I visited New Orleans when I was 21. It was the 90’s and Ann Rice’s "Interview With The Vampire" was everywhere. I was a huge Nine Inch Nails fan, and my only goal was to go to New Orleans and meet Trent Reznor. My boyfriend at the time and I, along with two close friends headed out to explore this unfamiliar city.

We quickly realized that Trent Reznor, despite owning a house there, was nowhere to be found. I don’t remember a lot about this trip except walking down Bourbon Street with beads flying at us from every direction ( we didn’t have to flash). Ann Rice’s house was beautiful, and Jimmy Buffet was a huge deal, with his signature drink, The Hurricane, which was basically made of alcohol and sugar. The most memorable thing about that trip was an infamous quote from my friend Binzy  "There are 2 places Trent Reznor has never been, my house and this club. Let's fucking go."

Fast forward 20 and here I am traveling again and excited to revisit this city. I had a completely different idea of what I would see vs what the reality is. It’s 2022. We all just lived through a pandemic and that brought on so many challenges to everyone. This city also went through some of the most devastating events in history, Hurricane Katrina followed by Hurricane Ida just one year later. (I just want to pause for a minute and have a minute of silence for all the human and animals lives lost during the hurricanes.)

As I researched my trip, I talked with several friends who frequent New Orleans and I also joined a bunch of New Orleans groups on Facebook. I also reached out to a friend in Texas to get some idea of where to stay and what sights he and his partner recommended. (Check out the.glass.coffin on Instagram.) I gathered up all of my information and headed out to experience this city once again.

On my list of things to do was a cemetery tour. I had just recently returned from a trip to Los Angeles to see my best friend. We had visited several cemeteries and paid tribute to many actors that have now passed on to the next realm. I have always felt very peaceful in graveyards and cemeteries. I have lost a lot of loved ones and I always felt as though when I visited their grave sites I was paying tribute to their memory. It was always as positive of an experience as you could have considering the heartbreaking circumstances. The point of this is that when I booked a cemetery tour in New Orleans I thought we were going to see some sights and pay tribute, but it quickly took a very dark turn.

I know several paranormal investigators. I feel that with a lot of things in life people approach situations differently. The paranormal investigators that I associate with are trying to help people who are residing in a place that has some sort of dark entity there. The investigators go in and try to calm the noises and other activity to help ease the minds of the owners of the property. In my personal experience I don’t feel as though these certain investigators I know are trying to antagonize the spirit or be disrespectful at all. However, something just didn’t sit right with me when we were in the cemetery and the tour guide was telling people to walk all around and try to get these spirits to appear and then was giving the crowd copper sticks for people to just yell out questions to the spirits.

Whenever I go to a cemetery or graveyard I say a little prayer in my mind. I tell the spirits I mean no harm, that I come in peace and I thank them for letting me visit. I touch nothing and I do not disturb anything. I am extremely mindful of where I am walking and also try to stay on the walk ways and not walk across the actual grave. I often leave offerings if felt drawn to do so as another way of showing gratitude. On this particular tour I literally saw a tourist rolling on top of a strangers grave site. I just felt like this behavior was so disrespectful.

The burial process in New Orleans is very unique. They place your body in a biodegradable bag and place it in an above ground tomb which is sealed for one year and one day. Due to the high temperatures the tomb essentially cooks the body and breaks everything down to “dust”. Then the remains are swept into a holding space so more bodies can be placed inside the tomb. Due to the burial process in New Orleans, if there is a heavy rainstorm bones can wash out of the tombs and onto the walkways. This particular night at the cemetery a bone had washed up onto the sidewalk. I saw tourists touching the bone that had washed out. None of this was acceptable behavior to me. It is so important to teach the people to respect the cemetery. The guide went on to talk about what happened during Hurricane Katrina. I felt as though trying to "bother" the spirits there was just in bad taste.

The most interesting place I visited was the Museum of Death. It had a lot of memorabilia from serial killers on display. Charles Manson’s prison shirt, letters from Jeffrey Dahmer, clothes from Aileen Wuornos, various original tools that morticians used, and Dr Kevorkian’s suicide machine. The most shocking piece was a picture of Nicole Brown Simpson’s crime scene. That image definitely made me sad. For all the souls lost from violence may you Rest In Peace. The staff was very nice and I liked that they burned Palo Santo inside the store front so you were cleansed when you left. Overall the place was educational and definitely not scary.

