. I always like seeing places come back to life! Thanks for watching!
Sweeeeeeet! Do you by chance recommend any good LUTS for editing in post production? I just got the Mavic Pro 2 & I'm excited to see how the video looks! I'm trying to find some great LUTS for the drone footage. 😀
Unfortunately, I have not used LUTS for video editing, so I cannot really give an honest recommendation. I also don't have a drone yet, but I bet the video quality from the Mavic Pro 2 will be awesome! I know many travelers have one, and are quite happy with the output!
did some network of Gm purchase microsoft and its camera work and audio and visual with other ohio networks and are tracking if viewers reallys see the right live music and get the right chats? probably
I remember driving from Sheboygan Wisconsin to Fort Wayne Indiana where my grandparents lived with my grandma and everytime we passed Gary it always smelled and she always said "WE WILL NEVER STOP HERE". Turns out as I grew older she had her reasons.
Nice city. From european perspective seeing so much land unused... paved... with electricity, street lights... is just mind boggling. I somehow doubt it could be anyhow "dangerous" with populace of only 80 000, cellphones, facebook, gps , fartilliard of spy sats and so on . Many ideas come to my mind though for use of all that space. F.e. in europe/japan "pet cafes" and zoo's are incredibly popular. Near Antwerp , You need to book 1h slot worth 1.5e at least 1 month in advance - places are overbooked. City dwellers cannot keep sheep, cows, cats, dogs, whatever nowadays - apartments are tiny, rules strict, cities horribly overcrowded and with traffic - just walking a dog is more or less a chore. Besides that people move all the time, jobs are more and more gigs - two weeks in London, four weeks in Paris, month in one place or a contract for entire year are luxuries . Animals handle it even worse than humans, so more and more people have no pets - especially taking them on board of plane is damn expensive. But they still are happy to see them. Many people walk the dogs from dog shelters - every dog loves to be walked. Big cities have constant surplus of abandoned dogs, but no neigborhood wants dog shelter - it stinks, it is noisy, it takes much space. Best when it is housed behind high brick walls, like old factory, yet still not too far from some park, waterfront or forrest so one can walk the dogs easily - space to walk the dogs is as important as space inside shelter itself. Abandoned city to have a walk with a dog sounds like pipe dream in europe - what better place could exist to train the dog to urban envionment? Training increases chances of a dog for successful adoption. And You cannot be safer than with faithful dog, except You walk down a streets full of Talibean snipers 😅 Pet cafes are also cool, but require much space and good road. Seeing that You just pulled off interstate to reach first abandoned buildings is mind boggling. Also i see many old trees there. Why parks are not planted? It takes Years to grow a garden, and property value is highly dependent on quality of the garden - You can build skyscraper in few weeks nowadays or 3d print entire castle ... You cannot grow 100years old tree in a week for ANY money. Planting trees is very simple . Bushes, shrubs, fruit trees, nuts. Each soil is different, it all differs location to location - just planting several random trees in a garden to see wchich ones thrive best in specific location is something paying off in future, and taking less time than watching stupid show on tv or playing video game. Sometimes You get surprised how well something grows. And guess what, You can also sell the plants, thanks to the internet one can reach incredible market - just check how much 5y old trees costs. I guess with heavy industry escaping to better places (f.e. just better climate) it is hard to keep any money in. One needs to have much respect to place one lives at, and any visitors wishing to drop in. That being said there is little to be found on what are The places to visit in Gary. Community centers, churches, cafes, art galleries, museums? Wchich places are worth donating? Eastern europe also had many places struggling to rebuild, establishing few "center" locations - boulevard, tourist info center, famous cafe or just town square often helped. It becomes "anchor point" where visitors stop by, so they do not just drive thru in fear, they stop, get latest data on what is happening where and who is who, go to see it then return and leave rating or just some comment, drink farewell coffe and drive home. Regular event ,happening each year also helps - be it just parade or festival. Also establishing "sister town" cooperation helps - finding one (or more) cities to cooperate with, somewhere out there in the world. Allowing residents to travel somewhere else on regular basis helps them thinking outside their box, getting new ideas in, getting aware of own potential and being exposed to judgement. Good luck !
Thank you for the comment! It is interesting how different cities here in the US are different than European cities as well as even other US cities. Gary has seen a lot of despair over the decades, but thankfully they are starting to make improvements. It will be very interesting to see how Gary progresses in the coming years.
