New York City Ghost Tour

By Frances Stone


In its 400 years, New York City has seen much excitement, drama, and intrigue. It is no surprise that this sprawling metropolis should teem with ghosts. A New York City ghost tour is a great way to learn more about the famous city. The tours are held year round, cater to different ages and interests, and range from eerily interesting to really, really scary.

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 author or an equally famous neighborhood as they retrace the footsteps of Edgar Allen Poe or explore Greenwich Village after nightfall. Some tours are led by guides in period costume. All are great ways to learn the history of this great city. Promoters promise real history, which is easy to accept, and 'true ghost stories' - which may seem hollow (in the daytime).

Plan to walk about a mile - but slowly - and spend from an hour and a half to two hours for this experience. Comfortable shoes are a must. Tours go rain or shine all year round. Some are inside, but most involve walking the streets from one significant place to another. You can schedule a private tour, get group rates for a party, or buy a gift certificate. Some tours are billed as terrifying, while others are suitable for children.

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.

These trips down memory lane are a great way to about old buildings that are no longer standing and people who lived long ago. From pre-revolutionary days through the Roaring Twenties and up to the present, the town that never sleeps has been home to movers and shakers, lovers and haters, rich and poor, the famous and the infamous.

Mark Twain wrote of seeing a ghost during a visit to NYC. He also has been 'seen' off and on since he died in 1910. Edgar Allen Poe is said to slide down the banister that is all that remains of a house he lived in. If you choose one of the scary tours, your guide might have personal experiences with ghostly apparitions to relate. Other tours are more historic than spooky - but there are enough strange happenings even then.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

Nourishing Your Three- to Five-Year-Old: A Guide to Healthy Eating

Introduction As your child enters the preschool years, their nutritional needs continue to evolve. Providing them with a healthy and balance...

Top Articles for You