The Haunting of Washington

As we all recover from our Labor Day festivities, it's time to gear up for our next great holiday: Columbus Day! Where we can do such traditional Columbus Day festivities as, er, um, what? Other than a day off of school, and for some of you, work, what do people do on Columbus Day? It's not a rhetorical question, people, I want the answer. I'd really like to know, does anyone have any fond memories of Columbus Day? You know, a Columbus Day parade? A party? Rounding up non-believers and converting them to Christianity at the point of the sword before enslaving them?

OK, so Columbus Day is kind of a bust, except for that day off work, which you probably aren't getting paid for anyway. Let's instead focus on the greatest of all fall holidays, Halloween.

Fall in general, and Halloween in particular, are excellent times to visit Washington, DC. The weather is a nice break from the oppressive heat of the summer, without the damp, cold "wintry mix" that will come soon enough. Better yet, the tourists are gone! As a visitor yourself, this is something to celebrate. No crowds around the block at the Archives. No hordes of people standing on the left on the Metro. And best yet, no droves of eight graders shepherded around town by a grim faced guide, bound and determined to resist the urge to choke with his bare hands the next kid who whines "why can't we take the bus".

But I digress. Perhaps in gratitude of getting our city back, DC puts on quite a good show for Halloween. I'll talk more as we get closer about specific events different organizations are hosting, and as always, if you are coming this time of year, feel free to email me with any questions about things to do. But for now, let me share with you my plans for the coming holiday.

Last year, when the idea for this blog had yet to be born, several of my fellow guides and I started leading ghost tours. We researched and discovered many haunted tales of supernatural happenings in and around Dupont Circle and shared them with many residents of our fair city as well as visitors, both temporal and spiritual, from beyond. This year, we're looking to do the same, as well as add some exciting new tales of death and it's aftermath in the vicinity of Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. We've had a lot of fun doing it, and are excited to be adding the second tour.

If you will indulge me with the practical a minute. Tours will be held every Friday and Saturday night at 7:45 pm throughout the month of October. We will meet at the fountain at Dupont Circle or the Eastern Market Metro at that time. If space is available, walk-ups will be allowed, but I encourage interested people to book ahead of time at GhostToursDC.com to reserve spots. Tickets cost $15.

And finally, while Capitol Hill and the Dupont area are the only tours as of yet with regularly scheduled times, we also offer tours of Georgetown, Lafayette Park near the White House, and the vicinity of the Capitol by appointment, as well as our regular ones, of course. If you are interested in these, or have any questions in general, feel free to contact me at info@ghosttoursdc.com.

Comments

[C in DC]

What, haven't you ever attended the wreath-laying ceremony at Columbus Circle on Columbus Day? :-)