I feel defensive for and protective over Blake for the couple negative reviews I see here. I really like this show. It’s art that is true to the artist and appeals to my taste because it’s honest and unpredictable. Listening to it is a relief from news or true crime. Recommend!

If you are here to learn about the abandoned places, this isn’t for you. It is the rambling imagination of a hard-left leaning snowflake who only mentions the places briefly. There is almost no information about how to find them if you had wanted to see them yourself without the unnecessary commentary. Sad.

Might be nice if he were to acknowledge the TV show from Vice about ten years ago with the title “Abandoned”

This podcast can only be described as one thing: cinema. Cinematic storytelling is making a comeback and Blake is leading the charge!

This little boy is racist against the majority of Americans! 15 minutes into the episode, he’s already attacking Trump and all of his supporters as a lower class group of people It’s a shame from a shameful scared little boy

I’d had this show recommended to me before, but in a sea of podcasts, it’s hard to keep up. Do yourself a favor: listen to this show. It’s doing things with audio audio storytelling that no other podcast is doing. Inventive and charismatic and poignant beyond belief. Truly nothing like it out there!

Abandoned and Blake are pushing the boundaries of audio with this show. Blake is an excellent storyteller and the rich immersive sound design is the best I have heard yet. This show truly shows us what next level audio storytelling could be!

This show truly transports you to the locations Blake explores. I love it, can't wait for more journeys!!!

First heard our host, Blake, on Atlas Obscura podcast and enjoyed the interview to subscribed to Abandoned All American Ruins. Have thoroughly enjoyed his storytelling/anemoia. He also has an excellent 'radio voice'. Highly recommended!

I found this for the letchworth village episode. I grew up and still live in the area and know many people who worked there. His history is basically correct with one large error: As a good friend of mine who worked there put it “Letchworth was never a psychiatric facility… it was a facilityfor those with “mental retardation” though of course people were placed there for many reasons besides like being deaf or blind , CP, “incorrigible (having baby our it wedlock) and yes sometimes because of mental illness”. But it was not by any definition a psychiatric hospital” His claim that he had to climb a fence to access the property is simply not true. You can simply drive in and walk around. I take my dogs walking there all the time. (Perhaps he climbed the fence around the dog park?) There are still some buildings in use by the state and town but the property is truly massive and most of the buildings are abandoned. Definitely an interesting podcast but I found it a bit over dramatic trying to make it sound more scary than it is.

As a professional podcaster of over a decade, I’m always looking for awesome shows to get lost in and enjoy. How lucky I am that one of my favorite shows, Atlas Obscura, took the time to feature “abandoned: An All-American Ruins Podcast” on their show and recommend it to their listeners. Blake Pfeil, the obviously über-creative host of this fabulous show, shares his experiences, feelings, reflections, and observations in a way that draws you in and won’t let you go. This is deeply insightful audio journalism, equally poetic, artistic, and technically brilliant. The production of “abandoned” is top-notch, the story-telling totally compelling, and the listening experience deeply evocative, inspiring, and emotion-laden. Much gratitude to Blake for a podcast that is truly a precious gem in a crowded audio field. This show is certainly one of the best.

Blake is a consummate storyteller. Bravo.

I’ve never heard a podcast done like this before. The exceptional sound design makes it really immersive and a great mix with Blake’s beautiful voice. Fantastic!

Blake takes listeners on a journey through his imagination with his captivating and comforting storytelling. His vivid and descriptive imagery is brought to another level with the use of sounds, music, and voices from the past which create a completely immersive experience that creeps into the realm of ASMR. All the while feeling so personal with the listener that you feel like an old friend right there beside him. This is storytelling at its finest!

I look forward to that mellifluous voice of Blake’s magic carpet ride. His adventures of time and place sewn seemingly unrelated tangents together into rich tapestries of story, lore, and history. Worth the listen.

I love this podcast (best with headphones for a full immersive experience) because every episode wraps itself around you like a cozy blanket and completely transports you. Blake’s voice and vision is dreamlike and his use of sound and foley borders cinematic. 10/10 could not recommend this podcast any higher; storytelling at its finest!