Now, On to my own personal paranormal experience, which happened at the Hotel Lamonthe.

This building is so unique and beautiful. It’s very old but I liked that they kept the vintage look to it while making sure it was clean with modern touches. The first night I was sitting in the hot tub all alone and I saw someone walk across the courtyard, just quickly passing from one side of the trees to the other. I didn’t think anything of it, as I figured it was just a worker. The next morning while talking to the housekeeper she informed me that no one was working at night and that I saw the spirit that lives there that often crosses that path during the night.

When I went upstairs to the room to go to bed, I just kept noticing that the middle bedroom that I had to cross over to get to the back bedroom where I was staying was significantly colder then the rest of the rooms. I got into bed and tried to sleep. I dreamed of a baby wrapped in a old yellow fleece blanket. It was scary and had dark energy and was on the floor between the wall and the bed. I literally said in my dream, “No we aren’t doing this,” meaning whatever you are trying to show me I want no part of it. I didn’t have any other nightmares in that room after that. I later found out that there are several spirits still lingering in the rooms of that hotel.

The last night of the trip I switched hotels to The Haunted Hotel. This hotel is known for the ad murders that took place there. Ironically I had an amazing experience there. The rooms were clean and cute and the staff was so accommodating. I got the best nights sleep there. I also did a photo shoot with Zakk Conner late at night outside on the balcony walkway. As we were setting up to shoot the worker yelled up to me that he liked my outfit and for us to have a great time. As we started shooting I glanced down and the worker was in the office working on his own art and it was just a beautiful experience of 3 people just vibing and creating art.

With each journey I take, it isn’t just about being a tourist and taking pictures. I learn so much about myself as a person. I learned a couple significant things on this trip. Just because people survive tragedy doesn’t mean you can’t feel their pain and sadness. I do believe that spirits are always around us, and it’s OK to acknowledge them. Even though the pandemic is in a very different state than 2 years ago, its effect devastated cities that rely on bars and restaurants for income. The restaurant and bar industry was completely destroyed. Please be respectful to these hard workers. Please understand that everyone’s jobs are important in lives. Treat each other with kindness and ALWAYS TIP!

The world is still going through a very difficult time in history it costs nothing to be kind to one another. The news does NOT show the reality of what is really going on in certain places. It was NOT safe to just walk around. Tt was NOT safe at night. Common sense and being alert was definitely a priority while visiting there. I pray for better times for everyone.

Until next time, Hugs n hisses
Jenny

Visit my website at www.hugsnhisses.com

I asked my friend Bill to write a little recap of what it was like in Asbury back in the 70’s.

Bill: Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll and The Stone Pony.
ME: You had me at sex,drugs and Rock n Roll.
Bill: So many New Jersey musicians graced the Stone Pony’s stage. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Gary U.S. Bonds and many more. The club has evolved its taste in musical performers to stay current but it’s not unheard of for some of these earlier acts to make an appearance at an unannounced show. The music and bar scene gave the city a heartbeat albeit a faint one. Attendees would come into the town for a show and promptly leave afterwards, if your car was not stolen, breathing a sigh of relief once the town line was reached.
ME: Asbury was a rough town at one point, wasn't it?
BILL: Yes, but after many false starts and half measures, the outlook for the city has improved. The Gay community, has embraced the area and has lead the resurgence.
ME: Congrats to the LGBTQ community!
BILL: The vacated houses are being renovated and new classier bars such as the Wonder Bar, The Brick Wall and several breweries have opened. The art scene has also improved, with many murals present in the boardwalk area.
ME: Yes! We are heading to visit the Wooden Walls later
​Bill: Live music lives on with shows at The Stone Pony and it’s outdoor stage, the Convention Center located on the boardwalk and extending over the ocean, and many other venues. The city has emerged from those bleak days of old and while it still has some work to do in reducing its crime statistics and rehabilitating it’s image, positive steps have been made.

Thank you Bill. With all this information and an idea of where I wanted to go, my girlfriend Danielle, who is also a photographer, joined me for this little 2 part road trip.

