The Pocono Mountains became famous in the postwar era as a honeymoon destination, and resorts such as Caesar’s embodied an exuberant version of American romance and leisure. Heart-shaped bathtubs, mirrored rooms and champagne-glass whirlpools helped turn the region into the self-proclaimed “Land of Love.” As travel habits changed and the resort industry declined, many of these once-popular destinations closed, leaving behind unusually vivid remnants of a particular era of American tourism.

I photographed the abandoned Caesar’s resort in the Poconos in 2021. Unlike many of the institutions and factories in this project, this ruin was built around pleasure, fantasy and private escape. The heart-shaped tubs and other remnants made it a kind of time capsule of a very specific period of American romance and tourism.