Kamran and I were reminiscing lately about a trip we took out to the East Coast.  While in Philadelphia, we decided to take a tour of the mysterious and beautiful Eastern State Penitentiary.  Opened in 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world’s first true penitentiary.  Now closed as a prison, Eastern State is open for tours where you can learn about the building’s rich history and view the haunting beauty of the building’s slow decay.

And haunting is the key word here.  First, you have to understand that deep down inside I am kind of afraid of ghosts.  I love shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, and you know, kind of believe it even though I say I don’t.  😉

So we went on this tour and really enjoyed taking lots of photos of this dramatic scene.  Peeling paint, dramatic light, rich history – it’s really a photographic banquet.  No ghosts, but plenty of hot cocoa (seriously!).

So after the tour we went back to our hotel and settled in for the night – and guess what was on tv?  Oh yes, the Ghost Hunters episode AT EASTERN STATE!  (youtube link here) There they were walking the same halls that I had just walked, taping the same spots that I had just photographed!  I admit, I kind of freaked out.  I couldn’t sleep at all that night and it took me weeks to even look at my photos.

After a while I got up the courage to upload the cf card with the Eastern State images, and didn’t find any evidence of ghosts.  (I admit it, I was relieved).  But you can judge for yourself:

One of Eastern State’s claims to fame is one of its most famous inhabitants – Al Capone.  His cell was much nicer than all the others:

Did I mention dramatic lighting?