The first trip consisted of us mainly looking for shells on the beach, finding an amazing thrift store ( Rebel Supply Company) and a candy store. However, we did come across the Berkeley Hotel.  Supposedly the hotel has had paranormal activity for over 100 years. In 1934, the S.S. Morro cruise ship exploded and washed ashore yards from the hotel entrance.  The local people say this caused the hotel to have paranormal activity. During Halloween time the hotel offers guided ghost tours.  The locals also say the convention hall on the boardwalk has paranormal activity as well

As Danielle and I headed back to Asbury for the second time we had to visit this shop in town called Paranormal Books & Curiosities.  They sell different books, crystals, sage, t-shirts, tarot cards etc. I wanted to visit this place because in October they do several different events such as pumpkin carvings, and a witch celebration, and in December they do a meet up for a day long Krampus Film Festival event. Visitors can dress up like Krampus and take pictures with the Krampus characters.

If you aren’t familiar with what Krampus, it’s a horned figure in Alpine Folklore, who during the Christmas season scares children who have misbehaved.

(Obviously Covid limited all events and cancelled a lot of festivities. Hoping in 2021 that these will return.)
​
The shop is definitely a unique cute place to visit and I definitely recommend checking them out on Facebook.

Asbury is also home to one of the biggest costumed gatherings, known as The Zombie Walk.  The Zombie Walk is a gathering of people who dress up in zombie costumes.  During the Walk, all participants are encouraged to remain in character as zombies, lurching, shambling, dragging limbs and communicating only in a zombie-like manner.  All The Walking Dead fans rejoice that this is a real thing!

​The New Jersey Zombie Walk set the Guinness World Record for the “Largest gathering of zombies” two separate times. In 2010 the record was claimed with 4,093 undead counted on the Asbury Park Boardwalk and then was later reclaimed in 2013 with 9,592 zombies.

Another great attraction is The Wooden Walls Project.It is beautiful artwork that is displayed outside.  Around the corner from the art there is a tunnel with amazing artwork in it and local musicians were playing inside the tunnel as well.

At the beginning of the tunnel there is a gate which people hung up “love locks” that’s just what I call it. I’m not sure of the proper name but the meaning behind it is so beautiful.  You take a padlock and you lock the lock onto the fence as a symbol of your love. You can engrave a message or your initials into the padlock. Leaving a lasting mark of your journey together. As I was looking through the locks I came across several dog collars. I started to tear up. I recently said goodbye to my 14 year old lab, Miss Penny Jean, and I thought to myself what a beautiful message to hang on this fence.

Here’s my take on it...

Love is loving yourself
Love is loving your partner no matter what that love looks like straight or
( LGBTQ)
Love is your family
Love is your friends

And LOVE is the unconditional love from a fur baby that is the greatest gift anyone could ever experience in this short time we have on earth.  Of all the things I have seen on my road trips seeing those dog collars locked to that fence will forever be one of my favorite most heartfelt genuine things to ever become a beautiful memory in my mind.
​
I set out to Asbury to explore different Halloween Spooky attractions but wound up with a life lesson about love.

As I walked out of that tunnel and back to my car to leave I thought back to this simple lyric from Bruce Springsteen’s "Tunnel of Love"

“Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us
You, me and all that stuff we're so scared of
Gotta ride down, baby, into this tunnel of love”

Love is just a crazy ride and I can’t wait to experience that again.
Thank you Asbury!
Until next time
Hugs n Hisses
Jenny

Instagram: Haunter Who
www.facebook.com/HaunterWho

Jenny: Ricky we first met standing in line to meet Andrew McCarthy at a horror convention ( I love AndrewMcCarthy!). We became friends and you inspired me to write an article about that encounter and now here are years later and I wanted to share your knowledge about conventions and collecting with everyone.

So, when did you start collecting?

Ricky: I started collecting in 2008 after my first convention in Cherry Hill, NJ called Monster Mania. The minute I saw the vendors room I was hooked.

Jenny:What is the most important tip about collecting items?

Ricky: The only tip I can give is when you see something that you like or if something has a limited release don’t hesitate. buy it.

Jenny: I can see that certain items will be more popular depending on what is trending. It reminds me of the Cabbage Patch Doll wars of the 80’s. That was a real thing! I remember I wanted a Cabbage Patch doll so bad and my great grandparents had to brave the harsh world of Toys R Us to try and get one for me for Christmas. Then I wasn’t allowed to open it because it would lose its value. How does that makes any sense?!!! Of course I opened it!

How do you feel about opening the pieces you buy? What is the stigma with opening it vs not opening it?

Ricky: Professional collectors will not open their items because it will lose its value and I personally think stuff looks better in the packages, boxes or hanging on the wall.