This is a unique gem of a podcast. Through immersive audio storytelling, Blake guides listeners into "bruised and battered" American beauties that are sometimes eerie or whimsical. It could be a defunct bakery, a sanatorium, or a bowling alley. With the help of his imagination, Blake engages the space at an almost molecular level. He feels it, he listens, and it, in turn, speaks to him. And we're right there with him. By seamlessly blending echo-y keystrokes, archival tape, and quirky dialogues animated by "ghosts" (voice actors) or friends, it's quite the experience. As a narrator, Blake doesn't shy away from being vulnerable or voicing disquieting thoughts. Whether it may be feeling indicted by graffiti that reads "Head Case" or describing a place as "seven minutes away, or two Katy Perry songs up the road," his humor is a constant. Kudos to the show for turning the postcard familiar and the overlooked into something new and poetic. For example, when he describes San Francisco's famous bridge: "... the boat barreled towards the Golden Gate Bridge as we passed underneath a brief sky made of steel, soaked in the iconic blood of red paint." And like the magical golden light of dusk, in which the "Sun is the kindest version of herself," Blake's gaze is full of kindness, non-judgmental, and ready to be wowed, whether it be ruins, people, and once, by a coyote in Marin County.

Listening to this podcast has put me to sleep more than once. And in my books that is a huge compliment. Blake has a dreamy voice and the sound world he has created is very soothing yet what his stories are thought provoking and insightful. To me this is more than a podcast, it is a holistic audio experience that either makes you think or puts you into sleep. What else could you ask from a podcast?

I love putting myself in Blake’s shoes and mind. He’s the perfect guide through these places across time. Each episode is unique. Expertly crafted. Highly recommend.

All American Ruins is a wild journey through America's abandoned buildings. It’s the power of imagination mixed with historical facts with a bit of ASMR sprinkled throughout. What a great show to listen to on my drives as well as in my headphones in my downtime. Keep ‘em coming Blake!

I can’t visualize. My brain doesn’t do that. Blake through his voice and auditory landscape allows me to still go on a trip with him through space and time. I see the buildings around me differently, the abandoned building off in the woods. It’s rare for someone to bring you along into their imagination. It’s not the same as being told an imaginative story, or listening to the product of one’s imagination. Blake holds our hand and says, it’s ok, you can journey through mine. Thank you for that!

I love going on each adventure through the great storytelling. Blake brings life back to these ruins!!!

I could listen to Blake talk about anything, but you can really tell how much he loves making this podcast and adventuring out to find the history behind so many abounded spots in the country.

I always love Blake’s podcast because he beautifully, delicately, captures and describes the most important, but ephemeral revelations in a life, and listening helps me make sense of my own. The world has been harder than usual to bear lately, but the perfectly lovely “Julie” episode brought me back to earth. ❤️

Blake is a masterful storyteller. Each episode is sort of a trip to an abandoned place… but more so a trip into Blake’s mind—what a place to be! “Immersive” is an understatement. This pod feels like a guided meditation that seamlessly makes jumps in time and topic. Oh and the production and sound design are top notch.

A podcast like no other. A flight of fancy and a delight to listen to. A little treasure I savor while relaxing in my big chair. I close my eyes and I am on a magic carpet living an adventure. Love this podcast

Blake’s approach to exploration of our abandoned spaces feels like home- it’s a comforting and humanistic approach to exploring places that can often be cast off as just weird/haunted/dead (and sometimes with a cynicism that doesn’t serve our deep feelings and memories.) This show is so far from that cynicism; it returns the feelings and emotions tenfold. It digs into the harder conversations about capitalism and our relationships to our built environment in ways that invite you in. Love it!!!

The storytelling in this podcast gives you permission to live in its imagination in a way I haven’t experienced before. Blake creates such fantastic soundscapes and allows a human empathy and vulnerability into every space he invites us to. This podcast is a real look at the ruins of our world and breaths life into them with storytelling that reminds us of how precious, mysterious, and voluminous humanity and the human condition really is. Impeccably produced, written, and conceptualized - this podcast is one of a kind.

Truly just beautiful. The music, the content, the humanity involved, everything this project stands for is beautiful. I feel somehow at safe, cozy, and at home while also adventurous at the same time while listening. Thank you so much for this beautiful art.

I first found this podcast from listening to an American Hysteria episode where Chelsea Webber Smith brought Blake on for an interview. As a fellow queer explorer, this show has brought a little bit of much needed magic back into my life. The stories are immersive, somehow thrilling and relaxing at the same time(??) and an absolute treat to escape to for a bit. Blake’s perspective on abandoned places is really something phenomenal. Thanks for making this exist! I’m forever grateful.

