It’s 4:38 a.m. in New York City. Most people are either asleep, or binge watching the latest show on Netflix. However, a photographer that goes by the name @cynuw, on Instagram, is on top of the Manhattan Bridge, and no they aren’t jumping.

@cynuw is not insane either, they are part of a twenty-first century movement called Urbex, or Urban Exploration. The exploration of man-made structures; including abandoned ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment. This also involves rooftops, subway tunnels, abandoned factories and anything in between. At first look this seems like a very dangerous, simply a stupid idea, and that teens are doing to gain attention and popularity through social media. However, when talking to participants the deeper meaning was revealed.

Being the high-risk activity Urbex is it can be a very controversial topic. During exploring one can come into lots of unsafe, and risky situations. Another Instagram photographer, based out of New York, @flux.xy says, “Physically, I feel that climbing cranes have been the worst, most dangerous thing I’ve done.”

“There is definitely an adrenaline rush to it,” Cy adds. “Standing at the top of a crane in Midtown obviously is much more exhilarating than standing on the edge of the sidewalk.”

Pictured: @cynuw standing atop a crane in midtown, Manhattan.

Although the thrill factor is clearly high when taking part in these kinds of activities, it isn’t all about how far you are from the ground, or how close you are to the edge. Neither is it about how many followers you have on Instagram.

@highfriends explains, “The adventure hands-down [is the most important]. The memory of being able to share these breathtaking places with my friends is enough, the photos are just a bonus.” However, strong winds and slippery beams are just as life-threatening.

“When exploring one has to be aware of all conditions, even the least likely ones,” responds Cy. “The hardest part about most climbs is not the actual climbing but the research that goes into it.” It became distinguished that hours of work simply looking into windows of sites, or researching online provided a way to fully understand the situation you’re putting yourself in before you enter unauthorized areas.

Pictured: 730 feet above midtown (@cynuw)

For some explorers, seeing these urban environment’s is more about the history of them then and less about photographing them. Also based in New York City Steve Duncan, a well known explorer, has extensively explored the New York City sewer system and other tunnels. This includes tunnels beneath Paris, London, Milan, and Rome. He states, “What was really different about being arrested in Paris was that they seemed to understand the value of the urban infrastructure. The police essentially told us, Notre Dame is fantastic and beautiful thing and we understand exactly why you would want to climb to the top.” He compared this to “in New York, nobody really seems to understand why I want to see these amazing structures.  It kind of makes me sad that there’s so much suspicion around just appreciating the city.” Especially when an arrest occurs the objective of explorers can become very blurred. “It’s very worrisome to get caught doing something like this because a lot of times the criminal are way out of proportion to what we’re actually doing,” Steve adds.

After conducting many interviews, it is apparent that the majority of Urbexers share one common rule when exploring. “Take pictures, leave only footsteps,” says Cy. “It is important that when we do go to these places, a construction site for example, that we do not move, take, or harm any equipment. We only have good intentions when exploring and although technically trespassing, we don’t want to be seen as criminals.”                  

Pictured: Russian climber Mustang Wanted standing atop a radio tower.

All explorers featured in this article are in New York, but that doesn’t mean urban exploration hasn’t been done anywhere else. From Europe, to Russia, and down to China, Urbex is sweeping across the world, inspiring people to get out and see their countries from new perspectives.