The scary side room at O'Ryan's Pub

From the outside, we couldn't tell if it was open or closed. I pulled the metal handle on the front door, but it didn't open. Then I realized I had to turn the knob and then pull the handle. Tricky, that.

Inside, O'Ryan's was unexpectedly large, with a higher-than-normal ceiling and a tiled floor.

The bartender, a pleasant, pleasantly plump fellow, cheerfully served us a few Bud Light bottles, which cost about $2 each.

There were only a handful of other people in the bar -- probably because most of the regulars were at the Polish Festival, the bartender said.

I decided to do a little snooping, which is when I discovered the freaky side room ...

It's another whole rowhouse, from the looks of it, with a long, deserted counter and piles of random stuff. It was deadly quiet, with the only noise coming from a flickering light inside a cooler.

Bzzt. Zzzt. Bzzt. Zzzt.

I suddenly got the feeling I was in a horror movie. I hoped like heck I was one of the main characters -- too important to die, you know. But I felt like I was probably one of the movie's first victims.

I could see the headlines in the next day's newspaper:

Veteran bar blogger and D-list local celebrity Sam Sessa disappears in Highlandtown/Greektown bar. His last drink? A bottle of Bud Light.

Shiver.

In real life, I slowly backed out of the room, and went back to my Bud Light, lucky to be alive.

(Photo by me)