Kathryn Lively asked:


New York City is known for many things: the bright lights of Broadway, fine cuisine and corner vendors, glamour and excitement. Yet for those interested in the paranormal and unexplained, the Big Apple may very well be renamed the Big Haunt.

A growing interest in the paranormal and unexplained draws visitors to the City, year after year, to explore the less than touristy parts of the five boroughs. Celebrity spooks and historical specters are the stars of these underworld tours, and you never know when some will stop by to say hello, or “Boo!”

Once you’ve seen the popular sights the city has to offer, why not take a trip down the eerie side of the City many call home…years after they have departed? If you’re in the mood for a frightfully fun stay in New York, and can’t wait until the Halloween, the city is not without yearlong otherworldly charm.

Here are just a few frightfully fun spots to explore:

Merchant’s House Museum: This is a must-see for any ghost chaser, where else but the one place called the “most haunted house in Manhattan?” Certain times of the year, the Merchant’s House Museum presents ghost tours and lectures on various topics, including the art of dying. If you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of any of the curious spirits known to wander the property, perhaps one of Seabury Tredwell, who died in the very house in 1865. Call ahead to find out when the Museum offers an authentic recreation of his passing and funeral.

Hotel Chelsea: The Chelsea Hotel is long known as a one-time residence for widely-known literary and pop culture icons. William S. Burroughs, Donald Sutherland, and Bob Dylan once hung their hats here, and rocker Sid Vicious reportedly killed his girlfriend Nancy in their room.
Whether Nancy haunts the Chelsea remains to be confirmed, but it is said that the ghost of Dylan Thomas haunts the famous hotel. Of course, he died after drinking too many spirits at the White Horse Tavern and was taken to the Chelsea after collapsing outside the pub. It is believed he haunts the White Horse, too, so maybe he’s pulling double duty?

New Amsterdam Theater: Did you hear the one, too, about the Ziegfield Follies showgirl who haunts this popular venue? Many have claimed to see Olive Thomas strutting the stage in her beaded costume, no doubt looking to take one last bow.

Radio City Music Hall: If the Rockettes are kicking extra high some nights, it could be from fright! The ghost of Roxy Rothafel is said to haunt the theatre he built.

The Algonquin Hotel: Known for the eclectic group of wits and writers of the earliest 20th century who gathered often as the Vicious Circle, this hotel is also home to permanent guests. It is said some of the Circle have continued their stay at their favorite Round Table and elsewhere in the hotel. Could it be the tart-tongued Dorothy Parker, the hilariously mute Harpo Marx, or maybe Alexander Woollcott? If you hear a horn blow from nowhere, that may narrow it down.

The Dakota: This stylish Manhattan apartment building is believed to be haunted by the ghost of John Lennon, who was fatally shot near the entrance.

Hotels and theatres, pop stars and fallen stars, New York City is home to millions. How many are living as opposed to the living dead is difficult to say, but for those with a fascination for the paranormal half the fun is finding out.

Bill Knell asked:


Already a knowledgeable New Age author, researcher and practitioner of sorts, Academy Award-winning Actress Shirley MacLaine seems to have added UFO conspiracy reporter to her resume. In her latest book, Saging While Aging, Shirley reveals what she knows or has learned about various incidents involving UFOs, the military, intelligence services and famous people. The well-known performer that has appeared in almost sixty films to date recently discussed her book and shared some of these revelations with Whitley Strieber on his Dreamland web cast.

One of the most-shocking claims made by the veteran actress is that the late John Mack, professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University and alien abductions researcher, may have been murdered. Dr Mack was killed by a drunk driver as he stepped off a curb in London, England, near Totteridge Lane and Longland Drive on September 27, 2004. He was walking home alone after a dinner with some friends when the incident occurred. Shirley says that another person named John Mack was also killed by a drunk driver around the same time in another part of London.

Another story Shirley shares is one that she heard from Lucille Ball involving the late Ronald Reagan. While he was still an actor, Ronald Reagan was attending a party with several other celebrities at a private residence in Los Angeles. The actor and his wife arrived several hours late. According to well-known actress and comedienne Lucille Ball, Reagan took her aside and told her that he and his wife Nancy had an amazing experience on the way to the party.

Ronald Regan told Lucy that he and Nancy were driving on Mulholland Drive when a UFO landed near their vehicle. Although this story has been told before, a number of new details were added. For example, Shirley MacLaine says Lucille Ball told her that Reagan claimed a ladder appeared and an alien climbed out of the craft. The alien told him to quit his acting work and go into politics. The most popular version of that same story doesn’t include the appearance of an alien or what he said to the former California Governor and President of the United States.

MacLaine had a few more surprises in store for Whitley Strieber and his audience. One was that she believed the popular account that President Eisenhower met with aliens at what is now Edwards Air Force Base in 1954. Another was her admiration for the late Dr Michael Wolf and the information he shared with paranormal researchers. Dr Wolf is well known to some in the UFO field as a U.S. Government Insider that spent roughly the last ten years of his life sharing some of what he knew or had learned about UFOs and aliens. Those revelations included as much as he was allowed to reveal about U.S. Government involvement with aliens.

Fellow paranormal researcher **** Criswell and I spent years speaking with Dr Wolf., **** much more so than I. Michael Wolf spoke about things involving UFOs and aliens in the 1990s that were completely unknown to UFO researchers at that time. That caused him more than a few problems with many in the UFO research community where already jealous and distrustful people took aim at his claims. Despite almost complete rejection by major UFO research organizations, Dr Wolf’s information was credible and time has proven him to be correct. Several video and audio presentations by or about Dr Wolf are offered at