Phantosmia!

PHANTOSMIA
AN HISTORIC GUIDE TO THE AROMATIC APPARITIONS IN LA

(presented by GHOULA and the Institute for Art and Olfaction’s Smelly Vials Perfume Club)

Date: Saturday, October 3rd
Time: Kick-off party starts at 5pm
Location: The Institute for Art and Olfaction
932 Chung King Road, LA CA 90012 (map) 
Admsission: The Party is FREE! (to RSVP click here)
                   Limited Edition "Phantosmia Maps" are $5 (see below)
                   "Ghost Smell Kits" are $60 (see below)

This is one of our most unusual ghostly events. Its a unique self-guided tour of local sites that are haunted by SMELL. So, come to the kick-off party and get a "Phantosmia Map" (and a "Ghost Smell Kit"), so you can go off on your own para-aroma adventure as we recreate the odors of 13 SMELLY GHOSTS !

"Phantosmia" (făn-tŏs′mē-ă) is the perception of an odor when no physical source is present, a phantom smell (also known as "clairscent"). Yes, with some ghost stories, in certain locations, people not only claim to see "something," but they may also smell "something" associated with that spirit. Furthermore, there are psychics that can smell a victim's perfume, and get "readings" of the crime, or be able to locate the body. Now, its time to put your abilities to the test...

What will you conjure up when exposed to the specific scents associated with these local spirits? From Peg Entwistle’s sweet gardenia perfume floating inexplicably around the Hollywood sign to the phantom smell of Rudolph Valentino’s horse, these ghost smells are sensorial reminders of the lurid, turbulent and baroque history of this City of Angels; where dreams come to be born and – just as often – die terrible, lonely and often painful deaths.

On October 3rd, 2015, join us for the kick-off party for our self-guided tour. At this "scent event," you will be able to purchase the limited edition "Phantosmia Map" and the "Ghost Smell Kits," or you can buy now (in case the limited quantities sell out). Then, at your leisure, you can explore the city’s famous and not-so-famous haunts – notable for their paranormal disturbances uniquely driven by scent.

The Limited Edition "Phantosmia Maps" designed by Micah Hahn (http://www.allies.la/) are $5 (while supplies last), and fold-out to reveal our guide to 13 aromatic apparitions of LA, with the locations and stories related to the hauntings.

The "Ghost Smell Kits" are $60 (while supplies last), containing thirteen ghostly scents created by The Smelly Viles Perfume Club in 3ml spray bottles (one for each stop on the self-guided tour) and the limited edition fold-out map to the locations with stories related to the hauntings, and a few extra goodies. (only a limited number of the kits were made, so if interested, get it now, before they are all gone).

As part of the project, guests are invited to visit each location on their own, experience the space with their haunted smells and collect a rubbing from the Phantosmia marker hidden nearby. Guests who visit all thirteen sites (and have the rubbings to prove it!) will be invited to a special blending session at the IAO, where they will be able to explore their own olfactory version of ghostly LA. experience.

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Due to USPS regulations we are unable to ship kits – they are only available for pick-up only.

ABOUT THE SMELLY VIALS PERFUME CLUB Smelly Vials Perfume Club (SVPC) is a collaborative perfume club rooted in an ethos of experimentation, knowledge-sharing and a gonzo approach to creativity and learning. SVPC is a program of The Institute for Art and Olfaction, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization based in Los Angeles. More information

ANOTHER HAUNTED HOUSE TOUR!

(Above-the William H. Perry Residence as it appeared a century ago in Boyle Heights.)

GHOULA'S HAUNTED HOUSE TOUR!
(Who wants to go inside a haunted house?)

THE DATE: September 13th, 2015 (Sunday)
THE PLACE: The Perry Mansion
3800 Homer St, Los Angeles, CA 90031 (Heritage Square Museum) (map)
THE TIMES: 6:00pm, 7:15pm, 8:30pm (The tour is about an hour long.)
ADMISSION: $13.00 (SOLD OUT)


Due to the restrictions of this 139 years old historic landmark, we will only be able to bring small groups into this house, and we only have allowed access to three haunted areas inside the walls of this protected building. 

NOTE: This is not a themed "haunted attraction" with special effects and costumed actors, nor is it a "ghost hunt" with psychics and equipment to record the presence of spirits. This is an evening of story-telling and an exploration of the buildings haunted lore... Simply put, This is an actual tour of an actual haunted house.

In a city known for its architecture, "house tours" are a common occurrence in Los Angeles. Although, there are many historic homes throughout the South-land with docent-led tours (who may mention rumors of hauntings), this in the very first "house tour" conducted in our city, where the focus is entirely on the ghostly inhabitants.

This event was inspired by Walt Disney's original vision of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, which involved taking small groups of people through an "old house," telling ghost stories along the way. Although that initial concept was rejected, GHOULA has always liked that idea and for the past couple of years has searched for a local house that had enough tales to tell to justify such a tour (and whose caretakers would let us tell them).