Jenny: What was your worst experience with an item?

Ricky: I haven't really had any bad experiences buying an item. Not yet anyway.
You just have to make sure the prices are reasonable.

Jenny: What is your favorite convention moment besides meeting me LOL?!

Ricky: Well you're definitely up there that’s definite but meeting Corey Haim and David Hess. Corey was definitely and still is my favorite Corey! He was just a great dude and totally missed. David Hess is my idol. A great actor and a great singer. I met him at the Chiller Theatre Convention around 2009 or 2010. He asked me if I saw the remake to “Last House on the Left” and I responded with, "Yeah it was ok." He flat out said it SUCKED !!!!. He said “I don’t usually bash other movies but this had no depth, nothing!!!” I thought to myself ....there it is ......that’s from the man Krug himself!!!! Those 2 experiences are definitely my favorite picks.

Jenny: WOW!!! I would have loved to have met Corey Haim! I met Corey Feldman but I always had a special place in my heart for Corey Haim. I think at this point everyone knows my favorite movie is "The Lost Boys" and Corey Haim was my first crush. I fell in love with him and Nanuk. He was such an amazing actor and is truly missed.

Ricky: The conventions allow us fans to connect with the actors and actresses on a more up close and personal level. There are different options to take pictures with them, sign merch or both. It is important to have whatever you want signed and ready to go for them. Don’t hold up the line!

Also please remember they are human beings and are meant to be treated with respect. They are there to do a job and our job is to be polite and respectful.
There is a sense of belonging to a group of people. Everyone there is passionate about the genre. It is fun to be in a setting where everyone comes together for their love and passion of Horror and we all get to be our authentic selves. We all have so much in common that it is easy to make new friends and connections. We are one big horror family!

​I’m hoping for a safe way to get back to conventions in 2021.

Jenny: Would you say the celebrities are a bigger thrill then the vendors or vice versa? Or are both equally important? For me I personally like to see what vendors are there. I like discovering new artists. It is so important to support new art. There are so many talented people making great things that you would never even know about unless you went to these conventions.

I met a lady named Elsie who made horror themed pillows. She recently passed away from stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Meeting her and seeing her work was an amazing experience. She will be missed dearly. I would have never have known about her business had I not gone to that convention.

Ricky: For me both are equally important but maybe more of the vendors because I made so many friends like Terry Cruikshank a brilliant artist that passed away around 2013. He was such an amazing person and artist and I miss seeing him. I love seeing all the unique stuff people make the one of a kind creativity is remarkable.

Jenny: As an artist and someone who designs merch I feel it is so important to have the unique vendors out there. People are going there to buy the same type of merch over and over but maybe just maybe they will see your unique designs and branch out.  I always tell other artists don’t give up because there are us people out there that enjoy different unique art. There is room for everyone!

Jenny: What would you change about conventions?

Ricky: Me personally I’d love to see more under the radar guests.

Jenny: I agree! I would love to see a more diversified crowd of celebrities. I have to admit certain conventions have the same people over and over and over. I would love to support more up and coming talent.

Jenny: What are the “must haves” for conventions?

Ricky: Well for me I come with my coffee maker, microwave and food. Shit cost money at these conventions lol! Make sure you bring your stuff that’s getting signed. Lists help. Deodorant is a must have definitely can’t forget that!

Jenny: I have mentioned this before about conventions. For some very odd reason it’s always as hot as the depths of hell in these places and there is definitely a strange smell going around. I would like to throw out there a HUGE tip to the men who are in plastic, heavy material, latex, leather outfits ... use baby powder. Air out your outfits and wipe them down with Downy fabric spray after each day. Deodorant is always a must.

Jenny: What inspired you to start a YouTube channel?

Ricky: I made short little funny videos on Facebook and Instagram and people suggested I should make a YouTube channel. At first I was like ehh but then I was like hey ok I can do this I’m going for it lol.

I get to unbox all of my collectibles and everyone gets a intimate tour of my movies, shirts and items. I talk in detail about all the items. If you are interested in a certain item but aren’t sure you want to spend the money you can get a preview about it from my channel etc.

Jenny: What message would you like to get out to everyone?

Ricky: Just do what makes you happy don’t worry about everyone else. Just be you!
​
Jenny: That is the number one rule to life! Be your authentic true self.

