This was taken in an alley in Huntington WV. This is rear of one of the older buildings in town. The wall and fire escape have seen their share of wear over the years. Windows have been bricked over. Graffiti has been painted, then painted over to hide it, only to be repainted once again. Even the concrete steps at the base of rusty fire escape are wearing away.

On the other side of the alley, is the rear side of one of the nicer hotels in town. It's a relatively new building, in excellent shape, with a beautiful lobby. What an interesting dichotomy, to have one building so weathered and worn be so close to another building that is so new and impressive. Then again, most people never venture down the alley. They just see the buildings from their attractive front sides, where a lot of attention is paid to their aesthetics. If you want to see the honest difference in the buildings, then take a walk down the alley. The "truth" isn't glossed over with a shiny facade in the alley. There's no need for pretense here.