Haunted Hotels
This could be the Halloween season when you finally see a real ghost.
If you're wanting more adventure than simply handing candy out the door, check out this opportunity: bargains on haunted hotels, from Vermont to San Diego. I have long wanted to see a ghost — wanted that kind of proof of some sort of familiar existence on "the other side."
A few years ago, I went to Weymouth for a few days, a North Carolina writers' retreat where several people I know have encountered a stranger suddenly in the room with them, sitting across the room or on the edge of the bed. Or heard running footsteps outside in the hall, then banging on the bedroom door, then no one there.
I had no such experience on my visit. Though I did have hopes at one point in the night for a small overhead point of light that turned out to be a smoke alarm. (Have had the same experience at home with a cell phone charger.)
Now this morning, I get this email of travel bargains: Travelzoo Weekly Top 20. So enticing! The Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore? "Catch a glimpse of Victorian-attired ghosts in the hotel's ballroom."
The Queen Mary, now a hotel in Long Beach, CA. "A strong drink in the lounge with panoramic Pacific views might be necessary after spotting female spirits, still wearing 1930s swimsuits, in the first-class pool or a visit to Cabin B340, no longer rented out due to extreme paranormal activity."
Am I going? Well, not this year. My travel docket is already pretty well booked for the coming weeks. (Or is that an excuse?) But I'm definitely saving the list. Though I think that the ghostly encounters are probably not guaranteed, spirits being so hard to pin down.
I've mentioned my interest in meeting a ghost to a friend who sees them regularly. About my ambition, she says: "think twice about that." I think I'd like to to have one catch me unaware, without having to sit through uneasy moments waiting in the dark.
If you have an encounter in this spirited season, please do report here. I'd love to hear about it.
Categories: enhancing creativity
Tags: haunted hotels, queen mary hotel, queen mary ship, see a ghost, travelzoo
Comments
Peggy,
Many years ago I went to visit my uncle, who had just purchased an old house in Fredericksburg. It had been built during the Civil Ward, just a plain house, nothing Gothic about it at all. I slept with my cousin Sharee in a room that had no furniture except for the cots we slept on.
I woke up in the middle of the night with moonlight streaming through the windows, and had the distinct feeling that something warm and wonderful was lying on my body and — how do I put this delicately? — a very male presence was making itself known in my nether regions. I wasn't scared at all; it was a wonderful presence, and I drifted back to sleep.
An amorous ghost? Could be!
Best ghost story I’ve heard, Julie.
I've had two encounters at Weymouth: Heavy man-shoe footsteps in the hall during the night, when there were no men in the house and no one up and more footsteps heard from the basement with other members of NCPS there who heard it as well. There was no one there. They were the inspiration for my novel "A Home for the Spirit." Interestingly, my fictional ghost is very "amorous" as well…
My father made his presence known via smoke detector after he passed away. Freaked my stepmother right out!! LOL! Now, whenever I hear one go off, I have a moment w/ my dad. I also saw Santa Claus as a child. I never doubted the existence of spirits.
I look forward to hearing more stories!!
Wow! Were you frightened by the footsteps in the hall, Beth? Or did it seem normal and comfortable? And how did the smoke detector experience work?
i'd love to see a ghost , & since i don't believe they exist , i'm rather unlikely to see one — it'd be great tho ! Aiki
I hope you do. And then tell me about it.
I was home alone and turned around to catch a very quick glimpse in the mirror of my brother standing behind me. He didn't look at all "ghostly" as he was wearing an outfit that he often wore when he was alive. It startled me and then made me cry because I was not even thinking about him and obviously did not expect to see him in the room! I don't think I was supposed to see him because he disappeared as soon as I spotted him as if he got "caught" doing something mischievous. Other than that, I have never seen a ghost, but have had other unexplainable experiences which have validated my beliefs in what lies beyond.
Hope things are well with you!
I’m glad you got to see him, Debbie. I think I would find that overwhelmingly wonderful. Thanks for telling us.
It was wonderful, Peggy. It made me feel as if he is watching over me and that feels very comforting. I just wish he would have stayed a little bit longer;)
Hugs!
Maybe he’ll stay longer next time, Debbie.
I just read Mona Simpson’s eulogy for her brother Steve Jobs: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/mona-simpsons-eulogy-for-steve-jobs.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all
She describes his last conscious moment. He looked at each of the family members who surrounded him, “then over their shoulders past them.
Steve’s final words were:
OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW. “