Halloween

I went to the Riverside Ghost Walk last night, and we stayed until after 11:00. This was the first time my family and I had ever done such a thing. My husband treated us to the VIP tour so that we were able to walk into the catacombs under the Mission Inn. It was to support the California Riverside Ballet, and we were able to experience something new!

The one thing I like about being older, although not too pleased about looking worse for the wear, we are able to do anything we want. The kids are older, and we no longer have to worry about babysitters! So we started our night with Hor'dourves, a large glass of white wine, and people we had just met whom were also taking the tour. The room was decorated in a Halloween theme, music played in the background, and conversation flowed around the table.

I have never really been into watching a ballet, but then again I have never attended one either. So this night was an experience for us all. The tour started at 8:20 and we proceeded to walk to an older hotel, and there we were treated to the first ballet dance. Those little girls were pretty good! The music featured the ghoulish voice of Vincent Price and ended with Micheal Jackson's "Thriller." The chandeliers were swaying overhead, with smoke bellowing up and through them. The scene was spectacular. We then proceeded to a nearby church to watch a rendition of "Interview with a Vampire," and once again the show was very good, with wonderful dancing and acting.

Then it was getting late, and I kept looking at my watch. I keep thinking about my class in the morning, and how bad my feet were hurting. We still had not made it to the catacombs and I started to feel a little cranky! I was ready for bed. I forged onward to the next building, this time though, I was not all smiles. I felt the pain of getting up for work that morning at 4:30. My husband offered to take me home, but I wanted to see those darn tunnels under the Mission Inn!

Finally we walked into the Mission Inn and down the stairs to the basement. There was a wedding that night, so the Halloween music switched to typical wedding melodies with people dancing their harts out. We lined up along the wall, and waited anxiously to enter.

Finally we entered. God, it was so nice and cool down there. There are so many rumors about why the catacombs are there, but the true reason is they were made for the hotel as a marketing strategy. There was also a show down in the catacombs, and the acoustics made the girls screams echo throughout the basement! Was the tour worth the money? Yes, I think the kids did a great job, the tour was a little (very) long, and maybe we should have taken the first tour of the night, but all in all it was great. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday night!