The "residence with the phantom presence" in question is the stately former home of William H. Perry (the largest house in Los Angeles when it was built in 1876), which is currently part of the Heritage Square Museum in the Arroyo Seco corridor. If you have ever taken the Pasadena Freeway (The 11O) between Downtown and Pasadena, then you have most likely seen it against the hills, next to the parkway, with the protected cluster of Victorian-era buildings. If you have ever wanted to pull off the freeway, go beyond those gates, and hear the strange stories the docents don't tell you. This is your chance...

Come join us on this one-of-a-kind HAUNTED HOUSE TOUR... if you dare!
...And if you dare, that house you normally drive past, will never look the same again!

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HAUNTED Red Line Tour!

When: June 28th, July 26th, August 30th, September 27th
(Each "Last Sunday" this summer)

Time: Tour starts at 7 pm (tour is about 3 hours)

Meeting Place: The palm tree-lined island in front of Union Station
800 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (map)

Price: FREE (donation-based) Tour
NOTE: Each person will need to purchase a Metro "Day Pass" ($7 + $1 "Tap Card"). Please purchase the Metro Pass (not a "Metrolink" ticket) before the meet-up to save time. The machines can be confusing, so look for metro "day fare" and not "add fare."

Parking: See below.

Los Angeles' lore is filled with tales of secret tunnels. Whether its supposed opium dens, rum-running passages, discontinued "Red Car" tunnels, munchkin transports, celebrity/mistress escape routes, or simply chambers belonging to a race of subterranean lizard people, many buildings and homes claim to be connected to other buildings and homes below street level (if only we could find their openings).

So, is there a better way to explore the haunted history of Los Angeles than by traveling underground from location to location via our very own (dead) Red Line Metro Subway with the other living dead of this city?

We will meet-up at Union Station (the starting point for the Red Line) and then travel through 13 stops to the North Hollywood Station (at the end of the line), getting off and on along the way. In addition to Union Station and the North Hollywood Station, we will stop at few other stations, step off the train, rise to street-level, and discuss the ghosts and haunted sites visible from that spot before going back aboard to the next stop on our tour.

Come out and hear spooky tales about a spirit solider, a vanishing padre, and a ghostly car. As well as many other phantom figures from our past that haunt our present.

(see a review of this tour here...)

Parking: Since everyone on the tour will need a Metro Day Pass to ride the subway, it is advisable to park at one of the FREE lots provided by the Metro at either the North Hollywood Station, our end point (map), or the Universal City Station (or any of the other free lots on connecting Metro lines), and then just take the Subway to Union Station to meet-up with the group (The lots around Union Station are expensive and may close early).

HAUNTED HOUSE TOUR!

(Above-the William H. Perry Residence as it appeared a century ago.)

GHOULA'S HAUNTED HOUSE TOUR!
(Who wants to go inside a haunted house?)

THE DATE: June 13th, 2015 (Saturday)
THE PLACE: The Perry Mansion
3800 Homer St, Los Angeles, CA 90031 (Heritage Square Museum) (map)
THE TIMES: 6:00pm, 7:15pm, 8:30pm (The tour is an hour long.)
ADMISSION: $13.00  (SOLD OUT!)


Due to the restrictions of this 139 years old historic landmark, we will only be able to bring 3 small groups into this house, so tickets to this unique event are very limited.

In a city known for its architecture, "house tours" are a common occurrence in Los Angeles. Although, there are many historic homes throughout the South-land with docent-led tours (who may mention rumors of hauntings), this in the very first time a "house tour" will be conducted in our city, where the focus is entirely on the ghostly inhabitants.

This event was inspired by Walt Disney's original vision of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, which involved taking small groups of people through an "old house," telling ghost stories along the way. Although that initial concept was rejected, GHOULA has always liked that idea and for the past couple of years has searched for a local house that had enough tales to tell to justify such a tour (and whose caretakers would let us tell them).

The "residence with the phantom presence" in question is the stately former home of William H. Perry (the largest house in Los Angeles when it was built in 1876), which is currently part of the Heritage Square Museum in the Arroyo Seco corridor. If you have ever taken the Pasadena Freeway (The 11O) between Downtown and Pasadena, then you have most likely seen it against the hills, next to the parkway, with the protected cluster of Victorian-era buildings. If you have ever wanted to pull off the freeway, go beyond those gates, and hear the strange stories the docents don't tell you. This is your chance...

Come join us on this one-of-a-kind HAUNTED HOUSE TOUR... if you dare!
...And if you dare, that house you normally drive past, will never look the same again!

NOTE: This is not a themed "haunted attraction" with special effects and costumed actors, nor is it a "ghost hunt" with equipment to record the presence of spirits. This is an evening of story-telling and an exploration of the buildings haunted lore... Simply put, This is an actual tour of an actual haunted house.

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