Sunday, April 21st was dedicated in its entirety to John Ashton and investigating the Bally Hotel in Las Vegas. We started the morning by heading to Palm Valley Memorial Park to pay our respects to John. Tony Curtis and Redd Foxx are also buried in this cemetery, but this day was all about the victims of the MGM fire.
Upon arriving at the beautiful cemetery, David and I went opposite directions in the large mausoleum to find John. I started with outside perimeter, as I was getting chatter from someone (thought to be John) in my head about liking the pond and the ducks. I took a photo of the pond. Within seconds after this photo, Dave arrived and met me where I stood.
"Look, a hummingbird!" he pointed out, as one flew in circles above his head.
I smiled and tilted my head, wondering if this was my Dad checking in, as Dad's sign is hummingbirds, but I hadn't heard from my dad at all that day. We watched the bird flit above Dave's head and decided to head a different direction outside. At this point John started to communicate with me that he thought it was hilarious we were wandering around and looking for him. I silently asked him for a little help and he just continued to giggle at me. Yes, giggle. Thanks for nothing...?
After splitting in different directions for a short time, David was able to find where John and his parents' remains rested. I found him sitting on a bench, quietly contemplating the name in front of him on the crypt.
"The bird was telling us to turn around. We are exactly on the opposite side of where the bird was," Dave correctly pointed out. Oh.
John Frederick Ashton is buried next to his parents John Ashton (d: 1997) and Winifred Edna Ashton (d: 1992). I remarked out loud how awful and wrong it is that parents have to bury children. I said a few things in my head to John and left him a couple of crystals that I felt compelled to bring for him. We tried to find some flowers for them all but realized after fruitless stops that it was Easter Sunday, and chances of that happening were slim. I hoped that he would understand the crystals I brought specifically to leave him at the bottom of the vase on his crypt were a gift of respect and love.
We left the cemetery and headed to Bally for check in. I took some photos of the tower from the Parking Garage. This is the opposite side of the tower from room 2115.
We made our way through the path (the Paris and Bally share a parking structure and are connected) to the Bally check in area. You go through the underground level and then up a mirrored escalator. The underground is supposed to be very haunted as well.
The Bally has changed quite a bit since we were here in 2009, it's had a complete upgrade and renovation. All of the restaurants have changed, the layout of the main casino floor has changed somewhat, and it's a beautiful, modern facility. While we stood in line waiting to check in to room 2115, I began to feel overwhelmed with anxiety and energy that I knew wasn't mine. Dave could tell I wasn't doing so hot and rubbed my back and asked if I was okay.
Jubilee Costume by Flamingo Road Exit
I confirmed I was okay, pointed to the corner at the end of the registration desk, by the doors to Flamingo Road - "Someone died right over there, and she's really upset." All I could tell was that it was someone young and female and that she seemed very confused.
An odd note: Whenever I tried to take photos on the ground casino level of the Bally I had a hard time getting them to come out clear. I did not have these issues in the rest of the hotel or the rest of the trip.
Lobby after entering via the strip - the front doors where the fireball exploded
We checked in and were disappointed to discover that despite my multiple checks pre-trip that we were not in fact able to have room 2115. Dave looked at me for guidance. I was still very overwhelmed at that point, but things were already happening in the hotel so the room didn't matter. I asked for a room above the 17th floor with the same view (where the majority of people died in the fire), and we were given a key to Room 2427.
There are two banks of elevators from the Bally lobby - one goes from floors 2-15, and one from 16-26. Each bank of elevators has 8 elevators that goes up to the above floors. Our elevator up to the room was pretty crowded, and not just with the living.
24th Floor Elevator Lobby
As soon as we got out of the elevator on the 24th floor I gasped, wondering how the other people with us couldn't tell... "Um, we have a hitcher." Dave nodded, confirming he felt it too, and we made our way down the long, long hallway to Room 2427.
I can't describe the general sense of eerie-ness that one gets walking quietly in these long hallways. You get the sense that you are never alone, no matter what time of day or night you are there. It's like the halls are literally stained with the years as you pass through. It almost feels thick.
Immediately upon entering the room he ran for the bathroom (not feeling well) and I opened my phone and took an instant video, while I was still very shaky and under the energy of whoever came up the elevator with us. I didn't feel threatened at all, but it was very intense. I posted this video on Twitter, as one of the agreements I made with the Hotel's dead guests was that I was going to tell the story. I also felt it was important to document in real time in case anyone had anything they wanted me to explore or ask while I was there.
Dave came out of the bathroom and I then pulled out my maps and papers about the hotel and confirmed what the nervous system of my body already knew - someone young and female died right at the end of the registration desk, 20-year old Phyllis Thomas - hello X number 1436. Interesting Synchronicity: My godmother's name is Phyllis and my father's middle name is Thomas. 1435 was a 58 year old man named Gustave Guidry.
As we regrouped and came up with an exploration plan for the lower floor of the casino, Dave's anxiety began to creep up with no reason. He felt pressure in his chest, much like when he was in the hotel back in 2009. I pulled out the voice recorder and we did an EVP session sitting at the edge of the bed.
As I explained to whoever was there who we were and why we were there, that I could communicate in my head but Dave couldn't so I was going to ask questions out loud, and I explained the device. As I asked questions, the index finder on my right hand, which held the recorder began to tap UNCONTROLLABLY. I have not had an experience like this where I literally felt my body out of my control in any manner since my Dad slipped in a few months ago. No one but my father has been able to do this before. I decided not to fight it and try to allow whatever was happening to use my energy to see what happened. I was all in at this point.
