The Friendly Horror and Other Weird Tales September 24, 2013 Two Staten Island residents, Jessica Burke and Anthony Burdge, have woven the strange history of the island into their fiction, a marvelous Lovecraftian collection of short stories called The Friendly Horror & Other Weird Tales.
Boroughs of the Dead Launch Party September 20, 2013 Celebrate the launch of Boroughs of the Dead: Macabre New York City Walking Tours at Brooklyn Winery with an evening of tales written and inspired by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe.
Fear City September 19, 2013 I’m possibly going to hell for this, but I couldn’t help riffing off the vintage Fear City flyer that’s been making the rounds online this week. I’m aware of the irony of using this flyer to sell walking tours in which I expound upon the violent bad old days of NYC, so don’t bother pointing that out.
The Real Sleepy Hollow September 17, 2013 Now that the new Fox show is bringing renewed attention to Sleepy Hollow, I figure it’s time to sift through the fact and fiction of the tiny hamlet immortalized in Washington Irving’s legendary tale. I trekked up to the real Sleepy Hollow, and this is what I found.
Gorgeous Green-Wood Photos from a Customer August 2, 2013 One of my wonderful customers posted this gorgeous album of photos from our recent Green-Wood Cemetery tour. You can see more of these lovely images on Facebook, or check out the tour and take some yourself this Sunday July 7th at 5:30. See the hidden gems and strange secrets of New York’s foremost Victorian cemetery. With a focus on the scandalous and lesser-known inhabitants of Green-Wood, on this tour you’ll see the final resting places of femmes fatales, revolutionaries, suicides, artists and murderers.
How to Prepare for Walking Tours in All Weather July 26, 2013 My policy is that tours run rain or shine, except in the case of extremely severe thunderstorms (e.g. with lightning, or with rain heavy enough to impede visibility) or hail, blizzards, or other dangerous weather. If you’ve booked one of my tours and are ever in doubt about whether or not it’ll go, please check this website for updates.
Are These Really The Most Haunted Places In New York City? June 29, 2013 A lot of virtual ink has been spilled about these famous haunted places in New York City. The only problem is, a lot of it is bunk. At best, these legends are harmless fun, a bit of local lore and color. At worst, these historical inaccuracies are misleading and false.
The Enduring Appeal of the New York City Ghost Tour June 13, 2013 There are many, many guides who will show you the best, brightest, and most beautiful sights the city has to offer, but I prefer the darker side of tourism. I want to know about the hidden histories of those who never made it into the guidebooks. I want to know what happened in the darkest nights, in the furthest reaches of New York City’s past. I want to know what happened to this city’s poor, to its wretches, to its forgotten. Most of all, I want to know what happened to its ghosts.
Nethermead May 9, 2013 Fairly recently, one of my short stories, Nethermead, was made into a film by Soren Bailey. The story concerns a young woman bored by her job, her life, and everything, who is finally driven to madness when she rambles through the eponymous meadow in Prospect Park one shady twilit evening… NETHERMEAD TRAILER from Soren Bailey […]