Happy Halloween!

Well ghouls and boys, it's a lovely Halloween in Chicago. The sun is out full force and orange leaves are twirling around in the wind. We think we may just stay in this evening and maybe carve some pumpkins but there has also been talk of heading down to one of our favorite Chicago spots for a spook. The Haunted Sanitarium is a haunted house put on by the Chicago Park District in a creepy old building smack on the lake that is used as a theater during the summer but that actually used to be a sanitarium during the 20s and 30s during a tuberculosis epidemic. Hundreds of people were isolated (at the time the place was way north of the city limits) and died there. And I'm telling you, the park district wouldn't have to hang a spider web or slimy goo or hire a person to jump out and say "boo" for this place to scare you. Just walking around in that old building on an old lake during the night is scary enough for me. And then there is the Red Lion Pub, which may be one of the most haunted spots in Chicago. I spent many after-hours there during grad school (it's right near DePaul-they have awesome authentic English pub food) and I've never seen a single thing (I never do) but loads of unsuspecting Chicago residents have experienced some strange things. The story is, the owner of the bar put up a stained glass window over the stairs going to the upper level and roof top beer garden. He did this as a memorial to his father who died back in England and who didn't have a proper burial. Before he knew it there was a strange presence in the stairwell and the owner was certain that, hands down, it was his father. But it wasn't just the father who moved in. It seems he brought others along. Sometimes people report the strong smell of lavender and sighting of a small girl (who historians say died in the building before it was a pup). People have repeatedly seen a man in a cowboy outfit, a man with a black hat and beard, a blond dude and a sort of "hard to describe" man who walks down the stairs, through the downstairs bar and then vanishes. Oh and weird stuff happens in the women's restroom all the time (the air chills, things move, etc.)In the case that you haven't noticed, I love ghost stories! Let me know if you have any good ones!