Something Strange in Your Neighborhood? Who Ya Gonna Call? Trolley Tour!

I’m happy to report that things have been going pretty well here in blogland over the past few weeks.  In fact, things have been going so amazingly that the RCVB recently gave me funding approval to take on another unpaid intern for my adventures.  So, in addition to unpaid intern #1 (read: wife), I’ll now have a rotating unpaid intern #2 (for this post, read: mom) on board for extra perspective.

Now that fall is officially here, it’s time to get into the haunting spirit of Halloween.  So, in addition to the pumpkin I will be carving later this evening (Goldy Gopher, though, we’ll see how well the finished product turns out), I decided that going on the “Haunted Rochester Trolley Tour”, being offered by the Rochester Tour Company, would be the perfect way to get a little fright in my life.

I was also super excited that I’d be getting a heaping spoonful of Rochester history.  I always love learning new things about this fine city, and hearing about “unmarked graves, unsettled bones, and grave robbers” promised to shine some light on some of Rochester’s less than pristine moments.

With the tour starting promptly at 6pm, this professional blogger and his crew made sure to arrive fifteen minutes early to commence with the mental prep that I mentioned in my last post (Rochester Tour Company also requests that you arrive fifteen minutes early, but that’s just a coincidence).

Upon boarding our new home for the next two and a half hours, we were gently serenaded by the sweet sounds of Ray Parker, Jr’s “Ghost Busters” (or was it Huey Lewis?).  We then had the good fortune of meeting our tour guide for the evening, Nick Ozment: Master of the Macabre, and after a brief discussion on the finer works of John Donne and Edgar Allen Poe, we were on our way.

Our first stop had us looking up at a four-story limestone mansion built in 1929.  It is built upon a Native American burial ground, and as you will learn on the tour, has been the site of some very suspicious happenings over the years. 

Darkness had set in by the time we deboarded at Quarry Hill, our next stop on the tour, so it was time to turn on the trusty old flashlight.  After walking up to the cemetery at the park, we soaked up some more information about its past, as well as learned about its “Dead Man’s Bridge”.  I remember hearing many different stories about Dead Man’s Bridge when we used to go to Quarry Hill on school field trips, but it was great to get a little more info on exactly how and why it came to have that moniker.

I don’t want to play spoiler and mention the rest of the tour stops specifically, but I will tell you that you’ll hear some interesting stories about the Mayo family that you wouldn’t hear on the daytime tours through campus.  Plus, you’ll also hear the story about a man who correctly predicted his own demise!

I will spoil this, however: Be sure to dress warmly.  Between the cold fall weather and the chills that will be running down your spine, you’ll want to bundle up!

For more information on the Haunted Rochester Trolley Tour, as well as all their other great tour offerings, visit: http://www.rochestermntours.com/sightseeing_tours.html.  Another exciting tidbit to mention: The Haunted Rochester Trolley Tour’s Sunday stop will be going into the Plummer House!  Space is filling up fast, so be sure to register soon.  If you’re unable to make it this weekend, the Haunted Trolley tour is also available for chartering.

Coming up in my next post:

By popular demand, I’m once again heading to Mayowood!  This time for the famous Mayowood Christmas Tour, which features the beautiful mansion’s rooms decorated for the holidays by local individuals, clubs, and businesses.  I’m also hoping that being exposed to Christmas cheer earlier in November will cure my personal holiday tradition of doing all my shopping on the night of December 24th. Until then!

So Just Chili, Til’ the Next Episode

I hope you’re sitting down as you read this, because, frankly, I’m about to pull the rug out from under you.  You see, holding down this position as a blogger for the RCVB isn’t all glitz and glamour.  There’s a lot of toiling behind the scenes that goes into creating these diamonds that I drop in your lap twice a month, and part of that work is making sure I go into each adventure with the proper mental preparation.

As I prepped for the Boys and Girls’ Club Chili Challenge, a fundraiser that would offer about 30 different types of chili to taste, I visualized myself at the event and a few things became readily apparent to me:

1) At some point during the tastings, I would spill on my shirt.  There’s barely a day that goes by in my life where I don’t spill on myself.  I’m not exactly sure why I’m so food un-coordinated, but over the years, instead of trying to prevent it, I’ve decided to just embrace it.  Which I’m sure is something the unpaid intern (read: wife) loves.

2) Upon leaving the challenge, the roof of my mouth, and/or my tongue would be burned.  Over my [redacted] years on this planet, I’ve learned that there are few things on this planet that hold their heat as well as chili.  In fact, I’m pretty sure that if a set a bowl out in the morning, went to work, then came home and had a bite, it would still be 200 degrees somehow.  Other than Cap’n Crunch and Sour Patch Kids, there is nothing the roof of my mouth dreads more than Chili.  However, the fact that it’s delicious means that I’d gladly sacrifice its top layer of skin to properly enjoy a bowl.

3) My forehead would be sweating.  Whether it came from the spice level of the chili (preferred), the warmth of the chili raising my core temperature, or the temperature of graham arena being raised by the 30 different booths cooking and the body heat of hundreds of attendees, it was inevitable.

After those realizations were pondered, I was ready for some action.  The unpaid intern (read: wife) and I headed down to the Graham Arena so I could get my chili on.

We arrived to find the chili challenge buzzing with activity, which was great to see since the event is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester.  We purchased our tickets, received our ballots for voting on the “Peoples’ Choice” and “Spicy Spirit” (best decorated booth and most enthusiastic team), and ventured inside.

Now, heading into an event where you will be tasting chili after chili, it’s important to first size up the layout of the booths and formulate a plan of attack.  I consulted briefly with the intern and we were able to create my ideal tasting route.

One of the first chilis I tasted was “A Chili’s Heal” (love the name!), which was entered by the Boquet Companies Luxury Rental Townhomes.  This chili was presented so well, that I almost felt bad eating it.  But then I realized that it was chili and it would be mad at me if I didn’t eat it.

As I worked my way through the different booths (Kahler Hotel, ZZest Culinary Market and Wine Café, Canadian Honker, Knudsen Construction, Somerby Golf Club, Mac’s Café, Zumbro River Café, to name a few), I kept looking for one that would have something spicy to offer.  That love connection was made when I got to Himec at Home’s booth, which offered the option of putting “Smart Ass Salsa” on my chili.  I responded with a resounding “yes”, and the sweaty forehead vision became reality!   Visual evidence provided below.

Winding your way through the booths, it was impossible not to notice the Mayo Clinic Knowledge & Encounter Research (KER) Unit, whose staff was decked out in Wizard of Oz costumes, and whose booth had been given the same treatment.  The booth and the costumes all turned out beautifully, and I would have been comfortable betting my most expensive pair of ruby slippers that they would win the “Spicy Spirit” award (their chili was delicious as well).

After a courageous battle, all the chili in my stomach began to slow my roll.  It became apparent that while mentally, I may have wanted to taste all the chilis offered, physically, it probably wasn’t going to happen.  I gave it my best shot, but there would be no joy in Mudville on this day.

After staying and chatting with some friends a little while longer, and was time to cast my ballots and bid the chili challenge adieu.  However, as everyone knows, after completing intense physical activity, it’s very important to make sure you cool down properly.  A chili challenge is no exception to this rule.  Thankfully, we were at the Graham Arena and I was able to take care of that with ease.

Coming up in my next post:

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley.  Ding, ding, ding went the bell.  I will be heading out on a Rochester Trolley tour, which promises a “lighthearted tour of Rochester’s top sites and attractions.”  It sounds like the perfect thing to do on a beautiful fall day, so I’m really looking forward to it.  Until then!