When I first heard about The Ghost, a hidden underground club rumored to be the best-kept secret in the city, I thought my friend was joking, but he assured me it was real. He said, “It’s not easy to find, but if you’re lucky, they’ll find you.”
Seeing the confusion on my face he explained, “The club changes locations every month. You never know where it’s going to be, but if you can find it and get in for even one night, you will party with the most elite and admired names in professional sports, music, TV and movies.”
Did that make me curious? You bet. I’ve lived here for 40+ years and never heard of anything like this. So, I started asking around among a few of my most high-profile friends. What did I learn? Nothing. Even my most celebrated acquaintances were clueless.
I hit dead end after dead end until I finally got a tip from a waiter at one of my favorite Scottsdale restaurants. He made me promise I would not mention him or the name of the restaurant and warned me, “Greg, even though you run a big company and you’re on TV every day, with all due respect, I highly doubt you will get in. First, you have to find it. Second, somebody has to give you the password, which changes every month with the venue. And third, it’s not just about how much money you have or how famous you are, it’s about the ‘vibe’ you would bring to the party. If you do get an invite and a password, but show up wearing the wrong clothes, or with the wrong people, or even the wrong look on your face, you won’t get in.”
And so it became a quest. I had to find out if The Ghost was real or folklore. For months I tried to track it down, to no avail. Eventually I started to lose interest. But then I received a text message from a number I didn’t recognize. “Are you looking for me?” it read. I figured it was spam and thought nothing of it, replying back, “I think you have the wrong number.” The next text I received said, “I never have the wrong number.” It was followed by an address in downtown Phoenix and what looked like a password. I wondered if “this was it” and became guardedly excited. Just one problem…there was no day and time. When I texted back to inquire, my phone said my number was blocked.
Truth be told…I don’t know whether that text represented the possibility of an invite to The Ghost or a playful trick by somebody who knew this would get me excited.
Does The Ghost really exist? The friend who first told me about it swears that it does. He says an evening at The Ghost resembles a cross between Cirque du Soleil, the Playboy Mansion, the Oscars and the Grammys. He also cautioned me that the establishments you find online with “Ghost” in their name are not “The Ghost” he is referring to.
I am mesmerized by the possibility that something as elusive and alluring as The Ghost really does exist. Whether it’s real or illusory, it embodies the magnetic power of scarcity and our innate desire to have what is hard to get. Even if I only experience The Ghost vicariously through my friend (wondering if he’s telling me the truth), it’s a treat.
Recently, my friend further piqued my interest in The Ghost by asking me if I’d like to know the secret password. He even said I could share it in this article since it was used only for the one night he attended. The password was (drum roll)…Louie the Mole.
