Many times, we in New York City are so blinded by the metropolitan air and vastness of New York City that we sometimes forget that there is a history that goes back to the 1600s.

On Saturday, I went on a tour through East Village through Haunted Manhattan, a tour that takes you through the more well-known and historical parts of the city. The spookiness started right off the bat. As my group met up with our guide, a really pleasant young woman named Frankie at the corner of Lafayette and 8th, a random empty stroller in almost new condition stood nearby, completely abandoned. Like I said, spooky.

Our first stop was at the old Astoria avenue station where it is said that on strange nights, a subway car completely furnished with carpet and wooden furniture will sometimes be stumbled upon by late night train riders, and when they are let off (through doors that disappear and reappear), the subway car is no longer there. When this happens, these lucky, lucky passengers have just taken a ride on TheGhost Train.

We stopped at a total of 13 locations, and some of them you would never think there was any real history behind them. Frankie, the bartender ghost guide, took us to haunted old buildings that used to be homes, bars haunted by Harry Houdini (and former President Abraham Lincoln here and there), hotels, restaurants, and event spaces that were built on plots of land that used to be cemeteries. Every horror movie warns of building on top of dead bodies, but not Manhattan! Manhattan thrives on it. For example, though this is part of the West Village tour, it was touched upon in our East Village tour. It is a fact that Washington Square Park is built on top of many, many bodies. Think about that next time you go for a walk; you never know what is buried beneath your feet in New York City! We tackled the haunted history of New York City dating back to the 1600s, when New York City was called New Amsterdam.

One stop that was especially touching was a firehouse, still in use, that has a plaque dedicated to firefighters who were some of the first responders on scene at the 9/11 firefighters. Frankie the tour guide beautifully told us the story of who they are and why they are on this tour. On the day of 9/11, 11 firefighters went out from the firehouse to the twin towers. Only four came back. However, the remaining firefighters have said that there are times that they feel hands on their shoulders coming from nowhere, but it isn't something sinister; on the contrary, it is something positive, encouraging even. It is as if the firefighters who died continue to encourage their fellow firefighters who survived that horrible day and watch over them. Add to that the fact that seven is an Angelic number and there were seven firefighters who died from that particular firehouse, it only makes the story, history, and paranormal phenomena that much more significant. The thing that struck most of us is that once we went to the firehouse, the mood dramatically shifted to one of that can only be felt to be understood. Everyone felt it, but no one knew what to make of it.

The tour was sponsored by Geeks Out, an organization that seeks to create a space for the queer community in the larger arena of pop culture. They originally started to create a conversation about the Comic-Con sphere, which originally did not have real representation of the gay community. Now, Geeks Out has created its own Comic-Con, called Flame-Con, which will take place in early August (check back for my article on that). Anyway, after the great tour, a couple members of the group, myself included, went to a bar (not a haunted one, that we know of) and we swapped stories of our own paranormal experiences, and we all had some interesting experiences. It seems that many of the group have had "visitations" of some kind, and we had an interesting conversation about the nature of sleep paralysis. I learned a lot about that. Everyone was really intelligent and it was a great time experiencing the city. I encourage anyone who wants to get a more historical perspective on the city and who isn't afraid to tackle ghostly history to take up a Haunted Manhattan tour, and if you are into Geek Culture, totally look into Geeks Out, a safe haven for all things LGBT geek!