A Ghosts and Gays Tour of Southwestern Ohio...

Now that yesterday's severe headache has abated, I can finally spill about my recent trip to Dayton. It was a very eventful and busy week, but one of the more enjoyable excursions of recent past. Earl and Chuck were delightful hosts, as always, and my stay in Germantown was somewhat restful but never boring. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the cord for the digital camera, so my photographic explorations posted on Flickr were quite limited. Eleven photos in one week. Not too much for a shutter junkie like myself.

There were a few interesting highlights of my trip to report. The first was a walking tour of downtown Dayton, following the old Miami & Erie Canal, now buried beneath a boulevard and forgotten by many. The host, Leon, heads the Gem City Circle Walking Tours and offers several different journeys through the city. (You can bet I'll be coming back in the fall for the ghost tour!) Leon is a dear, and quite knowledgeable on the history of the city. I highly recommend that anyone going to the Dayton area take a trip with him. And I'd like to thank him for allowing me to offer up a bit of history in the Ohio & Erie Canal, as well as aiding in answering a few questions from fellow walkers. Most of us had a gay-old time...

I also had a chance to be the audience for the Dayton Gay Men's Chorus as they prepared for an upcoming concert and performance of HMS Pinafore, to be performed on May 30 at the haunted Victoria Theatre at 8:00 PM. My one regret is I won't be in attendance. After seeing the rehearsal, I know it'll be worth the price of admission! They are a sweet bunch of guys, and were very friendly to this passing northerner. The comedy didn't deteriorate with each run-through, either, which is always a good sign. Of course, it did make me want to join in. Who knew I'd find any city in Ohio so inviting and pleasant that I'd consider living there?

Lastly, I spent some time on two separate occasions in historic Yellow Springs, home of the nearly-defunct Antioch College. If an easy-going, motley mix of unique individuals is your cup of tea, this town is perfect for you. Within the first few minutes, I witnessed angry lesbians trying to park, an emo boy waking casually down the street in his skin-tight black jeans, and a woman with impossibly-long blond dreadlocks greeting everyone she passed. But yes... plenty of average men and women as well. Nearly every business has a faded Human Rights Campaign sticker adorning the front door, and for those of you metaphysically-minded, there are several occult shops from which to choose. I stocked up on small colored candles and a small selection of tumbled stones. Had I enough money, I could have easily bought out nearly every store!

It is also quite a haunted little town (not only by ghosts, but by beautiful old homes on every corner), though I couldn't find a copy of the 1943 book on local ghost stories. I did, however, happen to snap a photo of one haunted house from the past, and had a wonderful, inexpensive lunch at the renowned Ye Olde Trail Tavern. The restaurant hosts at least three ghosts, and our waitress regaled us with her own personal ghostly experience only a few days prior. I do believe this would make an excellent stop on a haunted walking tour... perhaps Leon should consider it.

Otherwise, a good time was had by all. I added a new book to my collection: Rhine's New Frontiers of the Mind (1937) found at Dark Star Bookstore. The prefect compliment to my 1937 zener cards! There were a few people I would have liked to see, but it simply wasn't in the cards. Some timing never works out just right. But, such is life. Perhaps next time, everything will fall into place. Regardless, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. And I'm already thinking about my next adventure. Well, next several. Not only back to the southwestern regions of Ohio, but beyond these borders. As Mark Twain once wrote in Innocents Abroad, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts." So, get out there and explore the world. It just might shock you into happiness.

"I Wish My Brother George Was Here"...

Some of you might remember my post last year about Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens and its resident ghost, Liberace. It's on my long list of places to investigate at some point. Hopefully in the next year or two I'll have an opportunity to have dinner there... and poke around after hours in search of the famed pianist.

The haunting did, for a time, make headlines locally in the Las Vegas area. Even the news did a segment on the hauntings. Here's a clip from a few years back:

You're as Cold as Ice...

The most tumultuous thing about this weekend, fortunately, was the weather.

Yesterday evening was an interesting dinner in Cleveland with a few friends and the paranormal troop during monsoon-like weather. Rock Bottom Brewery may be an allegedly haunted place, but the only frightening part about visiting the Powerhouse in the Flats is the $6 parking fee for the building. Wind whipped rain off Lake Erie after earlier thunderstorms, adding a bit of mystique to the illuminated building... and puddles to dodge as you run back to the parking lot.

The temperature plummeted by nightfall in anticipation of today's snow. I stayed up a tad bit later than normal to catch some Doctor Who on BBC America. A relaxed morning gave way to wading through junk email and plotting out the coming week. Snow began to coat outdoor surfaces this evening and it isn't expected to let up for the next week. Winter has arrived in northeast Ohio, just in time to curtail outdoor plans and remind me of the unpredictability of Mother Nature.

It might be a good week for a coffee shop meeting with friends after all...

Hold the Cadavers, Please...

Pappu Sweet Center and Catering in Wolverhampton, UK, was shut down and fined this week. Police were called back in August to a report of a sudden death and couldn't believe their eyes. Not only were the conditions in the kitchen unfit for food preparation, but the body of a dead man was reclining nearby on a sofa.

One cook was chain smoking and spitting on the floor repeatedly. Fly-laden chicken was defrosting in an adjoining room, oozing blood and fluids onto the floor. A dead rat was found beneath a pot and rodent droppings were discovered in many areas.

Sounds appetizing, right?

After conducting a post mortem, the dead man was found to have died of natural causes, but environmental health officers closed down the business, owned by Jaswinder Singh.

City council officer Nick Edwards is grateful and hopes to send a message to anyone preparing food in unsanitary conditions.

"We are pleased that the council's actions," he said, "have resulted in the courts banning this individual from ever running a food business again."

Running on Empty...

