2 Astoria Spots Are Among NYC's Most Haunted Places, List Says

ASTORIA, QUEENS — If you want to spend Halloween in a place haunted by "personas of paranormal activity" or at a site that gives off an "eerie feeling," look no further than two spots in Astoria.

The former Astor Room, a now-shuttered venue located at 35-11 35th Avenue under Kaufman's Zukor Theater, and Long Island City's Hell Gate Bridge, are both named among the most haunted spots in New York City, according to a new list compiled by Time Out New York.

All 21 places on the list are said to be the sites of haunted activity, or at the very least, spooky vibes.

In the case of the once-Astor Room, Time Out speculates that at least one of the Hollywood legends who used to hangout at the venue in the 1920s might still be lurking around the space. Actor Rudolph Valentino has been reportedly spotted around his old stomping grounds, downing a martini nonetheless.

The former studio commissary space was repurposed into a speakeasy in 2014, and then renamed in 2018, just to close the following year.

Sac's Place opened at the same site in 2019 though, meaning you can now sniff out ghosts while dining on pizza.

As for the Hell Gate Bridge, Time Out notes that if the name isn't enough to convince you that the site is haunted, you can consider a ghost story which says that a ghost train crosses the bridge at night.

Another ghost story says that the train holds the souls of those who drowned in the East River below the bridge, which connects Queens and Ward's Island, Time Out reports.

This isn't the first time that Astoria's been recognized for its Halloween-ready sites: two homes in the neighborhood were named in a New York Post roundup of the six best Halloween displays in the city.

Read the full Time Out article here.

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