@@scottman895 I recalled also one of popular ghost towns near Antwerp - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doel . Ironically it is very busy place, usually with ice cream truck parked just in the middle, and families having picnic near cycle path coming from city of Antwerp. Even though city is "dead" by force - it needs to be demolished to expand the port , and it is too close to ageing nuclear reactor wchich is not really safe anymore, the place enjoys amazing popularity. Especially in lockdown times, when people need to escape from their high rise, high risk neigborhood :) Antwerp could be nice sister city with Gary, it has amazing amount of people from all over the planet, coexisting - port city. Also very creative community :) Greetings.
Driving up and down Broadway doesn't give you the true feel on how Gary is. One really has to drive down some of the neighborhood streets where decay and plight is abound. That's unfortunately Gary.
I can understand that. I know that can be common in the "Rust Belt". What is interesting is that many cities are either very well for the most part where others are struggling to hold on.
Michigan does appear to be the most extreme example of having both very prosperous and largely abandoned and decaying cities. Winnipeg, Manitoba is Canada's most dangerous city, but only north of the Assinaboine river as the south end of the city is roughly the most prosperous part of the province.
I agree about Michigan. Even Detroit itself is the same way. Downtown Detroit looks really great and nice, but it changes fast once you leave downtown and head to some of the other parts of Detroit. I haven't been to Winnipeg, but I've heard similar things too.
@@scottman895 I have been to Winnipeg a few times. The first time I traveled through it was 10 years ago and the American born desk clerk at the south end Comfort Inn we stayed at said that some parts of the downtown are rough. Later on that road trip with my family we stayed in a Travelodge near the cities downtown. Even the thought it isn't in the old Ukrainian section North of the Forks the business around it seemed a little run down.
Can't afford working traffic lights. Even more have been taken out a few years later since you filmed and uploaded this. In comparisson, in google maps you can see when there were more as of 2009, sad.
I've heard "stay away from Gary" for years and always wondered. Thank you for being brave enough to venture through there. So sad, the beautiful buildings and big houses in a pretty much ghost town. Riding with you was like....riding with you and I got nervous even though safe at home. I worried for you. Half expect to see Zombies walking around. Glad you didn't get out to eat. "Stop, the love you save may be your own" popped in my head after seeing MJ's house. If you hear a gunshot, hit the gas! Yes, unscripted is good. Good video, thanks, Scoot.
To be honest, I almost did not drive into the city as I've heard the same thing many times. Thanks to encouragement from my friend, I decided to go in anyway. I am so glad I did as it was an eye opener. It was quite sad to see all the despair. I was a little nervous driving around too. I would not have driven around there at night however. Thanks for watching!
I know that driving through parts of Saginaw, Michigan during the day leaves me a little on edge. I guess you don't tour abandoned buildings as this channel focuses on travel rather than urban exploration. Entering abandoned buildings is often a legal grey area and sometimes outright illegal. If you are by yourself in a precarious situation you are reliant on your cellphone working too.
I would be very nervous about entering abandoned buildings unless I was with a group with an approved guide. I know Saginaw and Flint both have areas which would make me a little nervous.
@@scottman895 same here if I don't have permission and knew it was safe enough I don't think I would want to take pictures or film in a abandoned facility. Sam and Colby made news earlier this year for illegally entering a building under construction in Florida.
@@scottman895 No Dude your good , just breakin your chops . Great drive , I've been through there recently and now I can show people what I saw . I subscribed
That's generally because of how much the city has had a lot of decline since work moved out of there decades ago. However, there are still some beautiful gems in the city too.
Born in Gary at Methodist hospital in 1956. Gary was a beautiful city until the early 70s. You could have went straight south on Broadway back to Merrillville. You would have seen some of the worst of Gary. You didn't even come close to the hood brother 🤣 🤣.
Hmm, that's interesting how things would have been much different if I kept going instead of getting on the freeway, lol! No planning went into this video (other than driving by Michael Jackson's birthplace and downtown), so I had no idea where I would end up. Thanks for watching!
Being unemployed - Bad Being unemployed and having to go to the Workone building in Gary- Only reminds you how much of a loser you've become. 1st half of 2019- Had a rough start. 2020- Covid all around, but, no more trips to Gary- Life is good.
I know this is a year old but anyway.. if you value your life you will do no such activities plain n simple 🤷🏻♀️ Gary is terrible n will always be.. may it be their murder rate is surprisingly lower then Chicago lol.. anyway yea NEVER in Gary… the cops are trash they don’t care
The self destruction of Gary Indiana is not a mystery. The city had large numbers of black people living there and that puts you behind from the start. Blacks have never adjusted to living in a democracy driven by capitalism. I don't know why not. Gary was on the grow til the early 80s but when the wheels came off it was a rapid and irreparable situation. Even when the economy was running strong and vibrant in Gary we were always warned to stay the hell out of there.
