This is coming out a little late…just too much hoing going on to settle down to write…I hope you had as much fun this Halloween as I did. If you didn’t there’s no excuse not to next year. As I mentioned before, I’m on a tight budget, but I was still determined not to let the grinch in me win. So I decided to check out WeHo’s Halloween Carnival, and I’m so glad I did!
I recycled an old costume I’d never gotten to wear, and became Little Miss Red Riding Hood, checked out the WeHo Carnival webiste (www.visitwesthollywood.com/halloween-carnaval)and ventured out into the night-hoping if there were any wolves, they’d at least be cute.
The event is along Santa Monica Blvd, and it’s free. They set up stages providing almost every kind of music you could want to hear, and there was even an areial-trapeze show, just like at the circus! There are food trucks, but if you’re like me, you eat at home first.
Caution: When they say there’s no alcohol, they’re NOT kidding. Even the Weho Pavillions locks down their liquor section starting at 8pm to preven people like moi from stumbling in off the street trying to score a wine cooler. There are bars along the route, but they charge a $5 cover, and I felt it was a rip-off to pay a cover just to get a drink, when there’s already free music and dancing on every corner.
Near Doheny Drive, at the start of Beverly Hills and the end of the carnival, is a club called Troubadour. (www.troubadour.com) They offered free admission, though I gather from the site, that this may vary. The music was great! Hip-Hop & R&B, the drinks were great.
I loved Troubadour, until a sheik (new to the country, speaking very little english, and only here for 6 months) came and asked if we could “visit together tonight”. I figured I was agreeing to dance, but he seemed to think we were an item. Though he was cute, there’s a limit to the amount of hoing I’ll do.
Ice Water Bucket Challengers!
The Postal Pooch, who was to busy making deliveries to pose for pictures.
I didn’t need the free drinks that bad, so I left, and discovered that I had missed some rain.
I would advise great walking shoes as it’s a long walk. People brought pets, and kids, but it’s more of an adult party, and when it gets crowded the little ones should be picked up to avoid trampling, as I imagine could happen if,say, it starts to rain…
For the crowd weary, it was decent for most the event, and it actually started getting bottle-necky as the event ended, at 10:30ish as throngs of late-comers tried to enter as those who’d actually participated were leaving.
So if you’re crowd phobic, come early, get your groove on and leave by 10. If you’re a New York ex-pat like myself, ain’t no thang! Stay all night. It was a pretty mellow crowd, as far as crowds go. Everyone was in a good mood, saw some great costumes, tons of guy-sexies, and it was just a great time all around.
I was shocked to catch myself thinking, NYC’s Village Parade could take some pointers. Till next time, keep bangin’ hos!
thefrugalho 