Mere Bulles: Sunday Brunch Haunt Jaunt

Yesterday I discovered an unexpected Eerie Eatery Haunt Jaunt when Wayne took me to Sunday Brunch at Mere Bulles.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE PLACE...

We had eaten at Mere Bulles before. Wayne took me there for lunch once. I didn't "feel" anything then, so I wasn't expecting to this time either. But I did. I know you sensitives out there will know what I'm talking about when I say that, but for those who've never experienced such a sensation I'll try and explain.

When we were standing in the entrance before the hostess seated us, something about the stairs leading up to the second level struck me. Yes, they are beautiful. (Mere Bulles occupies what used to be a home that went by the name Maryland Manor.) They curve and have wooden railings and the walls are painted a fabulous dark color. (But my mind isn't cooperating with me, and I didn't think to snap a picture. I can't remember if the paint was blue or green!) At any rate, it's very elegant.

I hadn't noticed them the other time we ate there. In fact, all I remember was that my food was good, it was around Christmastime, and the other tables were crowded with people enjoying the holidays.

But this time...this time was different. We weren't seated in one of the main rooms, but out in the sunroom. It was while I was sitting there enjoying every morsel of my eggs Benedict that I looked first at the bar area, then over to the room where the brunch buffet serving tables were set up and felt...something. Something different.

It was that same feeling I had in St. Augustine the first time, especially in the bathroom at Harry's: here there be ghosts.

"EXCUSE ME, DO YOU SERVE GHOSTS HERE?"

After our meal I worked up my nerve and approached the hostess.

"Excuse me, I have a rather weird question for you. I don't know how to ask it exactly without coming off as crazy, but I was wondering if you have ghosts here?"

"As a matter of fact," she diverted her attention from me to where the remaining brunch-goers were still seated. "I don't see any of them now, but some of the servers who have been here for a while swear there's a ghost here. I would have one come talk to you and tell you about their experience, but I don't see the ones I'm thinking of."

But she did give me a sheet that explained the history of Maryland Farms (the area in Brentwood where Mere Bulles is located). It's how I found out the restaurant was once a home called Maryland Manor, which was built by the Ward family in 1942.

I'll have to give Mere Bulles a call and see if they'll talk to me about their ghost. Mostly I was just excited to have stumbled across another potential Haunt Jaunt and wantes to hurriedly share it.

One other thing I'd like to note: whatever that different energy was that I felt, it was warm and kindly, not scary at all. Inviting is even a word that comes to mind.

On the sheet the hostess gave me it said that the Ward family enjoyed entertaining in their home and did so often. I'm wondering if maybe that's why I felt something. Our server had mentioned there'd been a party there the night before. Maybe the ghost was still basking in the fun of that?

Or maybe it had something to do with Sunday Brunch. That might make for a different vibe, one that either the ghost likes, is attracted to, or feeds off of. (Can't say as I blame him/her either. That was one of the best brunches I've been to in a while. There was a chocolate fountain and everything!)

MERE BULLES: LOCATION

If you live in Nashville or ever come for a visit, in addition to Sunday Brunch Mere Bulles also serves lunch and dinner. Here's their address, phone number and website:

5201 Maryland Way
Brentwood, TN 37027
615-467-1945
http://www.merebulles.com/

Ghost Adventures: Moon River Brewing Company

I finally had a chance to watch Zak and crew's investigation of Moon River Brewing Company last week. (Or, rather, the episode of it that was aired last week.)

SAVANNAH: THE MOST HAUNTED CITY?

I was sort of put off when Zak said something about Savannah being one of the most haunted cities and the guy he was talking with corrected him and said, "No, Savannah's the most haunted city."

Savannah's beautiful and I'm not going to bag on it, but I'm not convinced it's the most haunted city. What about Charleston? St. Augustine? Boston? Salem? New Orleans? Gettysburg?

However, I did some research. Savannah does have the right to make such a claim since the American Institute of Parapsychology named it America's Most Haunted City in 2002.

(However, I'm wondering if the organization's biased at all. I tried to figure out where it might be located. The "contact us" page lists a P.O. Box for somewhere in Georgia. Not to discredit the AIP. I'm just always skeptical about who's behind what.)

HOKEY: POSSESSION AND WORD-DATABASE GUN

I was sorry to see them utilizing that word gun again like they did in the Castillo de San Marcos episode. Hokey, hokey, hokey.

And as far as Nick's so called possession...maybe more a matter of acting for effect. (Which is also why I think they use the word gun.)

Which is a shame. They'd probably have a decent shot of coming up with some good evidence if they played it straight. When TAPS investigated there I remember the creepy shadow figure they caught down in the basement behind the pool table. I was really hoping the Ghost Adventures guys wold get something like that too.

EXTRA, EXTRA

Click here to read a great recap of the show by Julie for Ghost Hunters Investigations.

Click on the clip below to watch a scene with the hokey word-database gun.

