Hello and welcome back to the Most Amazing Channel on the internet!
I am your host Rebecca Felgate and today we are talking all about the Top 10 Scary New
York City Urban Legends Part 2.
You seemed to enjoy part one so much…so we are back at it again!
Have you been to NY?
10 - Dinner Ghost of
the West Village I love the village in New York!
Not only is it in my opinion one of the most beautiful parts of the city, it also has some
of the nicest restaurants.
I’ve never eaten at One if by Land, Two if by Sea but it is said to be a beautiful
old carriage house dating back to 1767.
The interior seems romantic, and at first glance, the scariest thing about this famed
eatery seems to be the price of dinner, but things get a whole lot spookier.
In fact, the old building is said to be haunted by not one but 20 ghosts.
When speaking to New York’s Eater Magazine, manager Rosanne Martino said she had seen
a lot of ghostly activity including picture frames tilting, flickering lights and even
plates flying off tables and smashing on the floor.
She even said that some waiters have tried to take orders from guests sitting at tables
only to find there is nobody there.
Some paranormal investigators believe a few of the 20 ghosts are famous, too!
One ghost could be that of former Vice President Aaron Burr, and another a former broadway
starlet who likes a candle to be lit for her.
9 - The Asylum of Roosevelt Island If you had a spare $4 – 5 thousand dollars
a month to spend on rent, you could live in the Octagon Building on Roosevelt Island.
Not only would you need to be wealthy, you’d also need to be pretty fearless as the former
lunatic asylum is said to be haunted.
The island itself, a stretch of land on the east river between Manhattan and Queens, used
to be known as Welfare Island because of the number of hospitals and institutions the spit
of land hosted.
The building was abandoned for nearly 50 years from 1955, until it was turned into apartments.
Residents of the building have occasionally come across sprectres, but it is widely reported
that pets categorically do not like the stairs, and dogs will regularly stop and bark at seemingly
nothing.
Do you want to be stuck on an Island with Ghosts?
No.
I don’t think you do.
Wanna hear more about Roosevelt Island….
If the haunted ex asylum didn’t warn me off sufficiently, I have to say that the old
Smallpox Hospital is the icing on the cake at number 8
In the middle of the East River stands the Renwick Ruins where over 30 thousand people
died of smallpox in the hospitals time.
I suppose it made sense to treat people with a disease as contagious as smallpox on an
island away from the majority of people… but think of what the dying must have thought
as they were trapped in quarantine overlooking the city, filled with people they love but
cant touch.
These days, the former 18th century gothic looking old hospital stands completely abandoned
and in ruins.
Spotlights light up the terrifying old building at night, making it look extra dramatic.
Locals don’t feel good about this place, with many reporting ghostly sightings.
The buildings rep hasn’t been enhanced by popular culture, either – in Marvel’s
Hell Cat, the hospital is taken over by a witch and her evil minions.
7 - Manhattan was Sawn in Half!
There is a very strange urban out there in NYC that once upon a time, New York was sinking.
The story was told in Scholar Benjamin Botkin’s 1976 book, New York City Folklore – he said
that in 1823 or 24, a contractor by the name of Lozier noticed that the southern end of
Manhattan was going to sink.
The only remedy was to saw the Island in half, turn the southern half around, and reattach
it.
Apparently all the labourers of New York got involved in the project – turning up in
swathes to save the city – only, when they turned up for the work, it was all an elaborate
rouse by Lozier, who had disappeared.
Why is it scary, Rebecca?
Two reasons really….
Imagine if it were true and the only way to stop a city from sinking was to cut it in
half and reattach it backwards?
Also, imagine being convinced the city was going to sink only to find that it was all
a joke…you’d wanna punch old Lozier.
What a card.
6 - Empire State Car Killer Driving in NYC is scary enough, but in Manhattan
urban legend has it that the Empire state building is a kind of Bermuda triangle for
cars.
For some reason, in 2008, it seemed that cars started breaking down within a 5 block radius
of the iconic 1930s landmark.
We all know about Ford’s Mustangs on the observation deck of the Empire State, but
has this car ju ju sent out weird vibes to jealous on road vehicles.
Ah…of all the ridiculous things I thought I might say today.
The Newyorker even wrote an article about the phenomena in 2008, saying that cars engines
would die and their locks would malfunction, but when they were towed away from the building,
they would miraculously work again.
The triple A breakdown services were saying it was happening to at least four cars a day.
Speculation has it that the weird ju ju is actually coming from a giant cluster of Antennas
at the top of the building.
Worrying.
next we’re going to have a little fun down on Coney Island at number 5
You’ll Get Stuck on the Coney Island Cyclone …. But you’ll have to delete your footage!
I love Coney Island.
I went in 2016 and had all the fun.