I was introduced to this podcast by Chelsey Webber-Smith from American Hysteria on her episode discussing her fascination of abandoned places and I was immediately drawn to special guest and host of this podcast Blake Pfeil as he gave an explanation as to why he feels so connected to exploring abandoned places. I had always felt something which I had originally thought was indescribable when I would explore the ruins of long forgotten buildings when I was younger but Blake is a master of words-truly articulating my feelings in a way that I could have never imagined. His approach is melancholy yet hopeful. I found myself tearing up in several episodes because of how beautifully he paints a picture of said spaces and how it connects to current events. Listen to at least the first episode even if you have a mild interest because he’ll enchant you and you’ll end up binging the entire thing like I did. It’s a beautiful piece of art that I can not recommend highly enough.

Blake takes you on an incredible sound rich journey to the ruins all around you to tell the story of our past and of our own future as someone else ruins

So glad to have found Blake on American Hysteria. Poignant, beautifully edited storytelling and spot-on social commentary.

Whether you enjoy urban exploring in real life or just hearing stories about these locations you will enjoy this podcast. I’ve been exploring on and off for about 15 years and this podcast has helped me not only discover new locations but helped keep me inspired to continue to explore. Highly recommend this podcast!

Blake’s ability to mix creative storytelling with history, culture and social aspects is mind blowing and inspiring. Highly recommend checking out this show that goes outside podcast expectations.

More than a travelogue or history lesson, Blake’s visits to abandoned sites provoke meditations on frequently dark truths about the American experience through expertly crafted, well written and immersive storytelling. Highly recommended!

There is something so unique about this show. I can’t put my finger on it. But the fact that it’s not more well known blows my mind. Brava Blake. This is a triumph of artistic expression and audio storytelling.

Very creative and forces me to think about things in ways I never have thought. Also a commentary on the human experience, not just on the abandoned places.

Creative. Thoughtful. Imaginative. Quirky. Fun. Compelling. Captivating. A unique dive into spaces and places perhaps abandoned, but not forgotten. An audiophile journey into the past thru the present musings of an artful soul. I can not recommend this podcast enough. Enjoy the journey with Blake…..

This podcast is unlike any podcast I have listened to. Creative, imaginative storytelling! Bravo!

Blake’s voice really does take you on a journey through these abandoned spaces. When you listen to this podcast, it feels like you’re there walking these spaces with him.

This podcast is great!! I listen to it at work when I’m bored and it helps get me through the day! I share similar interests with abandoned places and their history so it works out.

This podcast is truly a mechanism to get in touch with your imagination. Once you put your headphones on, and begin listening, you quickly feel as if you’re actually there. I have listened to this while gardening, opening my cafe, and while on a run, and no matter what, I am teleported to a different place in time for the duration of the episode. The only bad thing is when the episode ends, it’s back to reality. Kudos!

An aural guide through abandoned Americana. The sound journey alone that Blake takes you on is so fully immersive and breathtaking. But his superb writing, capturing the loss, wonder, hopelessness, and sense of humor in these places takes this podcast to a new level. It is equal parts beautiful and depressing, in the best way possible. Strap on your headphones, close your eyes, and disappear into the tales that Blake tells.

This podcast is unreal.

I enjoyed the immersive experience as the host weaves a tale that brings abandoned places to life.

This is exquisite. Truly. The sound design is worth the listen. Enter the audio realm of Blake’s travels as he visits the abandoned heart of America, a genuinely strange and magical trip -part reality, part imagination.

The content of the show is fascinating — this country’s obsession with building and then abandoning structures is a rich frontier to explore (and how fitting to explore isolated structures during such an isolating part of our current history). But what sets this podcast apart is how captivating, thoughtful, and immersive the sound design is. The amount of care put into setting the scene for the listener through audio is unlike anything I’ve experienced. Love love love ❤️

With so many podcasts to chose from, it can be hard to pick the right one for the right mood. I would say this is a explorative journey through childhood memories as well as various abandoned American places with echos of former lives and bygone eras. Blake marries this emotive journey to contemporaneous events making the entire thing feel less like one persons recollections but instead taking the audience on a journey of how we can use what enchants us to guide us through turbulent times. At the same time Blake has a soothing lyrical voice and chooses many of the right words to express this journey in a very beautiful way. This is definitely a beautiful podcast to chill and vibe with(or get ecstatic when Shelly Duvall becomes a supporting character in the world that is woven together in a special time and place).

What an absolutely captivating podcast that is as much about people as it is about the abandoned places they inhabited. There is a meditative, almost spiritual quality to Blake’s connection to these ruins that, in turn, makes the listener feel like they are a part of these buildings’ legacy. 5 stars isn’t enough!