Indian Magician's Ghostly Restaurant

The Times of India ran an interesting article recently called "Meet ghosts at a restaurant in Kolkata." It was about P C Sorcar, a conjurer or magician, who's planning to open a restaurant with ghosts, goblins and ghouls of every variety.

Don't worry. The ghosts aren't real. They'll be members in his troupe who will wait on patrons while performing illusions at the same time.

"Imagine how it will be like if a waiter takes off his own head and puts it on plate while noting orders from the customer. Or if a ghoul springs up from the nearby grave and sits next to you. Or a goblin walks out of the picture frame and asks your name," the master illusionist says.

It sounds spookily delightful doesn't it? I know I won't be heading to India anytime soon, but if you will be the restaurant is set to open in November, post-Diwali.

(I had to look up what Diwali was. It's an official holiday in India, also known as the Festival of Lights, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil within a person. It lasts for five days and is celebrated on a different date every year. It's always sometime around October/November and has to do with the new moon. Something about falling on "the 15th day of the dark fortnight in the auspicious Hindu month of Kartik," according to DiwaliFestival.org.)

Okay, and if you think calculating the date Diwali falls on is mysterious, here's how the article described where the restaurant will be located: "The restaurant is coming up on a secluded spot beside the National Highway-6, a few kilometres from Kolkata..." in Howrah.

I'm sure there will be more specifics once the restaurant is actually open. Sorcar plans to serve patrons seven days a week, serving them "multi-cuisine dishes," and hopes it will become "a one-stop destination for tourists and local people" alike.

It sounds like a neat concept. I'd Jaunt there. I'm hoping if it's a hit there, a variation might hop overseas here somewhere...somewhere I might actually have a chance of jaunting to!

(But if any of you end up going, I'd love to hear about it.)

Eerie Pub HJ: Blake Street Vault

Today I read an article by Kathleen St. John called "Ghost haunting Blake Street Vault helps give LoDo saloon that old-Denver feel." Ah, Denver...my old stomping grounds. Where I grew up. Where, when I visit these days, I barely recognize.

There was no LoDo when I was coming up in Denver. That's an invention of the last 15 years or so. A cool name given to a part of the downtown area few hardly ventured to after dark. Now it's all hip and cool and happening.

Maybe that's why Lydia, Blake Street Vault's ghost, doesn't want to leave?

BLAKE STREET VAULT, A SALOON

The bar sounds pretty cool. The decor hearkens to the era of saloons you might have found in Wild West Denver back before the turn of the century (the one before last): tin ceilings, wood floors and barrels for bar tables. Rustic.

I'm not quite sure if Lydia died in the bar or not. The article wasn't exactly clear on that. Supposedly some ghost hunters were brought in after many people reported having weird feelings or experiences in the place --especially down in the vault. They're the ones who identified the ghost as being Lydia, a saloon girl who worked in the building 150 years ago.

THE VAULT

The vault was discovered during renovations down in the basement. The article's author described the vault as "more historically interesting than paranormally scary, at least until you get to the vault."

I'm assuming what makes it both creepy and perhaps playing some part in Lydia's story is that the author mentioned scratch marks on the vault's ceiling. But it doesn't say if she was shut in down there and left to die or what.

However, the saloon's new owners have a tribute of sorts up to Lydia. There's a mannequin dressed as a saloon girl in the window above Blake Street Vault's entrance.

GHOST ACTIVITY

As far as activity...besides glasses being knocked over and people feeling uncomfortable at times, the best story was of the high-heeled footsteps clicking overhead when the bar's new owner and an inspector were down in the basement pre-saloon renovation. At the time, the floors were still covered in carpet, and when they went upstairs to investigate no one was there.

WHERE TO FIND BLAKE STREET VAULT

If you live in Denver or are planning to visit and want to make a Haunt Jaunt to an eerie pub, you might want to consider the Blake Street Vault. It's located at 1526 Blake Street.

Ghosts in the News for the Week of 5/3/09

Here's a couple of places I came across in news stories this week that might be fun to take a Haunt Jaunt to.

HISTORIC FORT WAYNE - Detroit, MI

According to an article published on May 4, 2009 by TheTimesHerald.com, Metro Paranormal Investigations (MPI) out of Macomb, Michigan, in conjunction with the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, will be giving ghost tours/allowing for paranormal investigations of Historic Fort Wayne on the following dates:

• May 16, 2009
• June 20, 2009
• August 16, 2009
• September 19, 2009
• October 31, 2009.

The fort is located in downtown Detroit along the banks of the Detroit River. Like many such sights, there've been a lot of reports of mysterious forms and unexplained activity. Some of which I presume you'll learn about during the guided tour that'll start off the evening. (Investigators with MPI will be on the tours.) Then, afterwards, you're on your own to investigate where and how you want.

Tickets may be reserved by visiting The Haunted Tours at Historic Fort Wayne site. (Click here.) Cost: $40 per person, with proceeds benefiting Historic Fort Wayne.

Clever idea to raise funds to preserve a historic site!