Jenny: Would you ever consider opening up your home for tours like Rob Zombie did you show off his collectibles? (Obviously when the world opens up again).

Ricky: Lol in the future maybe but I don’t think I’m to that point yet... but I am getting there. As you can see from the pictures my collection is definitely giving Rob a run for his money!

Jenny: What are you most passionate about?

Ricky: My movies and my collecting. I am not too fond of remakes. I know what I like. I really don’t get hooked on the nostalgia part. I live in the 80s lol. As far as my collection I collect a lot of different stuff but it is mainly horror. Although, I love my Power Ranger dragon dagger and Saba saber #hashtagnerd!

Jenny: The 80’s were the greatest time to be alive. The 80’s theme was “have fun and don’t take yourself so seriously”. It was a time of Rock N’ Roll and living free. What do you like most about the 80’s?

Ricky: Ahh the 80's, yes the greatest time to be a kid. What can I say? Everything in the 80s ruled. From the movies, music, cartoons. Going to the video store and actually renting the movies. I don’t miss getting a membership because you had to show paystubs, gas bills electric bill proof of address it was like the DMV! All that aside the 80’s were and will always be the best.

Jenny: I remember going to the video store and it was always a thrill to go to the Horror section because it was always hidden off in a corner somewhere. It felt like a secret society. Kids today will never know the thrill of rushing to the store to get the latest video rental on a Friday night.

Jenny: What is your top 80’s item? Would you say 80’s items are your most collected items?

Ricky: most of my collection is 80's related but If I had to pick it’ll be my Slimer or my Chucky doll. It’s really hard to pick. I have so many awesome pieces.
​
Jenny: The Chucky doll freaks me out. I’ve always been afraid of dolls. I feel like they have little evil souls trapped in them. I can thank that movie for scaring me for life!

Jenny: Lastly but definitely not least, your vest. It inspired me to make my own jean jacket full of flair! The fashion gods were pleased with your pieces can you elaborate on how it came about?

Ricky: Well I had a jean vest and started putting patches and buttons on it but it looked like complete shit it was just too tacky. I wasn’t happy with it. So I bought a size smaller cause the other one was like a 5x and I just added pins I bought. I used e5000 glue to make sure they wouldn’t come off. After each convention I spray it down with Febreze(tm) because I don’t want to smell like a bag of asses meeting people!

Jenny: What are some of the pins on there? What’s your favorite one? Why do people seem to have taken to this trend of vests or jackets with flair?

Ricky: That’s a hard question kinda but if I had to pick one special one my Joe Spinell "Maniac" pin. I guess it’s special because my friend/twin Giulia got it for me as a gift.

Jenny:Thank you so much Ricky for taking the time to chat with me and I look forward to your next YouTube video!

Facebook: Rick Flecha
IG: RickyBull666
YouTube: Rick Flecha TheVHSGod

Facebook: HugsNHisses

IG: GenevieveTarot1111

www.hugsnhisses.com

Greetings fiends!

It's time to own up. I have neglected this website for far too long.  IT'S TIME FOR THAT TO CHANGE!

To that end I am extremely happy to announce that I am going to be working with a co-contributor and writer.....the lovely and talented Jenny Marie!!  Jenny will have her own blog right here called "The Witching Hour With Jenny", and I cannot tell you how excited I am about this!



Jenny is a horror artist  and writer from South Jersey. Her work includes of acting, rock videos, writing, and modeling (including working with Zakk Connor Photograph. She a business partner with TDW Moonlit Imagery which creates one of a kind stories that go along with their photo shoots.

Jenny’s short stories were featured the last two years during 
Women In Horror Month (February) and can be found on WIHM website at https://www.womeninhorrormonth.com.

In her Etsy shop, Jenny has created her own designs and merchandise for every type of horror fan and you can find these, and a lot more, on her website at www.hugsnhisses.com. 

In addition to all things spooky, Jenny is a team leader for The American Cancer Society "Making Strides For Breast Cancer" Event and raises money for animal rescues and wildlife protection.
 
When Jenny is not working you can find her breaking traffic laws to save turtles, chasing shots with shots, or eating pizza in bed.

Jenny is excited to be writing for The Horror Nerd and bringing stories about travel, life hacks and everything spooky and kooky! 

You can follow her projects on her Facebook Page HugsnHisses or 
on Instagram @jenny_marie_n or @genevievetarot1111

​Stay tuned, as Jenny's first article will be here soon!