Of course, when listening to the voice recorder back you hear the rhythmic TAP TAP TAP and my insisting I am not moving my finger as I continue to ask questions. I knew this would make it hard to hear but I couldn't control my finger and couldn't seem to stop staring at it. It stopped as quickly as it started, and Dave's anxiety dissipated at the same time.
When we checked the recorder back we had a very clear, very sad message about half way through the ten minute session:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_z2TMtWv0c
"I need help!"
We decided to unpack a bit and relax. I had a salad and some other items to eat but Dave decided to head down to the food court and get some additional food. I pulled out all of the old objects I've collected from the Old MGM Hotel and was relaxing. About half an hour later he came back to the room, flustered and sat down on the bed with the world's most expensive hot dog (Vegas, man).
"Well.... I just got trapped in the elevator. I started to panic but then I remembered where we are," he threw his hands up and rolled his eyes.
He was coming up the elevator and was on floor 16, the second elevator in on the inner side of the elevator tower. The people that were in the elevator going to floors lower than ours got off and the "24" Button that he pushed was still lit up but the elevator door closed and the elevator didn't move.
He pushed the button for floor 25, thinking that would trigger the elevator to move and he wouldn't have to wait for floors in between here and 24 to our room. When that didn't work he began pressing other buttons and they all lit up but the doors remained closed. He started to panic in earnest when the Door Open button didn't yield any results either for some time. Before he completely lost it, he took a deep breath... and the doors opened.
He got out of that elevator and waited for a new one to arrive from all of his button pushing. For the remainder of the trip if he was out exploring alone and hit the elevator call button that is the only elevator that would show up. He would wait for a new one. If I or anyone else was with him then that elevator wouldn't come. When I tried purposefully to get in that elevator in the middle of the night to do an EVP session, I could not get it to come for me. I tried on several floors.
Whatever or whoever is in that hotel likes Dave.
Elevator on the left is the strange one.
I pulled out the voice recorder after researching the 16th floor and noticing that a woman died in a room. Her name? Sara (Synchronicity!) Galico died in room 1675. Her relative (father?) Leon Galico made it up to the roof before succumbing to smoke inhalation.
We did another EVP session but received nothing.
We headed downstairs to check out the lobby better and explore where the Fireball flew out of the restaurants and the front and side doors. We were out for over two hours and left the voice recorder going in our room. We heard plenty of sirens, doors, neighbor traffic... but no more EVPs in that room for the duration of our stay.
I was unable to find the rumored memorial plaque that used to hang in the NOSH restaurant mentioning the names of the employees who died. None of the employees I spoke with knew even what I was talking about, and NOSH doesn't exist anymore. The area has been turned into a nightclub called "Indigo". It's as if the Bally doesn't want any of their guests to know that the Old MGM or the Fire ever existed.
The area near Indigo Nightclub, the area where the 1980 Fire originated.
Feeling heavy with the events of the past few hours, we decided to walk next door to the Flamingo, which has always served as our favorite little Oasis on the strip. We walked and sat in the Flamingo garden habitat and enjoyed the gorgeous weather in the twilight evening. I was feeling particularly antsy still while Dave was enjoying sitting for a bit, so I walked into the Flamingo to explore.
I discovered a store there called Karma and Luck. Most of the store items were overpriced (as is everything in Vegas) but I made a beeline for some pink agates that reminded me of being in the Flamingo, and I decided I wanted to buy a couple as a memento from one of my favorite Vegas locations. I struck up a conversation with a lovely young man that worked there, Zeke, and we admired each other's malas and had fun playing "guess the stone" for a while. I bought my agates, and he waved me over to a giant white quartz healing bowl and placed my little stones inside and beckoned me closer.
"Don't touch it, but almost. Ready?"
I nodded and smiled, I cupped my hands around part of it like he showed me but had no idea what the hell was about to happen.
I have never had a crystal bowl cleansing done before, but as my new friend Zeke told me midway through my impromptu complimentary session, "You have a bright soul but I could tell you really needed it." So for a good five minutes he worked that magic bowl and the vibrations made me absolutely giddy and feel basically wasted. He told me how he does this for his wife who is sensitive on a regular basis and asked me if I was psychic. I sort of nodded an assent and we discussed astrology as I sat there smiling a total moron soaking up the vibrations.
Afterwards I wanted to launch myself at him and hug him but figured that was a little too intense even for me, but we shook hands fondly as I thanked him profusely. He truly changed my life and brought a new experience to me.
I need one of those damn bowls.
Since that cleansing? I have had ZERO dead people approach me, wake me up, beg for help, etc etc. I actually thought that part of my brain might have turned back off but I had a couple of my OGs (Eula Lee and Dad) check in today, so it's still there... it's just on mute again unless I reach out. CAN I SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS?? Can I say how much I love driving to work and not having to avoid looking at certain buildings or parcels of land, trying to avoid any "notice" from the other side? Can I say I enjoy being able to read the news without having to worry what I might accidentally see and have to deal with? I have no idea what Zeke did, but it was unfuckingbelieveable!!!!! I would think he wasn't real but I still have the receipt from the agates... which he gave me a SMOKING deal on, BTW.
After a pit stop for some Ben N Jerry's outside the Bally, I was ready to walk the hallways and talk to some dead people. Dave was exhausted and went to bed. He slept like a baby (later on I did too).
Up next: The Hallways, Midnight - 2am. I was not alone in this hallway near the stairs, and one of the photos from this has an interesting light anomaly. I have not checked the EVP sessions from these walks yet, but I'm hopeful as some weird stuff happened down here.
