The Halloween City Vendor & Oddities Market 2023 – East Durham New York

Today I decided to strike out on my own and take a long drive to New York – three hours away – in part because I was invited to do so and I was intrigued. For the first hour of the drive I was going through torrential downpours hoping there was no flooding because when it comes to taking the Prius swimming there are no winners. My GPS was similarly uncooperative and refused to acknowledge the address I typed in was in fact real. Eventually I’d have to pit the GPS and my phone navigation against each other in a death match. Just kidding, both devices are still fine, I assure you.

But that’s not to say I wasn’t a little frazzled when I finally drove in, more so when I realized I’d have to parallel park. I tried. God’s honest truth I tried. But eventually I gave up and drove quite a distance just to be the last car parked in the line. See, that was easy, now to hoof it the half mile up the street. Slight exaggeration, though the man at the register seemed to pick up on how much of a hot mess I was in that moment. It was an awkward exchange.

This place was bizarre. I had no idea what I was walking into when I came here. I guess I just expected a gymnasium full of vendors like you see in markets back in the sticks but no, this venue seemed to be an old roadside attraction/camp that had long been past its glory years and was now cashing in on how creepy it had become in its state of semi-decay. And why not? Little haunted houses and spooky props seemed to be just the normal background scenery here which made it a charming and strange open-air market. I kinda fell in love with this place as I took some photos before wandering around and finding the vendors in what felt like a Byzantine layout.

I’d been initially invited here as a vendor but these past couple years have been hard in the creativity department. Usually I have something, or a lot of somethings, in the way of art but not lately. Plus I sorta wanted to poke at this place and see what was actually selling here. I’ve been to so many different markets that I knew my particular flavor of art wasn’t always appreciated. Or almost ever if I’m honest. Being a vendor is hard work! I was however delighted to see that I would have fit right in had I decided to be a vendor. The people here were weird, proudly weird, which is the best kind of weird. If you were a witch, they had you covered. Crystals, potions, sage wands, tarot decks and positive vibes you’d find it all here in multiple booths. Then there were the bones, the repurposed scary dolls, and rings made in the shape of human teeth. Weird and whimsical paintings coyly dotted several booths here and there, one fellow had an absolutely gorgeous collection of photography prints of abandoned places, several vendors had an assortment of small fabric creations, a young writer pitched his book real hard but he didn’t have to. I bought it anyway because I like encouraging writers. I also love encouraging artists which is why I also ended up with a button and another small token I bought for a friend which I won’t be talking about just in case they’re reading this!

At some point I ended up in Candy Land – the pot vendors. They had EVERYTHING. And all in such bright colors! Every edible known to man and then some. And some little colorful bongs and I don’t know what else. I sorta wandered away after someone offered a sample. Sample of what I don’t know but I felt like I should drift off before accidentally eating a tab of acid or something. Not that I think anyone here was malicious in any way, that’s just 100% how my life goes. Not a day goes by where I am not asking myself, “How did that just happen?!” And this includes two separate occasions of accidentally eating psychotropic berries. So yeah, I’m talented.

I was really enjoying this. I’d found all my favorite kinds of people so far – witches, hippies, people in full steam punk regalia, stoners, artists, really all the empaths on the fringe of society. This was especially so for the woman selling cutting boards, soap, and paddles presumably to beat lovers with. I’m not sure how these things are related as this is also not my wheelhouse, but the sex positivity was refreshing in any event. I ordered a cup of corn chowder and sat just in front of the aforementioned vendor. Why? People watching. It was the perfect spot for that. While I was there I messaged the organizer of this event (and hilarious author) Jeff Mach and did a short meet and greet. It’s always lovely to finally put a face to my Twitter and/or Facebook friends! I wished him good luck as I went about my afternoon.

I must say the vendors and customers alike at this place were all super nice! I lost count how many compliments I got on my bellbottoms, silly T-shirt, and vibrant orange hair. Got into one discussion with a vendor about my age – 38 – to which both vendors gasped, “You do not look 38!” THANK YOU. You know how to flatter these creaky old bones!

Anyway, I am writing this tonight in the hopes someone may see it and join the festivities tomorrow as this is a three-day event Fri-Sun. And maybe if you’re reading this later on who knows, it could be an annual event if enough people like it… I certainly did!

October 22, 2023 0

Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow – New York

After perusing the cemetery earlier on in the day we decided to head towards town and take a little walk to see if we could find any neat little shops or other things to explore. What we found was a whole town utterly dedicated to Halloween. EVERY shop window had decorations, paintings, and Halloween displays. Scarecrows dotted the streets, each with a name, so I am guessing it was a contest. The local school nearby advertised their sports team: The Horsemen. Banners were hanging in the hopes people would attend various events all related to Sleepy Hollow and other spooky adventures. It was an absolute delight!