You are right. I just checked for Starbucks in the area, and there are none in Gary. You have to go to other neighboring cities such as Hammond to find a Starbucks.
It's hard to say. For what I've heard from other travelers, there are areas in Rio which are really safe. Of course, Rio does have areas which are advised to avoid at all cost like with any other city.
Places like Gary ia flint mi and Camden nj and Chester pa will always be abandoned he’ll holes of shame it’s all the politicians fault thank s for listening 👂 😮
By the way, you left out the involvement of targeted racism. I was born and raised in Gary. I have lived here for a quarter of a century! I have fought the powers that thought they were & have paid high costs. Next time you want to really see the greatness, contact me!
My wife grew up in Gary from late 40s to mid 60s. She remembers it as a vibrant, energetic city with a booming, lively downtown, especially at Christmas. It saddens her every time she sees one of these tours. Her high school is now an abandoned building, her old neighborhood still is hanging on. Perhaps it still might see better days.
That is very sad. I'm sure Gary will see a rebound one day especially with Detroit having a great rebound.
You’re one of the most underrated channels on all of RUclips!
Thank you very much for the kind words!
@@scottman895 Patrick is a ASSHOLE. Don't listen to ASSHOLE!
Scottsman895 I've been living in Minnesota 28 years come September, but I was born n raised in Gary, Indiana. My first 29 years I was a resident there. I've watched many utube videos of people driving through Gary hoods. Most all of them are negative. Most videos I've seen about Gary, people make sure they point out everything abandoned, and burned 🔥 down. Yours was the best I've seen. Your vendetta wasn't about trash talking the city, or it's citizens. Yours is the only utube video of Gary where you did show some areas that were a lil decent. They've built more stuff than I realized. I last visited last year, but I didn't drive down some of the streets you toured. I still have 3 sisters who live there...They've never been in any trouble with the law. I have many friends I grew up with in Gary who've never been to jail. I care for many people who still live there. Thanks for sharing your video, and thanks for not being purposefully nasty about our hometown. I'm gonna search your video on Michigan City, I had a girlfriend who I used to visit there in the 80s, plus I use to attend church there in the 80s. Great job on your commentary as well.💯👌
Thank you very much! I am glad you enjoyed the video. I know Gary has gotten a bad rep by many people just like Detroit and Flint have in Michigan, but there are a lot of positives about each city. While it is true that there are areas there which aren't the greatest unfortunately, it is important to know that not all of Gary is like that. It is great that there are a lot of hard-working people living there to this day. I see a lot of potential in Gary especially with Detroit making such a great comeback. Thanks for watching!
Miller Beach is so beautiful...I could not believe it when I came for the fireworks
Very cool!
I remember Gary when I was a child living there. The beautiful two story houses and gorgeous lawns. Walking through the pretty parks and seeing the "Oklahoma" play at Horace Mann High School. Its buildings with awesome architecture. Would love to see Gary, Indiana make a comeback.
Same here! If Detroit can have a comeback, I think Gary can have one too!
What is important to know is how all this started. JP Morgan that owned the main income for Gary, US Steel, sold it in 1986 to USX which is a conglomerate of 6 other companies. Some of these are Japanese. The point being that when that happened, the kickback to politicians ceased to continue and they ceased to care about the commonwealth and left the occupants to their own demise. When USX took over, they left 10`s of thousand of employees out of work.And so it goes on to the faith of the unwanted.
They've cleaned up a LOT of the burned out and falling down buildings.
Gary looks much better than it did a few years ago.
Used to live there many years ago and it was a pretty tough place even then.
That's awesome! It is great to see cities getting cleaned up. I know they are doing the same thing in Detroit which is great.
Take time to appreciate the architecture of the buildings in Gary. From the old Gary Bank building to the relatively new Gary South Shore Railcats baseball stadium, Gary is in a perfect spot to be revitalized.
Very true! I would love to go back to check out more.
You should have seen Gary in the day , a Beautiful City
I bet it looked amazing! I'm curious if there are videos online somewhere showing Gary back in the past.
@@scottman895
There is a lot on line about Gary!! Believe it or not!
There are documentaries, movies, history info etc...
But the
Steel City Storm Channel
And
Midwest Flesh UrbEx
are the most interactive.
Steel City Storm just reached one million views and 5,000 subscribers almost simultaneously!
