Wednesday, 6 January 2016

Take A New York City Ghost Tour

By Frances Stone


With 400 years of history, New York is a perfect place to have a ghost or two. In fact, it seems to have a ghost or two for every block of its many boroughs. Lovers of the paranormal will have no trouble finding a New York City ghost tour at any time of year. The tours range from child-appropriate to absolutely terrifying.

New York, NY, has been a center of American culture from its inception. It has always attracted and nurtured statesmen (and politicians), authors, artists, and astute businessmen. It has been home to settlers, immigrants, soldiers, pirates, the rich and richer, and society leaders. Some of these residents of the past seem reluctant to leave.

Tours may focus on a famous personage like Edgar Allen Poe, no stranger to the paranormal, or Walt Whitman. The spotlight might be on a particular neighborhood, like Greenwich Village. Guides can be in period costume or regular clothes, but all are very well-informed on their topic and great storytellers. Check the websites and you'll see that real history and true (?) ghost stories are promised.

The tours involve walking (up to a mile), but the pace is leisurely. Comfortable shoes are a must. A tour may take 90 minutes, while others may last two hours. There are tours for all ages from children to senior citizens, and group rates can apply if you want to take a party. The tours go year-round, rain or shine, indoors and out. Private tours can be arranged. Gift certificates are available.

The city is full of haunted places. There's even a list starting with the most haunted and stopping appropriately at number 13. You will find out about ghost-ridden hotels, cocktail lounges, stately mansions, penthouses, and apartments. Well-known shades descend steps, flit through gardens, and slide down banisters. Others are shyer, not showing their faces but letting their presence be known by slamming doors, ringing bells, moving small objects, and generally being a nuisance.

Some tours are billed as scary, while others are advertised as great ways to learn obscure facts about earlier days, historic buildings that may or may not still stand, and people who shaped the history of this great city. From early colonial days to chaotic periods like the Roaring Twenties and on to the present, the residents of NYC have loved, fought, made their mark or their fortune, and generally kept the pot boiling. No wonder they leave ripples behind.

Mark Twain is one such personage. He wrote about meeting a ghost while in the Big Apple. He also has reportedly been 'seen' now and then since his death in 1910. Some guides relate sightings or experiences of their own. If you want chills and thrills, choose one of the tours that focus more on legends and folk tales. Others may prefer one of the more sedate forays into history.

After all, there have been enough strange happenings in New York City to fill all its many boroughs with shades of the past. The tours are fun for visitors and also for those born and raised in the area.




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