my telephone conversation with Adam is from memory. When I conduct interviews by telephone, I always record them using a digital device that plugs into the phone. However, when I interviewed Adam, only my side of the conversation was recorded. During our conversation I’d had the feeling that something was wrong; in fact, I checked the recorder twice to make sure it was working. It appeared to be functioning properly; the “REC” indicator was flashing, and the clock counter that displays the recording time was advancing. There was plenty of battery power, too. But when I went to transfer the file from the device to my computer, I found that only my voice had been recorded. It seems the ghosts of the Bridge Café had something to say about my interviewing Adam; I don’t know what their objection was, as they didn’t leave an EVP. It’s especially puzzling because I’ve recorded countless interviews with this device and had no other problems—except for my interview with Joseph, the executive chef. His recording had an annoying buzz in the background, but I attributed that to his cell phone.
According to the Bridge Café’s Web site, the Eastern Paranormal Investigation Center (EPIC) conducted a formal investigation at the restaurant in August 2007. In a video clip from News 4 New York, Laura Pennace of EPIC states that she captured an EVP of a woman whispering, “I’m here.” Adam told me EPIC has investigated the restaurant twice, and although they captured the EVP and some bizarre temperature readings, they concluded the place was not haunted. I think that conclusion was highly conservative, especially after what happened to my phone interview.
Chef Joseph is inclined to believe the Bridge Café is haunted, even if the activity is not a daily occurrence. “It’s happened enough to where I can’t ignore it, even though I don’t understand it,” he explained. Adam describes himself as basically “paranormally well adjusted,” and most patrons are clueless unless they’ve read about it on the Bridge Café Web site.
It’s definitely worth a trip to the Bridge Café to see if the ghost of Gallus Mag, the bouncer who kept rowdy patrons’ ears, is on the rampage. Maybe you’ll feel a pinch or tug on your ear. Perhaps a picture will levitate or simply fly off the wall before it smashes on the floor. Have your digital audio recorder ready to capture an EVP of the heavy footsteps, if the sound level in the bar permits. While you’re waiting for that, wash down one of the Bridge Café’s famous soft-shell crab sandwiches with a pineapple martini.
CHAPTER 2
Brooklyn Inn
THE BROOKLYN INN is a tasteful and cozy bar nestled on the corner of Hoyt and Bergen Streets in Brooklyn. The building dates back to the late nineteenth century. In 1957, its owners received a Certificate of Occupancy for a bar and restaurant on the first floor along with one apartment on each of the two upper floors. When the bar changed ownership again in May 2007, rumors spread on various blogs that the Brooklyn Inn would soon close down or, worse, become a bistro. Jason Furlani, manager of the Brooklyn Inn, set the record straight in a blog response, and thankfully this bar, a place of refuge for many loyal patrons, is still in operation. In 2008, the building was seen on the CW Network show Gossip Girl in an episode which appeared to mirror the events surrounding the change of ownership in 2007.
This is a bar, plain and simple. The former kitchen, as small as it was, has been removed to make space for a couple of tables and chairs for those who like to sit and enjoy their drinks when there is no room at the bar. I visited the Brooklyn Inn in 2009 and met with Kevin Bohl, one of the bartenders, whom I have known since my high school days. Kevin works at the Brooklyn Inn three nights a week.
One spring night in 2008, when Kevin had been pouring drinks at the Brooklyn Inn for three years, Kevin encountered a spirit of the paranormal kind. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary as Kevin worked his shift. “It was around 11 P.M. and the bar was packed,” he said.
I should note that, at this time, the space just beyond the bar was still a kitchen. Kevin always kept a keen eye on that area while tending bar, as patrons sometimes got a little too comfortable, eased their way around the corner of the bar, and ended up blocking the kitchen door. On this night in 2008, Kevin noticed a silhouetted figure standing in the kitchen just beyond the doorway. He did a double-take, trying to focus on who or what he was seeing. It appeared to be a man approximately five feet ten inches tall, wearing a long coat and a fedora hat. Kevin rushed about seven feet to the end of the bar to ask the gentleman to move to the front of the bar, but by the time he reached the spot, the man was gone. “I was dumbfounded. I was so cognizant of that space and the need to keep it clear. Yet I couldn’t find the guy I just saw. Like I said, the bar was packed; I thought someone had to have seen him,” Kevin explained. Of course, upon surveying the patrons in that immediate area, Kevin found that none of them had seen the “Fedora Man.”
Kevin Bohl, bartender at the Brooklyn Inn
About a year later, one of the other bartenders, Tom Vaught, witnessed this same silhouetted figure in the same doorway. Tom said the figure appeared to be leaning against the doorframe and staring out towards the bar. Just as with Kevin, once Tom reached the doorway to ask the gentleman to step away, he was gone. At first, Kevin told no one what he had seen. He was both shocked and somewhat relieved when Tom confided in him about having seen Fedora Man. They compared notes and arrived at the conclusion that they both had seen the same thing.
During my visit to the Brooklyn Inn, I took several pictures of the doorway area from both sides. Although I did not capture any apparition on my digital camera, I did notice the unsettling coolness of the air at the doorway as compared to other areas of the former kitchen and the bar. I looked behind the bar near this doorway to see if there was a refrigerator or ice machine that would account for the cooler temperature, but I saw neither. A couple of my photos do have some orbs in them, and as much as I would love to definitively call them paranormal manifestations, I simply cannot. The ban on smoking in New York City bars has reduced the number of false positives inherent in ghost photography. However, at this site there is a dust factor to consider: because the main entrance door is opened and closed so frequently, airborne particulates are bound to appear in digital pictures.
I met with Lauren Macaulay, a bartender employed at the Brooklyn Inn for over nine years. She pointed out the gorgeous hand-carved woodwork which was imported from Germany and dates back to 1870. Lauren showed me how the panels on the lower half of the wall can be removed, revealing old wallpaper behind the wooden façade. I asked Lauren if she has ever seen Fedora Man, and she said, “No.” She added that on several occasions she has felt uncomfortable, as if she were being observed by some ghostly presence. This feeling had come over her on occasions when the bar was busy and also when it was quiet.
Kevin confirmed that he had experienced a similar feeling, but only after hours. He described how he would close the bar at 4 A.M., then curl up in the corner with a book and a beer, hoping to unwind a bit before heading home. Instead, he would be overcome with an unnerving feeling. Rather than relaxing and winding down from his shift, he became anxious. The feeling would become unbearable, and he would lock up and leave for the night.
I inspected the basement of the Brooklyn Inn and did not capture any EVP or temperature differences indicative of paranormal activity. Usually I do not like basements, but this one did not bother me. I felt more “energy” in the bar area and in the former kitchen area. I carefully reviewed all my audio recordings of my interviews to determine if any other voices chimed in with answers or thoughts. Since there was so much background noise (the bar had been open for business while I was there), I used software to visually review the recordings to document the voice paths for Kevin, Lauren, and me, as well as the overall background noise.
Lauren mentioned one other strange thing that had happened while she was tending