👉Steel City Storm Channel👈
(I am a monitor for Storm's Channel.)
@@gibbyswife9218 Very nice! I'll have to check out that channel when I get a chance.
@@scottman895
👍🙋♀️
Glad to see you got around to visiting Gary! Lots of cool street art, the city has a tough history but it’s on the slow up!
Thank you for the recommendation on visiting Gary! It is a very interesting city with a lot of great sights and buildings although many are abandoned, and I am glad to hear that it is slowly trying to revitalize itself! Thanks for watching!
Around the 3 minute mark you were headed towards the steel mill and union station was featured in Original Gangsters
Seeing my old high school (Roosevelt) damn near brought me to tears
Thank you for the information! I had no idea about that one. Thanks for watching!
@@scottman895 No problem. I had plan on taking my son to my hometown for Christmas, but due to covid19 we had to cancel. I decided to just show him a ton of videos of people driving through my old city...it hurts though to see it looking so bad...I left for good back in 2004
@@KnowledgeSeeker78491 That's a bummer that you had to cancel the trip, but it is understandable. Hopefully you will get a chance to go back next year!
Very interesting, TY...We drove through it in the mid 60's, I was a kid. The downtown part was sad...and it seemed very dark, foreboding and smoky from the mills air....I guess. There were many forlorn people just standing around staring at us as we drove by. I never forgot the sadness of the place.
Thanks for watching! The drive was quite interesting with a lot of abandoned buildings. Fortunately there are some areas I drove through which did not look bad at all.
It's not the horrible. If you never lived here, ppl shouldn't comment. Smh
I would like to add,
if I may,
the story of Gary, from former citizens and present day citizens' comments and experiences.
And you can learn a bit of real-time history from citizens who can vividly recall and re-live the past. Fascinating.
If interested in a very complex, and often misunderstood Gary, Indiana, as a story of two cities, I'd like to recommend a couple of RUclips Channels, that can better explain and actually show you so you can see
(POV via personal video cameras)
the REAL down and Gritty Truth of Gary as it stands today, and the Gary of Yesteryear, at the same time.
👉"Steel City Storm Channel"
👉"Midwest Flesh UrbEx"
are two very good RUclips Channels that are most devoted to Gary's past, present, and the new future visions that are currently coming to fruition.
The beautiful Photography, Videography, and REAL Urban Decay Explores are among a few categories offered. There is something for everyone. The playlists are concise and self-explanatory.
They are also wonderfully entertaining and funny as well.
Something for everyone who wants to understand a city that is so misunderstood.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for the comment and for sharing this information!
@@scottman895
I thought just in case you were intrigued by Gary, you would like to find out more about it?
I was raised in Gary in the 1960's. It was a whole different era, for sure. But thank goodness I have nothing but good memories.
I really enjoyed your video😊
@@scottman895
Thank you for replying!😊
@@gibbyswife9218 That's awesome! I always enjoy learning about different places. Like Detroit has been through a lot of changes, I know Gary has seen a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
@@scottman895
You are so welcome.
It was my pleasure.
Like I had suggested,
please consider looking at
Steel City Storm Channel and Midwest Flesh UrbEx.
There you can find a wealth of knowledge in their videos, but even more than that, reading the comments will give you the bigger "picture" of living in Gary from former and present day citizens.
You can understand through Gary's citizens, the true dichotomy of a once vital and thriving city to what has become the norm of the empty neighborhoods you see today.
Through it all, I still long for my grateful and happy childhood growing up in Gary, Indiana.
I took a part of Gary with me, and left a piece of my heart there, just the same..
The only place in Detroit that truly reminds me of Gary would be sections of Delray - like parts of Fort and Jefferson Avenues. At least with the Ford Rouge plant and U.S. Steel in River Rouge, both Gary and Delray smell the same from the burning Coke.
Very interesting! I haven't driven in Delray yet. I do know that things will likely change there in the coming years with the new Gordie Howe International Bridge going in there. Thanks for watching!
Parts of that city look like there should be an exploded nuclear reactor nearby. That's sad. I really want to see this place someday. I've always been interested in those backwater areas that are far outside the experience of the average American. This is the closest thing we have to Pripyat/Chernobyl. And thank you for not racially profiling the place. This is the only video tour of Gary I've seen that doesn't do that.
Thank you very much for the comment. Gary is quite interesting to drive through. There are definitely areas which are really sad to see where there are other areas which aren't all that bad. I think Gary has the potential to make a comeback. It has happened in Detroit. Thanks for watching!