Coney Island was built ** In Coney Island’s Luna Park, you can ride one of the worlds
oldest rollercoasters – this honey is still made from wood!
The 91 year old coaster is an official New York City landmark and has only seen three
deaths in the last 35 years…so…you know...that being said, it has garnered a rep for being
the most dangerous coaster in America!
For me, riding an old rollercoaster is scary because….well….it’s old!
Wear and tear and all that.
Legend has it, if you ride the wooden dinosaur, there is a high chance you’ll get stuck.
I didn’t, but on Perez Hilton’s website he shared some snaps of some people that did….and
they had to walk down the tracks to safety!
Worse still, there are rumours the park will ask you to delete your footage if you capture
a break down in action.
Still…
I think its worth a trip to Coney Island!
4 - Grand Central Whisper Wall Grand Central is beautiful, isn’t it.
According to local legend, there is one part of Grand Central station that you can stand
in, and hear a person whisper from the opposite side.
It must be pretty spooky to stand there and here a disembodied voice whispering beside
you.
Apparently the phenomenon occurs near the Oyster Bar and Restaurant If you are standing
under 4 archways in the lower concourse, you’re able to whisper to people ten metres or so
away facing the opposite direction, making it perfect for spy chat!
Apparently during construction in the station, something happened to disturb the acoustics,
rendering the whispering walls defunct, although these days, its said that they’re back in
action.
Can you imagine what has been whispered into these walls?!
3 - The Headless Ghost of Brooklyn Bridge Aw, I think Brooklyn Bridge is beautiful.
The bridge that connects Dumbo in Brooklyn to the southern tip of Manhattan was built
in 1870 and has seen its fair share of wanderers, not only that – a number of construction
workers died building the bridge.
There are a lot of urban legends when it comes to one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks,
not to mention the cold war bunker that was found at the bridge, but the most prolific
tale is of the headless ghost who wanders up and down the bridge at night.
The headless figure is reported to be that of a worker who was decapitated in 1883 as
a cable snapped, and took his head with it.
Concerningly, the bridge is also a popular suicide spot.
Side note, when I was on Brooklyn Bridge a few years ago, I was alarmed to look up and
see a lady with a huge snake….apparently she is often there charging tourists for pictures.
2 - The Legend of Sid and Nancy and Room 100.
New York has seen its fair share of Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll, and we know how that often
ends.
In the 1978, New York was shocked and mystified by the death of Nancy Spungen, the girlfriend
of punk rocker, Sid Vicious.
Sid was an English rock n roll star who rose to fame as the bassist of the Sex Pistols.
Nancy was a groupie who became involved with Sid after being expelled from school and travelling
to London.
The young woman wasn’t well liked by public as the media were always displaying her as
lude, rude and outrageous, just like her boyfriend.
When the Sex pistols split in 78, the pair moved in to room 100 of the Hotel Chelsea
in New York where they spent their days getting high.
One October morning, Nancy was found dead with stab wounds to her stomach.
Sid was arrested for her murder but died of a heroine overdose before he could stand trial.
Who actually killed Nancy is up for debate, with many saying it was a botched robbery,
and others speculating she was killed by her dealer.
Others say Stand up comic, Rockets Redglare killed her….
The case was closed and never solved, but a lot of people still wonder today, and many
rock n roll tourists like to visit The Chelsea Hotel to see if they can feel the notorious’
couples presence.
Finally, coming in to number one….
1 - Mole People So in part one, we talked about sewer alligators
and crocs, but this time we are chatting mole people!
When the NYC subway opened in 1904, stories of underground dwellers started circulating,
but it wasn’t until the 1990s that Mole fever swept the city as firsthand accounts
started becoming wide spread.
It seems that a lot of citizens think there are communities of people living in the lost
tunnels of the Subway.
There were a lot of rumours about these dwellers, some day they can see in the dark and that
they speak their own language.
Some even went as far as to say that the dwellers were cannibals.
It turns out, there are people living down there, but very few and generally speaking
they are down on their luck homeless people desperately trying to avoid being hit by trains.
SO that was the Top 10 Scary New York City Urban Legends - here is what you had to say
about part one!
Next do scary Walmart Urban Legends… ha…
I am kind of up for that!
Never Ending Purpose said: Very interesting, thank you for posting.
I never knew or heard about the ghost train concerning the hell gate bridge but I have
heard that back in the 1800s or so, many ships were sunk due to severe undercurrents and
that there was one ship that had a lot of gold on it.
To this day, it has yet to be discovered.
I would also love for you to cover north and south brother islands that are between Queens
and the Bronx.
North brother island has a lot of history, including Typhoid Mary.
Also, Hart’s island just off of the Bronx, which is home to potters.
Fort Schuyler and Fort Totten would also be great topics.