Hiding in Plain Sight

That is the refrain I often share on my tour.  These stories, these histories, these mysteries are hiding in plain sight.

The tours for the past few weeks have welcomed guests from Israel, India, Canada, Mexico, California, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and of course, good old Rhode Island.  We’ve seen a lot of locals lately.

Many guests had been to the city before, had enjoyed sunsets from Prospect Terrace, wandered along Benefit St, and had even attended Brown University or RISD.  They arrived believing they knew the area and had seen it all.  They left with a whole new point of view.

In a city whose origins pre-date our colonial story that starts up in 1636, there is a never ending supply of tales to tell.  History swirls around us in the shape of the bricks on the sidewalk, the broad trunks of the trees under which we stroll, and the wavy, old glass gleaming in the window frames.  Guests who have hurried along the streets from class to class or appointment to appointment slow down, open their eyes, and truly begin to see our city.

The lives of the people we share on our tour (and of course their after lives) bring stories to life.  They aren’t the past.  They are today.  The loves, fears, passions, and frustrations they felt are the same we feel today in our own daily lives.  These strong emotions are, in my humble opinion, the ties that keep these souls connected to our world.  They tether them here and allow for ongoing connection.

Whether it is the pained specter of Angela O’Leary, the craggy energy of Marshall Woods, or the ethereal flow of Sarah Helen Whitman, guests are drawn to these entities every night because we’ve all loved, longed, and lost along the way.

Cities are so much more than buildings, streets, and sidewalks.  They are stories that whisper to us, stories hiding in plain sight, just waiting for someone to tell their tales.

Ghosties, whether you are in our sweet city for a night or you’ve lived here your whole life, allow yourself the opportunity to get to know Providence in a whole new way.  Join us on our nightly tours and fall in love with the Souls of Our City.