In the sprawling hills of Eastern Pennsylvania, the Poconos Mountains were once dubbed the "Honeymoon Capital of The World" - the area was, and still is littered with tons of hotels, casinos, and lodging. One of the most popular ones - Penn Hills resort, has sat abandoned since it closed in 2009.
In it's heyday, the 1960's and 1970's, Penn Hills was an extremely popular place for newlyweds and swingers. There was an indoor skating rink, a tennis court, ski slopes, a night club, an archery range - tons of things that made Penn Hills the resort to go to decades ago. Over 100 rooms, on 500 acres of land - they would boast about hosting 1,000 people a night and requiring months notice to book a room.
Going to Forest Haven made me feel this deep sadness for everything that the people who lived there went through. My trip to Penn Hills also left me feeling sad, but more so sad and upset with people. It was by far the most trashed place I have visited and I just don't understand. What is the logic behind breaking all the glass in a building? Why would you completely destroy old buildings, cover them with trash and break all the furniture? Why - and someone please answer this - but why do people just spray paint dicks everywhere? Seriously - how do you have nothing better to graffiti on a wall than a penis? I'll never understand the vandalism.
The resort was once a place of love, and beauty and it is just so sad to see it now. I usually try to find beauty in the decay, but it was rough at Penn Hills. But not impossible. Underneath all the grime, and the dirt, and the glass, you could see what it used to be.
The overgrown tennis court is suddenly well maintained, and filled with happy couples in tennis shorts batting rackets. The swimming pool - shaped like a wedding bell- that is filled with a greenish liquid, with trash and furniture floating around it is suddenly filled with tan, laughing bodies. The empty bar covered in trash is filled with full glasses, and you can faintly hear the piano that sits on the stage play a lively tune. The nightclub, with the carpeted walls and mirrored ceiling doesn't quite seem so out of place. It feels right, for a place that was incredibly popular for honeymooners and swingers in the 1960's-1970's. The circle beds, and heartshaped bathtubs - all of it.
Love checked in, but the people checked out. Now there is nothing but mold and memories are left.