Even the municipal building was in on it, adorned with a stain glass window of a headless horseman and telling everyone about this year’s haunted hayrides. Locals looked at me with a mild amusement as I took photos and cooed. Clearly, we needed to plan this better. I have a feeling next year we’re going to go all out. You see most of the things that needed tickets were completely sold out – shows, cemetery tours, haunted walks, you name it! Oh yes, we will be back…

October 20, 2023 0

NYC – Day One

I slept in Elizabeth NJ before going into NYC. I had to take four modes of transportation to get there. From a shuttle bus I found an “air bus” (monorail) and from there I had to take the train to the subway station and the subway to wherever I was going. If you include walking that’s five ways of transportation. In fact there is one kind of person you won’t see in NYC despite all its massive diversity, and that is fat people. They don’t exist here because everyone has to walk or bike everywhere, even to the subway stations which are often up and down a bunch of stairs. Funny enough I think this little trip has changed me. Before leaving home I couldn’t even deal with malls… too many people… I hated them. Now I was in NYC with people rushing by me on all sides and I was fine with that.

I even walked through Times Square. It was a strange experience with the Jumbotron going and flashing obnoxious advertisements on every available surface it was like walking into the internet and getting attacked by rabid pop-ups. Still the people were interesting. I was hearing little nips of every language known to man and seeing all sorts of interesting personalities. Elmo and his three clones were even there. Apparently it’s in bad taste to dare people to tickle them. Not that that ever stopped me… And you know what? Poor Elmo has NO IDEA what to do when you do! Snap a photo and run. It’s the perfect grifting of a grifter…

After walking through Times Square I ended up in Central Park. Now I don’t want to sound too horrible but I honestly thought that all Central Park was was a large swath of trees in the middle of the city where people get mugged and killed at night. I had no idea it had anything else to offer. As I walked in it was as I imagined it… trees with a paved pathway and a few dark archway bridges weaving between them. I stopped to take photos of a hawk someone had spotted and moved on, eventually buying a snack and a drink, before sitting down to enjoy it. There were kids everywhere playing on swings and a guy with balloon swords he was trying to sell for three dollars a pop, basically by giving them to small children before pointing his $3 sign out to the parents who then had to make the choice of taking the balloon away from their crying child or fork over the three bucks. Such a NYC attitude.

I used their dreadful bathrooms. I don’t recommend it to anyone unless you really have to go. I wandered away after that weaving in and out of the park, passing horses with ridiculous feathers jutting out of their heads, dragging behind them swarthy little buggies. I also found a carousel ride which I may have ridden if it weren’t $2.50 a ride per person.

Eventually I found myself in the heart of the park at the Bethesda Fountain. It was surrounded by a beautiful ornate bridge where two couples were taking their wedding photos. A small pond lay beyond and sculptures and stone carvings abounded. I took some photos of each other sitting on the bridge. I was a bit worried I’d fall over so I was merely teetering on the opposite edge. You can tell in the photos as I look rather funny.

Eventually I found my way to the pond where a small Asian woman was feeding crackers to a swarm of turtles in the water. I eventually sat down beside her and watched as the turtles ate crackers and popcorn, competing with a huge carp or two.

All these turtles were Painted Turtles and one I swear was a released pet because of its odd coloration. I was watching the water as I usually do when I noticed a head pop up that was immensely ugly. I knew immediately it was a snapper, granted a pretty small one, but it was still a snapper. I pointed it out. And then I saw a bigger snapper emerge who slinked through the water and settled on the bottom. He eventually saw a cracker land on the water and leapt towards the movement, accidentally lunging onto the land. With one quick movement he spun around and disappeared into the water.

When I was done with the turtles I wandered back out of the park and then made a hasty retreat to the subway. There was still Antiques Obscura, the shop featured on the show Oddities. It was the last dorky thing I’d be seeing.. When I found the place it was settled in a little neighborhood filled with Turkish bath houses and a hookah bar. The shop itself was perhaps the size of two walk-in closets. Absolutely tiny. However it was filled with garishly bad taxidermy, creepy old medical instruments, likely haunted dolls, and stuffed piranhas. The shop keep seemed rather bored through most of these events and eventually we wandered back into the streets and let him be.

I then found a fantastic little hippie burger joint to eat. They proudly advertised their burgers by saying they were only made using free range cows, something I have always been in full support of knowing from personal experience the vast difference between pasture raised meat and industrial raised. I’m not big on beef though so I opted for their “hormone free” turkey which was delicious – if not confusing… no one feeds turkeys hormones to get them bigger, that’s cows…

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

July 27, 2011 0

Jeep vs Fallen Tree – Rochester NY

Rochester New York was an interesting place to visit.I had been there visiting before but this was to be with friends and I didn’t get to see many of the sights of the city – ‘least you could the road they affectionately call “Drive By Shooting Way.”

At first I ended up on a group lunch date of sorts with some of the aforementioned friends. They were insistent on going to Moe’s, a burrito chain restaurant with killer food. I must say they were all very cheerful and friendly people, all smiling and laughing and having a good time.

