The older I get, the harder it is to find a really good haunted house. Like most scary movies that are out these days, I either am not amused, not scared, or just laugh hysterically at how lame it is (although gotta give them an A for effort… maybe!). Last Halloween I ventured out of the westside, past the 405 and into Pasadena to this old bank building claiming to be “haunted”… ooooh, spoooky! Well the joke ended up being on me because I literally got the living crap scared out of me so bad that I was in tears and shaking so bad! This was partly due to the barely lit haunted path itself that they made us go through, but it was the very very end that got me when I thought I was out free and as I’m walking back to the main street, this guy came running down the open alley wearing a “Jason’s” mask, sliding inches from me on his hockey shin protectors and dragging a shovel across the concrete so that sparks were flying. HOLY CRAP BATMAN! Is that not enough to freakin’ make you freak the heck out??
So, I figured it was so good last year, let’s see what they can do THIS year! I tried to round the troops up for a group scaring and then organize dinner at this fabulous restaurant next door, Red White & Bluezz. In the end, it turned out to be just two of us actually going into the haunted house and everyone met afterwards for food and drinks. The haunted house was just the same as it was last year with the pitch black darkness and the 50-ft crawl space, except 1) it was longer, 2) there were more “twists” and “turns” in the path so that they could scare you more, 3) I screamed more during the walk through, mainly due to the small freaky kids that popped out in front of me!, and 4) this time I was able to laugh at others that pee’d their pants from the guy at the end!
Ten minutes of scare worked up my appetite and I was ready to meet the gang over at Red, White & Bluezz. It’s a great little jazz/blues place I came across a few years back during an annual food event called “A taste of Pasadena”. So whenever I’m in Pasadena I try to go there because the food, the music, the staff and the ambiance is just great! As always, the food was really good and very filling. We all ordered different things and shared our plates around the table, so it was nice to get a little variety and sample many things (I usually stick to the dishes I know I like best!). And the wine was really a great compliment to all we sampled… plus it helped me forget about the little freaks that made me scream at every corner! ha!
