In Progress: The New York Grimpendium

June 3, 2011 – The Rolling Stones sing, “Go ahead, bite the Big Apple…don’t mind the maggots.” They’re referring to the city named New York, of course, but the notion can be generalized to the entire state, as well. After all, like most places, New York has a dark side.

And I’m under contract to go stumble around in it.

I’m currently researching, traveling, and writing another Grimpendium, this one for New York, as a follow-up to last year’s New England Grimpendium.

The New York Grimpendium should be a fascinating project, at least to put together. Hopefully to read, too. After all, this is the state that gave us the Headless Horseman, Son of Sam, Rosemary’s Baby, Rod Serling, the Addams Family, Albert Fish, Troma Studios, Typhoid Mary, and the Amityville horror. The state is full of the macabre, the grim, and the ghastly.

The book won’t come out for a while, so this isn’t a marketing push. It’s more like an invitation. Possibly a cry for help.

I already have hundreds of places to look into and check out, but, as with all areas of my life, I’m way willing to replace less interesting places for cooler. So, if you’re feeling generous, send me tips and ideas at ockerjw@gmail.com, on the OTIS Facebook page, or via Twitter.

If you read the New England Grimpendium, you know the types of sites, attractions, and artifacts that I’m after (and, thanks). If not, this page explains it best.

Meanwhile, I’ll be randomly updating book progress on the OTIS Facebook page with road trip routes, random pics, and questions and observations.

New York’s going to be my favorite state for the duration of the project, so I’d love to hear from anybody with both practical and impractical expertise on the region. Or just anybody. Sometimes I’m just looking for somebody to talk to.

Until then, here's a brief sampling of some of the New York sites I've explored already for the book:

See you on the dark side...