I wandered off after this to explore the city a bit and ended up at a salt water fish store. The place was a windowless business with a wrought iron door, outback of some real businesses. No business sign was anywhere to be found and the door itself looked liked either a loading dock or else some other utility door the public shouldn’t be using. Still, the insides were just as amazing, if not more so, than the last time I’d been here. Along with their gorgeous coral and salt water fish they added a rare fresh water fish collection which sported the most unusual fresh water fish I’d ever seen. They were all vibrantly colored and so healthy!

From here I went to a record store which had so many neat things. I was out of cash and couldn’t buy anything. It’s a shame too as they had a bunch of records I had been looking for since getting my turn table, that I had never seen before. Oh well. I’m sure I’ll eventually find them somewhere else too. The record store was actually in an old mill they were converting into a mall. It had bizarre little stores and shops and a gallery atop it covered in fish and sea creatures as well as some other fantastically odd sculptures. I took photos and awed for awhile. Despite being a mall I couldn’t help myself from whispering here. It was as quiet as a library and I felt like I needed to be using my “inside voice.”

I still had some time to kill so I went to Rochester’s historical cemetery. Frederick Douglas and Susan B Anthony were buried here as well as a lot of other famous Rochester personalities including its founders, politicians, poets, and artisans. I parked next to a little boarded up cathedral and I got a weird spooked feeling. I got out of the car and walked to Susan B Anthony’s grave. Despite being dead for a mere 105 years someone was still leaving flowers on her grave. I probably would have left some too had I just happened to have some posies on me. She was after all a pivotal figure in the woman’s suffrage movement and an advocate of women’s rights. Another passerby asked us where Frederick Douglas’ stone was before being pointed in the right direction. It was only a minute after I heard an enormous CRACK! WHOOSH! THUD! It came from the direction of the Jeep. I started to walk over there to see what had happened. As I was walking a man from below the hill yelled, “Did you see that?!” “Yeah I saw it!”

When I got to the bottom of the hill the damage was evident. There under a massive branch lay the Jeep, it’s roof compartment completely busted open with a leopard print snuggly puking out of it. I however was not the only one to suffer damage. A man on a motorcycle had just driven up when he heard the crack. He dove off his bike and under a utility truck, suffering a few scrapes and bruises. His bike on the other hand was crushed, lying beneath a limb, pinned to the ground. It reeked of gasoline.

I looked at the Jeep and hoped none of the windows were broken or the engine damaged. I wanted to be able to get home. The woman we had directed towards the Douglas stone was back with her husband and daughter. She was a teacher from Vermont and wanted to know if it was my car who had the unfortunate parking spot. Yes.

Her husband called 911 for us to get the firemen and police out here. I took a few photos and was standing aside when a second thunderous CRACK was heard overhead. I ran back as another giant branch fell directly on the Jeep, another park of it crashing into four or five grave stone and knocking them over as if they were just bowling pins.

I called 911 again to try and get the firemen out here soon as a third branch was hanging from above by only a thread. 911 put me on hold, twice, once after calling, and a second time after I refused an ambulance and said no one was hurt. When the firemen finally arrived they sectioned off the area with warning tape. The police were there soon after to make a report and in a few minutes Jacklyn the Jeep was being uncovered and eased out of the parking spot. The passenger side’s fender was dented in badly and had to be sledge hammered in order to open the door without ruining it. The roof sustained a large indentation, the roof container was completely obliterated, the hood was crushed in and sliced down the middle. There were scratches galore… but the Jeep started up and ran and none of the windows were busted. I was more fortunate than I thought I would be.

I drove to Casey’s apartment, an old friend who said I could stay with him for a night or two. Just as we drove into his parking lot the Jeep died. Within a matter of a minute the air conditioning had stopped working, the engine over heated, and the battery died. Upon closer inspection I learned that the tree fell on the hood with such force that it crushed the air cleaner resonator and broke off the alternator. I called the insurance company. They told me that since we didn’t happen to have comprehensive insurance they would not cover any of the bill. The only thing they would cover was a rental car, which they would only give me after we’d checked the Jeep into a mechanic with the money they weren’t giving me. OK, so if I’m understanding this right, they were not going to cover any of our bills because the tree picked a fight with the Jeep, however if I picked a fight with the tree, they would have been fine paying for that! UGH.

I now had a full tank of gas, a broken Jeep, and $30 in my wallet to get home, more than six hours away. Things weren’t to remain gloomy however. Several of the other former coworkers pitched in to McGyver the car back together with duct tape, a piece of Tupperware, and some super glue. The Jeep was again running, this time with a great deal of added character. To make things all the better a pot was passed around the office and $100 was raised to help in the effort to get back home.

Dinner was a party and I ate very well. Everyone was smiling, laughing, telling grand stories and funny office anecdotes, and just generally having a good time. I had a wonderful visit, was helped by a great deal of wonderful people, and was on my way, tepidly but surely.

Also a big thanks to everyone who did pitch in! I couldn’t have gotten home without you!

***I apologize for any missing photos and galleries as I continue to work getting Catching Marbles fully migrated to a new host. Please come back soon for restored photos and thank you for your patience!***

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

July 22, 2011 0