I grew up in Gary, my Grandparents owned the EL CORRAL restaurants all over the city, I also lived in Glen Park and went to Riley School in the mid 70s.
That's very cool!
I was wondering what happened to El Corral. Wasn't there one around 37th and Broadway?
Yes one was on 37th
Both Gary ia and flint Michigan both remind me of astronauts landing on the moon 🌚 or mars😅
Scott, I just arrived in Springfield , Illinois, tonight and was on the perimeter of Gary, Indiana but I just a bit apprehensive about that from things I've read and heard ! Anyway, please be careful out there and thanks for the video
I originally did not have plans to drive into Gary except maybe drive by the Michael Jackson house off camera as it is pretty close to I-80/I-94, but my friend recommended the video idea to me. I'm glad I did this video as it was an eye opener. I probably would not want to drive around there at night however. Thanks for watching!
Nice way to spend some time with your new joy, the Honda.
I've never been to Gary or Indiana for that matter. Flying into Detroit in two days. We're driving to Ohio to pick up a bus and transport it to the Denver area. We will be going through Gary on the interstate without time to stop. So your video is very timely.
I found your channel last week when we stopped in Monroe, MI, saw your video on the River Rasin. My wife thought I was a tour guide - I confessed, after the fact, about your videos. We were on the way to Detroit Metro as the bus broke down and we had to leave it for repairs. Anyhow, I enjoyed you driving tours of Ford Street and Detroit Metro too.
Keep up the good work on the driving videos scripted or in scripted.
Thumbs UP from Golden, CO!
Thank you very much! Gary was definitely very interesting to drive around. If you do decide to drive into the city, I would stick to the main roads and only during the day. I'm glad you enjoyed the River Raisin video and the driving tours around Metro Detroit! Thanks for watching!
We are planning to start tomorrow from a point just south of Toledo and go through to Des Moines - last attempt the bus made it from Erie, PA to where it is now. But with our luck, it will die in Gary!
It reminds me of a time I was in L.A. on the interstate. I thought I was going to run out of gas, a feeling that had been building for miles. This portion of the interstate had walls built along it on both sides - noise abatement, I thought.
As I turned from the on ramp to the street I was shocked. This was no place for me! I was fearful, I immediately got back on the interstate thinking I’d be safer running out of gas there then I would trying to buy gas in that neighborhood.
I’ve wondered for years, were the walls there for noise of to hide Urban Blight?
Anyhow, all ended well and I did not run out of gas.
That's a relief! Hopefully everything goes well!
Very cool drive again my friend good work :)
Thank you very much!
Facts: in this city is where michael jackson born in
Before clicking on the video I thought this video was a Charlie Bo 313 video because he tends to do driving videos through bad neighborhoods lol. Always wondered how Gary compared to Detroit. Stay safe out there, you know that since you do driving videos in Detroit.
It was a very interesting drive for sure! I've driven in many parts of Detroit, but they did not compare to what I saw while driving around Gary. Thanks for watching!
@@scottman895 Parts of Delray would remind you of Gary.
I love the unscripted driving tours!
Thank you very much for the feedback! I should try to do these more often. I need to resume driving tour videos again around Metro Detroit.
Scottman895 Travel I agree most of my favorite driving tours are in the Detroit Metro.
I had friends here late 60s, besides the steel mills downsizing, the people needed retraining and given a map to new jobs in the area. When I lost my best job in my career in 1982. I couldn't stop working I ended up at Amtrak working on locomotives. But only a couple of years. I retired disabled from AMGENERAL, military trucks in2005. You have to drive to keep the money going.
Thank you for the information! That is very interesting!
I grew up in Gary. Brings back many memories. Super Job. Thanks for posting. >
Thank you very much! Thanks for watching!
@@oldgoat50 I use to go to Cosmopolitan Radio and Gary Radio & Cycle on Washington Street all the time. I'm afraid those days are gone forever. Yaaa Gary Edison !!! >
@@oldgoat50 You have a good memory. Sure miss those days...
Are you still in Gary ???
Scott thanks for visiting the city and highlights from your POV. Greatly appreciate it, there are some things of course I would say “ you missed” however, I thoroughly enjoy watching and listening to an outside view of the city. I comment on everyone’s video about Gary, so please don’t be offended.
Ps if you’re an investor friendly person I see a lot of transition happening in the city a lot of infrastructure that’s been necessary for the last 60 years has been done in the last 5. A few more franchises, additions to the beach area (Marquette Park) . Yet starvation of its roots the education system etc. however an additional arts building to the IUN and a Hard Rock casino is coming in next year or so. Yay another casino. I’m no seasoned investor yet but I know the property value is going to do great if you own anything and have patience.