For more info about MPI, check out their website.

RAMS HEAD TAVERN - Annapolis, MD

I have a special affinity for haunted pubs. Even before my experiences at the Shilo Inn or in St. Augustine, there was the George & Dragon in Phoenix.

It was supposed to be like an English pub. Neat place. We often met coworkers there for happy hour or dinner. It was a waitress wearing a mass of jingling bracelets on her wrist that first alerted me to the theory their may be an otherworldly patron or two hanging about. Like with Harry's in St. Augustine, this ghost had a penchant for the bathroom, too. (But I never experienced anything like what I did at Harry's.)

Anyway, so I love when I stumble across haunted bar stories. Which is what I found in a story by Diane Rey on HometownAnnapolis.com from May 4, 2009.

The building that houses the tavern can trace its roots all the way back to 1703. It's been a lot of things over the years besides a tavern and has seen a lot of people come and go. well, um, er...maybe not so much go.

The most notable lingerer is a spirit known as Amy. Legend has it she died in the building while "entertaining" a male client. In addition to spotting her apparition, some claim to feel a cold chill they believe is her when in the presence of "hot guys." (From one of he servers.)

But there's also an old woman some believe roam the tavern, and employees report feeling uncomfortable and spooked by another presence in the cellar.

It sounds like a neat place as is. Food, drinks, music...can't go wrong. But what sounds even more fun is what the Maryland Ghost and Spirit Association did recently: they gathered in the tavern's "tea room," had dinner, then conducted a hunt afterwards.

As Rey quoted manager Scott Haney in the article, "Ghosts don't have to be scary. If they help sell beer, even better."

My thoughts precisely!

Introduction - Here there be ghosts

What is Haunt Jaunts?

Simply put, it's a travel blog for restless spirits.

I've had the idea for a while now. When my husband Wayne and I moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to Jacksonville, Florida, we took a day trip to St. Augustine. As we drove past the fort (officially known as the Castillo de San Marcos), I remember whispering to him, "Here there be ghosts."

We didn't go in that day. We just walked around the town, then went to eat at Harry's. We were seated upstairs and after we ordered I went to use the bathroom. (There are two, one downstairs and one up. I used the upstairs one.)

That's when I met my first ghost.

Well, not "met" exactly. Experienced would be a better word.

THE BATHROOM INCIDENT

I was all alone in the bathroom, but I got the oddest sensation I wasn't. It's hard to explain. There was a chill in the air, and it felt as if there was a presence lingering. Watching. Waiting. I remember as I washed my hands looking in the mirror and scrutinizing the area behind me. I swear it felt like someone was right behind my shoulder, but no one was. I have never hustled out of a bathroom faster.

When I was once again back at the safety of the table, I felt foolish. I sort of laughed to Wayne that something odd had happened in the bathroom. But since nothing had really happened, I'd just had a weird feeling more than anything, there wasn't much to tell. He just shook his head and the matter was forgotten.

THE GHOST BOOK

A few months later, though, I came across a book, Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida. It's broken up into regions. Region Two caught my eye because it was where we lived. A couple of the places listed we'd either been to or had passed by, but some I hadn't heard of. Like "Site 13 - 46 Avenida Menendez."

"What's that?" I wondered, knowing we'd likely been by it. Avenida Menendez was one of the main thoroughfares through St. Augustine.

So I started reading and learned that at one time it had been the Chart House restaurant, but before that it had been a house. One that had a history of fire and a woman named Bridgett died during it. The author had talked to former restaurant owners who shared some experiences with odd happenings they'd seen. But the line that almost stopped my heart was, "Psychics came in, and they said there was an obvious presence in the ladies' room upstairs."

I pleaded with Wayne to take me back to St. Augustine that weekend. I had to know if Harry's was at 46 Avenida Menendez. (I knew it was, but I had to see it in person for myself.) Sure enough, we found that's exactly where it was...and I was convinced then that I, too, had experienced the presence in the upstairs bathroom.

Thus was born a new kind of travel regimen for us. I used Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida as a travel guide to take us to other places in Florida where ghosts were alleged to dwell.

THE QUEST

I think part of me was on a quest to again have an experience like the one I'd had at Harry's. Because that wasn't the first time I'd encountered ghosts on my travels. In the couple of years leading up to that, I'd had some other ghost experiences at other places. One a pub in Phoenix and one a hotel in Salt Lake City.

Mostly I was hoping to put myself in a place where I'd perhaps see an actual apparition and have the "Holy Grail" of ghost encounters. But what happened was that Wayne and I ended up going around and seeing a bunch of really cool places and having a blast in the process.

THE BIRTH OF HAUNT JAUNTS

That's how I got the idea to chronicle our travels, and our travel dreams. Haunt Jaunts the blog will be a combination of places we've been, places we'd like to go, and interviews with others who have had similar experiences.

I welcome comments, be they suggestions for places to travel to that you've heard of where ghosts may live, or experiences you've had on your travels. Thanks for your interest!