Archive for September, 2020

Spirit Halloween now has an official theme song, sort of

September 19th, 2020

Spirit Halloween, the nationwide chain of pop-up Halloween costume and decoration stores that appear in empty storefronts in the months leading up to Halloween, now has an official theme song. Well… maybe.

Comedy musician Nick Lutsko recently created a catchy theme song for Spirit Halloween, which takes some rather unexpected and frightening twists.

See and hear for yourself in the video below:

As referenced in the song he originally posted this video here on Twitter, where it’s received thousands of retweets. So that means Spirit Halloween is on the hook to Venmo him some money, right?

In one of the replies to the video tweet, that’s exactly what Spirit Halloween claims to have done:

Now I can’t verify that any money changed hands of course — but assuming it did — that would make this an official theme song… in a way.

The forgotten monument that was once on top of San Francisco’s Mount Olympus

September 4th, 2020
San Francisco's Mount Olympus San Francisco's Mount Olympus San Francisco's Mount Olympus

 

While poking around Atlas Obscura the other day I came across a truly odd monument that I immediately knew I had to check out.

Eccentric businessman and former mayor Adolph Sutro had a statue named “Triumph of Light” built to mark the center of San Francisco. The problem is if you consider the landmass on the peninsula, the true center of San Francisco is a good deal south from this point. Like many of Sutro’s ventures this was likely a gimmick to draw tourists to the area.

Although the statue mysteriously disappeared decades ago and the plaque has faded away, today the statue’s pedestal and what remains of the plaque is still visible in a San Francisco park called Mount Olympus. 

 

San Francisco's Mount Olympus San Francisco's Mount Olympus

 

Never heard of this Mount Olympus? That’s no surprise; it’s a tiny park on a small hilltop peak. Today the area around it is surrounded by housing and you have to walk up some staircases and through a narrow street to find the park itself. Look for either Monument Way Stairs or Mount Olympus Stairs to find your way up the hillside on your way to the park.

Read more at Atlas Obscura. Do beware that the address listed on Atlas Obscura is currently incorrect; look for Mount Olympus on Google Maps to find correct directions.