Photography Herman Yung Photography Herman Yung

6 years since my first trip to Detroit

Photo by Herman Yung

July 16, 2010. This is how I traveled then. Light, duffel in hand and backpack with a camera on my back. I was trying to think of the last time I did something like this and I think it was the summer of 2013 when I drove from LA to NYC with Melanie. But even then, it wasn't quite like this. This was almost completely unplanned -- I remember being given a few days off work -- and I just got into a car with my packs and drove, first to Buffalo, NY, then across the top of the US toward Detroit (passing a little part of Ohio along the way).

At the time, I stayed in budget hotels as they were cost-effective for my needs (just a shower and a bed) and basically always had free internet (you wouldn't believe the number of "higher-end" hotels that charge for internet).

This particular trip was a few days long and I remember sleeping in the car for the first few days, completely unaware that at any moment, I was a prime target for robbery. I had a bright red car, NY plates, and no tinted windows. But I guess not knowing helped me to not be scared because I did it anyway. Only on the last night back toward NY did I stop at a hotel for a shower. It rained, I remember, as I was at Michigan Central Terminal and I had gotten cut while inside there so I needed some place to rest and clean my wound. I still have a scar on my left butt cheek from that wound. Don't worry, I won't share a photo of it. But it always reminds me of how much fun this trip by myself was. I think it's time for another.

Read More
Herman Yung Herman Yung

How an American town is battling decades of decline

Youngstown, Ohio used to be a bustling place of steel factory workers and middle-income families. But like many former industrial manufacturing cities in America, Youngstown looks more like a desolate in-between place than a once-densely populated city.

This story here is similar to that of Detroit, Buffalo, NY, and Cleveland and it touches upon the problems facing many big cities in America who are out of money and seeing their populations dwindle. Do they keep their original borders or suck it up and miniaturize in order to stay afloat? After all, a city with no money cannot be a city for very long. 

Read More