And there are waaay nicer neighborhoods than what you highlighted as well. I would say the “best” one you drove through is an C neighborhood at best in terms of Gary’s best sections which there are a few in despite of the contrary!
I digress
Thank you very much for the comment, and I really enjoyed reading your feedback. I am really glad to see potential in Gary. I always like seeing places come back to life! Thanks for watching!
Is this the chicago skyway? The southeast side of Chicago was also affected by the steel mine company leaving..
Most likely. I know it goes through downtown. That is true about SE Chicago. Many areas in the Rust Belt have been affected too.
Great Video
You were at the entrance to US Steel where you made your U turn.
Thanks for the information!
I liked your video very much.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I have walked through my city at night for years!
Shame to see all those abandoned places over there. 😕
Same here. I had not seen anything like it in my travels so far. I'm hoping things will get better in the future! Thanks for watching!
I went to work every day down 5th ave
I don't have any , but maybe Steel City Storm might have pic from back in the day
Thanks for letting me know! I'll have to check that out!
@@scottman895
I would definitely like to reiterate Lisa Smith's advice!
@@gibbyswife9218 Hello Tami. 👋🎄. Merry Christmas ☃️.
Sweeeeeeet! Do you by chance recommend any good LUTS for editing in post production? I just got the Mavic Pro 2 & I'm excited to see how the video looks! I'm trying to find some great LUTS for the drone footage. 😀
Unfortunately, I have not used LUTS for video editing, so I cannot really give an honest recommendation. I also don't have a drone yet, but I bet the video quality from the Mavic Pro 2 will be awesome! I know many travelers have one, and are quite happy with the output!
did some network of Gm purchase microsoft and its camera work and audio and visual with other ohio networks and are tracking if viewers reallys see the right live music and get the right chats? probably
I remember driving from Sheboygan Wisconsin to Fort Wayne Indiana where my grandparents lived with my grandma and everytime we passed Gary it always smelled and she always said "WE WILL NEVER STOP HERE". Turns out as I grew older she had her reasons.
I can understand that. Gary is not normally a place I would stop in although I wanted to drive around at least once.
Guys let’s not be so brash, there’s nice people everywhere! -Sincerely Guy from Gary
@@VC-jx2yw Who cares if it's true? No point in putting makeup on a pig and calling it beautiful.
Hey Scott that's the church I go to on the right at 7:50 called Bethel. It's a small non-dominal church
Very nice! Thank you for the comment!
Nice city. From european perspective seeing so much land unused... paved... with electricity, street lights... is just mind boggling.
I somehow doubt it could be anyhow "dangerous" with populace of only 80 000, cellphones, facebook, gps , fartilliard of spy sats and so on .
Many ideas come to my mind though for use of all that space.
F.e. in europe/japan "pet cafes" and zoo's are incredibly popular. Near Antwerp , You need to book 1h slot worth 1.5e at least 1 month in advance - places are overbooked.
City dwellers cannot keep sheep, cows, cats, dogs, whatever nowadays - apartments are tiny, rules strict, cities horribly overcrowded and with traffic - just walking a dog is more or less a chore.
Besides that people move all the time, jobs are more and more gigs - two weeks in London, four weeks in Paris, month in one place or a contract for entire year are luxuries . Animals handle it even worse than humans, so more and more people have no pets - especially taking them on board of plane is damn expensive. But they still are happy to see them.
Many people walk the dogs from dog shelters - every dog loves to be walked. Big cities have constant surplus of abandoned dogs, but no neigborhood wants dog shelter - it stinks, it is noisy, it takes much space. Best when it is housed behind high brick walls, like old factory, yet still not too far from some park, waterfront or forrest so one can walk the dogs easily - space to walk the dogs is as important as space inside shelter itself.
Abandoned city to have a walk with a dog sounds like pipe dream in europe - what better place could exist to train the dog to urban envionment? Training increases chances of a dog for successful adoption.
And You cannot be safer than with faithful dog, except You walk down a streets full of Talibean snipers 😅
Pet cafes are also cool, but require much space and good road. Seeing that You just pulled off interstate to reach first abandoned buildings is mind boggling.
