Getting Spooky in NYC this Halloween

People have reported seeing ghosts in New York City for hundreds of years. These famous locations in New York City are purported to be haunted -- while you may not see a ghost in any of New York City's haunted spots, some of the stories that explain the haunting are just as scary. If you are out and about in NYC today, try visiting some of this spooky venues…

1. Bridge Cafe
279 Water St
The building dates back to 1794, but the Bridge Cafe's life as a drinking establishment first began in 1847 when it was opened as a porter house, making it New York City's oldest bar. Just under the Brooklyn Bridge, rumors of ghosts of the pirates who frequented the bar continue.

2. Belasco Theatre
111 West 44th Street
Numerous accounts of haunting at one of New York City's oldest theaters including sightings of the building's builder and namesake, David Belasco, who lived in an apartment at the top of the theater before his death in 1931. His ghost is said to interact with actors, offering kudos and handshakes, and many have reported hearing footsteps and the disconnected elevator running. Sightings of the Blue Lady, possibly Belasco's companion, have been reported numerous times.

3. Beth Israel Hospital
First Ave. at 16th St.
Many people have reported hearing unexplained footsteps, noises, and voices throughout the hospital.

4. Chumley's
86 Bedford St
This West Village speakeasy claims to be visited by former bar mistress and owner, Henrietta Chumley, who comes to drink a Manhattan. The former owner also makes her presence known by messing with the restaurant's jukebox.

5. The Dakota
Central Park West at 72nd St.
In the sixties, the ghost of a young boy/young man was seen by a couple of construction workers at The Dakota. A girl dressed in turn-of-the-century clothing was seen by painters working at the building several years later. John Lennon, who was murdered outside the Dakota in 1980, is also rumored to haunt the area around the undertakers gate. To add to the eerieness, the building was also the setting for Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby.

6. Ear Inn
326 Spring St
Haunted by Mickey, who was killed when he was hit by a car in front of the Inn, a sailor who lived in the Ear Inn when it was a boarding house.

7. Empire State Building350 Fifth Avenue
Various sightings have been reported of suicide victims who jumped from the Empire State Building's observatory.

8. Landmark Tavern626 11th Ave (46th St)
Opening in 1868, waiters at the Landmark Tavern believe the restaurant is haunted by an Irish girl and a Confederate soldier.

9. Manhattan Bistro
129 Spring Street
This SoHo building is haunted by a young woman, Elma Sands, who was murdered in December 1799 and dropped in a well which is now in the restaurant's basement. Sands alleged murderer, Levi Weeks, was never convicted despite strong evidence. Evidence of the ghost's presence include ashtrays knocked off tables, plates being broken on the floor, and bottles flying off shelves.

10. Morris-Jumel Mansion
65 Jumel Terrace (between West 160th and 162nd Streets)
Built in 1765 as a summer home for British Colonel Roger Morris and his wife, the Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest remaining house in Manhattan. Several ghosts are reputed to haunt the mansion: Eliza Jumel, former mistress of the mansion, has been seen wandering the house in a purple dress, rapping on walls and windows; the ghost of a young servant girl who committed suicide by jumping out a window has been seen in the mansion's servants quarters; and a soldier from the American Revolution, who's picture hangs on a wall in the mansion, has also been seen.