In case you hadn't noticed, I haven't felt too much like blogging much lately. I've just been feeling a bit worn out and drained lately with so many things. Not in a negative way, just in the sense of feeling exhausted.

Last night, the paranormal group had a bit of a meeting. Though we all decided to remain friends, we reached an agreement that it might be best to split off and form two separate groups, based on region. It isn't easy for everyone to travel to everything and many of us have different views and opinions. So instead of risking the loss of friendships, we'll act as two separate entities... and then get together here and there to spend time as friends. One thing I have learned in life is mixing business with friendship or anything else for that matter is never easy... and often ends in disaster. But I'd rather lose a business associate than a friend.

After a very late dinner at the Boneyard, we watched Big Gay Sketch Show until around 3:30 AM. I had a difficult time getting to sleep, and had to be up early this morning. I made it home, tried staying awake, but felt too sick from the lack of sleep. I took a long nap in the afternoon. I feel somewhat rejuvenated, but still not quite human.

Still, I have a feeling a nice cool shower will do wonders...

Queer Paranormal Road Trip: Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens

If you're looking for fine dining in Las Vegas, be sure to check out Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens. And you might just have a paranormal encounter during your stay!

The restaurant opened it's doors in 1983 and was designed and owned by famed pianist Liberace (few people realize he loved to cook... he even wrote a few cookbooks). Woodwork in the English Lounge was imported by him from a pub in London. And if you're at all curious, the Liberace Museum which opened on April 15th, 1979 is right next door.

Most of the original interior of the eatery remains untouched, including Liberace's private lounge. While he was alive, he would use the room to quietly slip into the main dining area and play piano to the delight of the diners.

Some say he still enjoys doing a little entertaining in his former restaurant. Many patrons have reported seeing his apparition in the dining area. Electrical disturbances are often reported throughout the restaurant. On one such occasion, the power went off in the entire building on Liberace's birthday until the entire staff sang 'Happy Birthday' to him (electricians found no problems with the wiring afterward). And then there's the ladies bathroom, where guests have complained of doors locking and unlocking by themselves.

I wonder if he still is looking for his brother George...

Queer Paranormal Road Trip: Mile High Grill & Inn

Is there a cold pussy beside you in bed?

Hopefully, that means you're staying at the Mile High Grill & Inn in Jerome, Arizona. What once was yet another ghost town in the southwest has become a lovely, quaint little town. And what better reason to go than to stay at the lesbian-owned-and-operated (and reportedly haunted) hotel.

Owners Jet and Liz are aware of some strange happenings in their building. Unexplained sounds and misty shapes have been witnessed by visitors. The doors of an armoire in the Lariat and Lace Room have mysteriously fallen off their hinges several times. And then there's the feline spirit which frequently sits on the beds.

At one time, the downstairs restaurant was a hardware store. A man purchased a gun and was stopped by a sheriff as he was leaving. The man opened fire and the sheriff shot him dead on the sidewalk. Some believe his presence can still be felt in the stairwell leading to the upstairs hotel.

So if you find yourself in Arizona, looking for a little encounter with the supernatural, be sure to stop in Jerome for a bite to eat... perhaps even stay the night in one of the guest rooms above the Mile High Grill. Who knows. You just might have your first ghostly encounter...

To read one investigator's story, be sure to check out Buck and Michael's stay at the inn...

Oh... and don't worry, boys, they do have pure Angus beef burgers in the downstairs restaurant.

Dining at a Haunted Depot

Ever since college, I've found Kent, Ohio to be quite lovely. It isn't a huge city, but maintains a lot of its history and has so much to see, do, and enjoy. Too many towns and cities tear down their historic buildings. Kent has lost some gems, but still keeps as much as it possibly can.

During a meeting of the paranormal group last week, we dined at a wonderful restaurant I've been to several times over the last decade: The Pufferbelly Ltd. It's an old railroad depot converted into a restaurant which has been in business for 26 years. I was quite surprised to learn that it also has a resident ghost, known as "Charlie".

Kent Railway Station was originally constructed in 1875 to service the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, which began running through the town (then known as Franklin Mills) in 1863. It was designed and built by Marvin Kent, a local businessman whom the town was renamed after the following year. It was later used by the Erie Railroad and finally fell into disrepair in the mid 1900s. In 1971, the Kent Historical Society was formed to save the depot from demolition. It was fully restored in the late 1970s.

"Charlie" is an unidentified spirit who haunts the entire building. Manager Kevin Long gave him the nickname at random and his real identity remains unknown. There is nothing dangerous or threatening about the presence, and workers actually enjoy the ethereal company. There are many interesting historical aspects of the building which still need further investigation and hopefully I'll have a chance to shed a little more light on some possibly "colorful" history.

Not far from the depot is the Cuyahoga River. Just below the depot in the water, you can still see the remains of a canal lock. This was the Lower Lock of the Pennsylvania & Erie Canal which ran from Akron into Pennsylvania near Warren, Ohio. The canal was in operation from 1840 until the 1870s when the railroad made it obsolete. Across the river once sat a tannery as well. it was run my a well-known abolitionist and used to hide runaway slaves. Could these bits of the past be connected with the haunting? Perhaps.

The restaurant itself is highly recommended. They serve wonderful food at fair prices. And if you've been there before and find that one of your favorites is no longer on the menu? No problem. Simply call them with some advanced notice (perhaps a week, to be safe), and they will be sure to have it for you when you arrive. That's what I call service! If you wish, you can sit beneath a surrey mounted from the ceiling in the bar area. It is believed to have once carried President Garfield. Or dine in the southern sining room, which was a dining room when when the depot was first constructed (the kitchen was also the kitchen at that time, but don't worry... they have updated equipment since then).

I will say this: I definitely plan on returning to the restaurant soon and hopefully seeing what else I can find.