Monday, October 31, 2005

City Hall Ghost Walk



In the San Francisco Examiner there was an announcement in the "What's Happening" section that there was a free City Hall Ghost Walk from 6:30 to 8:30 on Halloween.



Since the place is so full of spirits that any halfway sensitive medium can feel them during the middle of the day, I figured it might be fun and interesting.



It started well, with the beautiful building dimly lit and people handing out disclaimer forms that were quite amusing. "By joining the walk, I swear and affirm that I either have not been diagnosed with any of the following conditions or maladies, or they are under medical control: Angina, Apoplexy, Attention Deficit Disorder, Colic, Dizziness, Epilspsy, Extra-Sensory Peception, Fibrillation, Hyperglycemia, Hypertension, Hypoglycemia, Mental Instability, Nerve Damage, Paranoia, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Pre/Post-Menstrual Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Vapors."



The tour guide was dressed as death and at first was interesting, but soon became boring like any Village Explainer who is dully literal. It seems to be an occupational hazard of all docents.



The group giving the walk was called San Francisco City Guides, and was founded in the late 1970s as an adjunct to the Friends of the Public Library. It's become quite the empire with dozens of free-but-begging-for-donations themed walks scheduled daily around San Francisco year round. For $100, you can enroll in their initiation curriculum, and become a Boring Guide yourself. Click here if you'd like more information.



After learning that City Hall was the fifth largest domed building in the world, we decided to leave and not continue the spooky tour. We finally remembered those "Vapors" we'd had years ago.

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