Highlights from July's SWS

Thank you all who came out to the Basement Bar. This subterranean bar was filled with people wearing the GHOULA buttons. Thank you to the Santa Monica Lookout for the article they published about our event. (to read the article...)

On a previous visit, the bar staff recommended that GHOULA come back and talk to the the staff of the "restaurant" upstairs, which was busy with a private event that day. So, GHOULA was at "The Victorian" earlier in the day on the 13th, and talked to a woman in the office, who said that upstairs (as in the restaurant above the Basement Bar), they do not talk about "Delia," and they do not discuss the ghosts of the house. Apparently, this policy is because many people choose this beautiful Victorian home by the beach to be the location of their wedding, and the upstairs management fears that couples will not want to be married in "haunted house."

When asked about the restaurant, GHOULA was told that there is no restaurant, and that the upstairs is only used for private events. When pressed further, she clarified that there is no "dinner service" and the upstairs is locked up at night (unless there is an event).

When GHOULA arrived for SPIRITS with SPIRITS (and as all those in attendance saw) the upstairs was filled with people enjoying a romantic diner in the house. When asked, the upstairs bartender said that they are open for dinner every night of the week (unless there is an event). Perhaps the woman in the office just didn't want us to come back.

When asked about ghosts, the upstairs bartender said that he had never seen anything. However, when we asked the a waitress, she said "no," but wished she had had an experience like "some people," and she discreetly pointed at the bartender. So, it would seem he had experienced something after all, and just didn't want to tell his story, or as indicated earlier... maybe the upstairs staff is not allowed to discuss the ghosts.

Luckily, downstairs no such rules exist, and our bartender for the night in the Basement Bar shared his personal story with members of our group. He claimed that late one night, after hours, he and another staff member heard footsteps overhead on the floor above them. Knowing that the building was locked up, and they were the only ones there, they went up to investigate. Once satisfied they were indeed alone, they returned to the basement only to hear the the footsteps again.

Lastly, for what its worth, one of the members in attendance "received" the word MASTER on her ghost hunting app on her iphone. Could that be a reference to Mr. Kyte, the original owner of the house, who was the "master" of the Southern California Masonic lodges?

(to read more ghost stories about this location...)

July's SPIRITS with SPIRITS

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let's put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff.

NOTE: There will be an important announcement concerning the future of GHOULA at this gathering.

THE DATE: July 13th, 2011 (Wednesday)
THE PLACE: The Basement Bar
(hidden under "The Victorian" -- entrance is around back
at the door with an eye painted on it)
2640 Main Street, Santa Monica (Map)THE TIME: 8:00pm to 11:00pm

THE GHOSTS:
There seems to be two kinds of haunted bars in Los Angeles. The kind that hides their haunted history, and the sort that celebrate their ghosts. Luckily for us, the "Basement Bar" hidden underneath "The Victorian" restaurant in Santa Monica is one of the latter. Not only do they love to talk about their ghosts, they even have a signature drink ("The Delia") named after their most seen spectre.

Before this Queen Anne style Victorian house, known locally as the "Kyte House," was converted into one of Santa Monica's swankiest restaurants, and before this historic home was moved from it's original location at 1003 Ocean Ave (on the corner of Ocean and Washington), it was the residence of Delia. This little old lady was the last caretaker of this stately abode, and little else is known about her. There is a story floating around that shortly after the restaurant opened (then called "The Chronicle"), Delia's relatives came by to find out if anyone there knew where Delia had moved to after the house moved. Whatever became of Delia is any one's guess, but what is agreed upon is that her spirit seems to have ended up at this new address. Sightings of her continue to this day, and have occurred all over the building. By all accounts this elderly phantom seems to be harmless, and minds her own business.

Then, there is the dark form of a man seen lurking in the shadows of this establishment. Nothing is really known about this figure or his connection to the structure, but one can speculate. According to the restaurant's website, the home was built in 1897, though other sources indicated 1900 or 1901. Either way, the then young port city of Santa Monica was a tough and sometimes dangerous place to live. Back then, Angelenos used to joke that passengers of the trolley lines that cut through Santa Monica should be blindfolded until they rode past. Raymond Chandler would eventually immortalize this darker side of this sunny city in his hard-nosed detective novels using the code name "Bay City." Could this shifty ghost be that of a criminal from a past era?

Or, could this restless male spirit be that of the house's original owner, Dr. George I. Kyte, whose obituary stated he was the "Master of the Southern California Masonic Lodge?' Did that secret society conduct secret ceremonies within this innocuous-looking building's walls? Were men in dark, hooded robes practicing possibly pagan rituals in the same rooms where diners eat today? For what its worth, it is also known that his wife's funeral was held inside this home, when those kind of practices were common. Could she actually be the old lady said to haunt this establishment?

Is there a better place to dwell upon these questions than the dark, spooky basement of a haunted Victorian mansion? So come out, have a drink, and maybe bump into a ghost at Santa Monica's Basement Bar... if you dare.

(to see last month's location...)
(to read more about the ghosts of this location...)

REAL GHOSTS with REEL GHOSTS

DATE: July 4th (Monday)
TIME: 8:00pm
PLACE: Silent MovieTheater
611 North Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles(map)
MOVIE: Insidious (2010)
ADMISSION: $10.00

Your chance to see this movie about ghosts in an actual haunted theater! (Note: this event is not hosted by GHOULA, and is just an event our members should know about. Thus, the event staff may not answer any questions regarding their ghosts.)

The Silent Movie Theater is said to be haunted by ghosts in the lobby and projection booth. (to read more about this theater's ghost...)

(for more info on this event...)

Happy 4th of GHOULY!

Every year, GHOULA pays tribute to this great country by profiling a ghost from American pop-culture that has ties to Southern California. This year, we spotlight video game royalty.

Is there a greater icon (graphically speaking) from the 1980's that is more universally recognized than that of Pac-Man, the yellow circle missing a wedge that starred in the enormously popular video arcade game of the same name, as well as numerous sequels and various off-shoots through the decades and various game platforms.

Never far from this electronic superstar are Pac-Man's four colorful villains, commonly thought to be ghosts (or monsters that turn into ghosts), and known by many names, depending on the language the game uses, but in the United States they're called Shadow, Speedy, Bashful, and Pokey. As such, these mischievous spectres may represent the first time a video game tackled the issue of the "after life" in the context of the character's world.

Granted, these complex ground-breaking, and gender barrier breaking, characters in the otherwise monochromatic, and simple world of 1980's video games were created in Japan. It is worth noting the popular Saturday morning cartoon show based of the game (1982-1983), which not only definitively called Pac-Man's enemies "ghosts" and renamed them, using their popular nicknames, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, was created right here in Los Angeles at the (now defunct) Hanna-Barbera Studios at 3400 Cahuenga Blvd. (The former site of a "Monkey Island" attraction).

GOD BLESS AMERICA'S GHOSTS! Happy 4th of July, everyone!
(to see last year's ghost from American pop culture...)