Also i see many old trees there. Why parks are not planted? It takes Years to grow a garden, and property value is highly dependent on quality of the garden - You can build skyscraper in few weeks nowadays or 3d print entire castle ... You cannot grow 100years old tree in a week for ANY money. Planting trees is very simple . Bushes, shrubs, fruit trees, nuts. Each soil is different, it all differs location to location - just planting several random trees in a garden to see wchich ones thrive best in specific location is something paying off in future, and taking less time than watching stupid show on tv or playing video game. Sometimes You get surprised how well something grows. And guess what, You can also sell the plants, thanks to the internet one can reach incredible market - just check how much 5y old trees costs.
I guess with heavy industry escaping to better places (f.e. just better climate) it is hard to keep any money in. One needs to have much respect to place one lives at, and any visitors wishing to drop in.
That being said there is little to be found on what are The places to visit in Gary. Community centers, churches, cafes, art galleries, museums? Wchich places are worth donating?
Eastern europe also had many places struggling to rebuild, establishing few "center" locations - boulevard, tourist info center, famous cafe or just town square often helped. It becomes "anchor point" where visitors stop by, so they do not just drive thru in fear, they stop, get latest data on what is happening where and who is who, go to see it then return and leave rating or just some comment, drink farewell coffe and drive home.
Regular event ,happening each year also helps - be it just parade or festival.
Also establishing "sister town" cooperation helps - finding one (or more) cities to cooperate with, somewhere out there in the world. Allowing residents to travel somewhere else on regular basis helps them thinking outside their box, getting new ideas in, getting aware of own potential and being exposed to judgement.
Good luck !
Thank you for the comment! It is interesting how different cities here in the US are different than European cities as well as even other US cities. Gary has seen a lot of despair over the decades, but thankfully they are starting to make improvements. It will be very interesting to see how Gary progresses in the coming years.
@@scottman895 I recalled also one of popular ghost towns near Antwerp - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doel .
Ironically it is very busy place, usually with ice cream truck parked just in the middle, and families having picnic near cycle path coming from city of Antwerp.
Even though city is "dead" by force - it needs to be demolished to expand the port , and it is too close to ageing nuclear reactor wchich is not really safe anymore, the place enjoys amazing popularity.
Especially in lockdown times, when people need to escape from their high rise, high risk neigborhood :)
Antwerp could be nice sister city with Gary, it has amazing amount of people from all over the planet, coexisting - port city. Also very creative community :) Greetings.
@@piotrcurious1131 I've heard great things about Antwerp. I think Antwerp being a sister city to Gary would be beneficial.
Driving up and down Broadway doesn't give you the true feel on how Gary is. One really has to drive down some of the neighborhood streets where decay and plight is abound. That's unfortunately Gary.
It appears that many Midwestern and northeast cities have some decay.
I can understand that. I know that can be common in the "Rust Belt". What is interesting is that many cities are either very well for the most part where others are struggling to hold on.
Michigan does appear to be the most extreme example of having both very prosperous and largely abandoned and decaying cities. Winnipeg, Manitoba is Canada's most dangerous city, but only north of the Assinaboine river as the south end of the city is roughly the most prosperous part of the province.
I agree about Michigan. Even Detroit itself is the same way. Downtown Detroit looks really great and nice, but it changes fast once you leave downtown and head to some of the other parts of Detroit. I haven't been to Winnipeg, but I've heard similar things too.
@@scottman895 I have been to Winnipeg a few times. The first time I traveled through it was 10 years ago and the American born desk clerk at the south end Comfort Inn we stayed at said that some parts of the downtown are rough. Later on that road trip with my family we stayed in a Travelodge near the cities downtown. Even the thought it isn't in the old Ukrainian section North of the Forks the business around it seemed a little run down.
Very good to know. Thanks for sharing!
Can't afford working traffic lights. Even more have been taken out a few years later since you filmed and uploaded this. In comparisson, in google maps you can see when there were more as of 2009, sad.
That's really sad to see. I haven't been back since I drove through there back in 2019. I know the pandemic didn't help things at all.
Urban decade is an America in decade...
Very nice video Scott! Will you be doing any driving videos in Ohio soon?
Thank you very much! I don't have any planned at the moment, but I should try to film something there the next time I head to or through Ohio.
@@scottman895 ok, thank you for your reply!
I've heard "stay away from Gary" for years and always wondered. Thank you for being brave enough to venture through there. So sad, the beautiful buildings and big houses in a pretty much ghost town. Riding with you was like....riding with you and I got nervous even though safe at home. I worried for you. Half expect to see Zombies walking around. Glad you didn't get out to eat. "Stop, the love you save may be your own" popped in my head after seeing MJ's house. If you hear a gunshot, hit the gas! Yes, unscripted is good. Good video, thanks, Scoot.
