Thanks again!

THIS is how I always feel on November 1st.
(Photo by Bob Flynn.)

Sigh. October 31st has come and gone, and today is an awful day for us Halloween lovers. It’s the day when all that magic seems to have drifted away like tea-light smoke and humdrum reality takes over again. It’s the day when we realize that next year’s Halloween season could not possibly be farther away.

I’ve had friends ask me, “What’s so special about Halloween?” Well, I love that Halloween is pretty much the opposite of boredom. It offers us a break from what our lives usually hold, and gives us surprises instead of what we always expect. I mean, everything about the holiday–eating candy, putting gruesome props on display, carving pumpkins, dressing in costume, going to haunted houses–is incredibly, admirably not about normal life.

Instead, Halloween’s all about the ephemeral pleasures of fun, excitement, and awe. It is not a holiday motivated by religion or patriotism, and it doesn’t serve any productive, tangible purpose. It doesn’t even match the mainstream attitude of US culture (“Life is sunny and happy and … go buy things!”). So in a way, the amazing thing about Halloween is that it exists at all. 

I’m so glad it does, and I know you are too, or you wouldn’t be reading this. And I really appreciate having the chance to share my enthusiasm with you. Thanks again for checking out my blog. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!

I’ll see you again next year, starting in September 2013.

Village Halloween Parade…Canceled?!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Unfortunately, this year’s Halloween Parade in the Village has been canceled (or at least postponed indefinitely) due to the hurricane that just blew through the area.

I’m quite disappointed at this news; I was really looking forward to donning my Sherlock costume and joining the parade this evening. In my grief, I am posting a few shots of some of the astoundingly creative costumes that have been seen in previous years’ NYC parades.

Photos via the Gothamist.

City of the Dead

Over the weekend we went on a walking tour of Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn. At over 450 acres in size, this burial ground is larger than most NYC neighborhoods. There are nearly 600,000 people interred there, including Bill “the Butcher” Poole, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Boss Tweed, and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Opened way back in 1838, the cemetery is beautifully designed; in fact, it was being used as a public park before Central Park was even established. In the late 1800s, people from across the United States would come visit Green-Wood just to walk the grounds. In fact, it was as popular a destination as Niagara Falls!

As you can see from the photographs I took below, Green-Wood is absolutely breathtaking, especially on a fall day with Halloween right around the corner.

The hallway inside the catacombs.

A tomb within the catacombs.

“Sexy” Halloween Costumes for Ladies

I feel like I’m writing on this topic several years too late, since it’s something I’ve been ranting about for a while, and I’ve seen online that other people have noticed it too. I am talking about the disturbing, often hilarious trend of sexy costumes for women.

Home run! (Oh wait; that’s baseball.)

Don’t get me wrong–I myself have enjoyed the rush of dressing in flirtatious costumes: one year I was a Catholic school girl, another year a cheerleader. Notably, however, I wore my own clothes. You see, I’m certainly not judging the women who dress up provocatively. Instead, I want to lambast the marketing trend responsible for the manufacture and sale of flashy scraps of cheap plastic like this.

My advice for this plumber? Say no to “crack.”

And this.

Who’s bad?

And these.

This is supposed to be a sexy Nemo. Yep.

Sexual objectification AND racial stereotyping! It’s a 2-fer.

Indeed, a quick trip to the costume shop will reveal that the only options for women looking to buy a pre-made outfit are variations on this type of stripper-ware. And it has gotten more ludicrous over the years, with sexy costumes drifting far away from the standard Little Bo Peeps and Xenas to feminized versions of male horror movie icons. Who knew that Freddy Krueger in drag would be … a hot chick?

Sweet dreams?

I’d like to add a few suggestions of my own: Babe Lincoln (with a low-cut tux jacket, fake beard, and top hat)! Hasidic Hottie (don’t forget the sidelocks)! The Sex-orcist (including a fetching puke-stained nightie)! Ugh.

PS As if this weren’t bad enough, a newer fad is sexy costumes for little girls. But that’s another rant.

The Halloween Adventure Store

After searching many nearby Party City and Spirit Halloween stores, and frustratingly not being able to find the supplies I needed for my costume, I finally remembered the one place that NEVER disappoints: Halloween Adventure (a.k.a. New York Costumes), located near Union Square. It’s open year-round, and they have everything imaginable in stock.

Despite being here in Manhattan, where establishments are usually small and cramped, this store is surprisingly HUGE! So huge that they have maps available when you walk in the door, indicating where everything is. After all, the space is an entire city blog long and has two whole floors of creepy awesomeness!

It’s seriously a mecca of costumes, props, wigs, masks, decorations, and accessories. Here are some shots I took there last night. (And if you want to see more, there are photo and video galleries on their site.)

Store front.

Window display.

Oldest clown ever?

Window display.

They even have Han Solo!

Sexy … crayon? Ok then.

If you’re ever in NYC, I highly recommend stopping by this place. There’s no other store like it!

Unbelievable Pumpkin Carvings

And now, in the “So Brilliantly Executed It Seems Unreal” column, here is the most recent work by pumpkin-carving artist Ray Villafane.

You’ve probably seen Ray’s carvings before, but this just wouldn’t be a proper Halloween blog if I didn’t mention his amazing work here. He’s got skills.

Halloween in Japan

Photo by Danny Choo.

The celebration of Halloween is a relatively recent phenomenon in Japan. Now they have merry orange and black decorations in stores; costume parties and parades (“cosplay”–as in costume play–is their word for dressing up); and Halloween-themed candy. To wit:

 

Photo by Danny Choo.

Photo via inventorspot.com.

Photo via japanvisitor.com.

Why don’t we have these in the States?!? WHY?

Seeing the Halloween spirit spreading over to the Asian countries makes me smile. I can’t wait to see what else they contribute to the holiday.