Over the last couple of years, the resort town of Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has managed to survive the brunt of Hurricane Sandy and a devastating fire that consumed nearly half of its boardwalk. The same can't be said about the hordes of younger tourists that have scared off both older vacation goers and locals.
There's a lot to read into in Seaside: the destruction of the middle class, the psychological effects of climate change, what Fireball Cinnamon Whisky can do to a community. But there's a deranged, undeniable kind of humanity in this degeneration—a quality that's beautiful in the way that ruins are beautiful, the beauty of surviving. Seaside is my church, and the creatures that inhabit it are my people. Here are some photographs of both.
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See more of Russ's work here.Does your town or city qualify for paradise status? Feel free to send your pitches to ukphotoblog@vice.com. Don't be shy.