To be honest, I almost did not drive into the city as I've heard the same thing many times. Thanks to encouragement from my friend, I decided to go in anyway. I am so glad I did as it was an eye opener. It was quite sad to see all the despair. I was a little nervous driving around too. I would not have driven around there at night however. Thanks for watching!
I know that driving through parts of Saginaw, Michigan during the day leaves me a little on edge. I guess you don't tour abandoned buildings as this channel focuses on travel rather than urban exploration. Entering abandoned buildings is often a legal grey area and sometimes outright illegal. If you are by yourself in a precarious situation you are reliant on your cellphone working too.
I would be very nervous about entering abandoned buildings unless I was with a group with an approved guide. I know Saginaw and Flint both have areas which would make me a little nervous.
@@scottman895 same here if I don't have permission and knew it was safe enough I don't think I would want to take pictures or film in a abandoned facility. Sam and Colby made news earlier this year for illegally entering a building under construction in Florida.
Totally! As much as it would be cool for a video, it is never OK to break any laws or do anything which could get you hurt or worse!
That is what we say about the surburbs!
How can people drive such nice cars in Gary if there is so much poverty there? How can they afford to own nice cars?
Your photography was great , but I had to turn off the audio . I felt like I was driving and listening to my Mother .
Fair enough. I'm glad you enjoyed the visuals, and no worries about muting the audio!
@@scottman895 No Dude your good , just breakin your chops . Great drive , I've been through there recently and now I can show people what I saw . I subscribed
@@richardhertz1989 Haha, sounds good! That's pretty cool that you went through there recently too. Thanks for subscribing!
I’ve never been there but everyone talks about the place like it’s an abandoned hellscape
That's generally because of how much the city has had a lot of decline since work moved out of there decades ago. However, there are still some beautiful gems in the city too.
No...we like unscripted video better... just talk about what you see as you go with no plan and script is way more natural
Born in Gary at Methodist hospital in 1956. Gary was a beautiful city until the early 70s. You could have went straight south on Broadway back to Merrillville. You would have seen some of the worst of Gary. You didn't even come close to the hood brother 🤣 🤣.
Hmm, that's interesting how things would have been much different if I kept going instead of getting on the freeway, lol! No planning went into this video (other than driving by Michael Jackson's birthplace and downtown), so I had no idea where I would end up. Thanks for watching!
Being unemployed - Bad
Being unemployed and having to go to the Workone building in Gary- Only reminds you how much of a loser you've become.
1st half of 2019- Had a rough start.
2020- Covid all around, but, no more trips to Gary- Life is good.
Just plain sad.....where are the humans??? no one walking, jogging, or riding a bike.
It was pretty sad to notice that. Hopefully things will get better to where more people will walk around there again.
It's covid yes stay home
I know this is a year old but anyway.. if you value your life you will do no such activities plain n simple 🤷🏻♀️ Gary is terrible n will always be.. may it be their murder rate is surprisingly lower then Chicago lol.. anyway yea NEVER in Gary… the cops are trash they don’t care
Didn't notice many abandoned buildings from your point of view.
That's true. I only went through a part of Gary, so there was a lot I did not get to see.
The self destruction of Gary Indiana is not a mystery. The city had large numbers of black people living there and that puts you behind from the start. Blacks have never adjusted to living in a democracy driven by capitalism. I don't know why not. Gary was on the grow til the early 80s but when the wheels came off it was a rapid and irreparable situation. Even when the economy was running strong and vibrant in Gary we were always warned to stay the hell out of there.
Lol 😂 your friend tried to send you off .
As Jerome prince once said that’s all folks 😅😅😅😅😅😅
Don’t think there are any Starbucks in Gary, lol.
You are right. I just checked for Starbucks in the area, and there are none in Gary. You have to go to other neighboring cities such as Hammond to find a Starbucks.
I bet the most dangerous neighborhood in this place is safer than Rio
It's hard to say. For what I've heard from other travelers, there are areas in Rio which are really safe. Of course, Rio does have areas which are advised to avoid at all cost like with any other city.
Places like Gary ia flint mi and Camden nj and Chester pa will always be abandoned he’ll holes of shame it’s all the politicians fault thank s for listening 👂 😮
By the way, you left out the involvement of targeted racism. I was born and raised in Gary. I have lived here for a quarter of a century! I have fought the powers that thought they were & have paid high costs. Next time you want to really see the greatness, contact me!
How are the women in Gary Indiana? Might take a trip there soon
Place looks depressing. Of all places for Michael Jackson to be born.