ghosts and gravestones

In keeping with my chosen name, last night my favorite work colleague Miss Googly-Eyes and her husband, another work friend, Josh and I went on a tour of Boston called Ghosts and Gravestones, otherwise known as Trolley of the doomed. MWAH HA HA HA HA (insert creepy laugh here).

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I can't show you a picture of Igor our trolley driver, or Lucius our guide, who asked all the ladies to call him Luscious instead. He was cute and funny, with a spooky and creepy voice that was clearly contrived. He made us laugh, though, so we forgave the mildly cheesy voice.

I won't tell you about all of our stops, just in case any Bostonians choose to take the tour at some point, but I'll give you some highlights.

Did you know that there are a series of tunnels underground in Boston's North End that connect many of the different buildings and converge beneath the Copp's Hill Burial Grounds? Our guide Luscious had a key to all of the cemeteries, so we wandered about in the pitch darkness with only his candle to light our way. Trust me, it is spooooooky. Along with stories about haunting in these tunnels, the cemetery and adjacent houses, it creates quite the mood.

I was shocked to find out that the Boston Common, one of my favorite places to sit and read a book in the summer, attend Shakespeare in the Park or ice skate in the winter, was the site for public executions in Boston for many decades. There was even a hanging tree where people would attend hangings, a la festival style with lots of crowds. And to make matters worse, there are bodies buried throughout the park without markers. It does make you wonder why there are no flowers in Boston Common when you cross the street into the Public Garden and there are bounteous amounts of flora and fauna. Hmmmm.

Then there is the Old Granery Burial Ground, where Paul Revere lies, with many reports of hauntings and strange figures appearing in the frames of pictures taken in the cemetery. Miss Googly-Eyes' husband took some pictures, and I'll be sure to let you know if any spirits graced us with their image.

In between the sights, Luscious graced us with stories of the Boston Strangler, the Omni Parker Hotel and a few more spooky sites. I recommend the tour if you're looking for something amusing, but not too scary, with lots of history thrown in.

I may take a trip down to my favorite video store tonight to start stocking up on scary movies for this weekend. Any suggestions? The scarier the better.... Boo!