Not as Smart as I Think I Am

So it's done...my big roadtrip to NY with Brian and Bruce to audition for VH1's World Series of Pop Culture. Although the tryouts were tons o' fun, we will not be appearing on VH1 any time soon (unless the producers use the shots they took of us lined up in the hallway prior to taking the test). It's ok to say that you were "on the show" if you appear in a cut-away during the opening montage of something, right? Anyway, as for the questions, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement, but I will say one thing: Trivial Pursuit this was not. These were questions you either knew or you didn't and if you didn't, well...you were getting a lot wrong and going home. Hence us returning to DC winless. Oh well.

We did have a great time on our little roadtrip however. Saturday evening post-test was spent in Ciro, a restaurant at 8th Ave. and W 49th St. in Manhattan. I've got mad love for the staff there...they let us hang out for about 5 hours on a Saturday with nary the dirty look. They also make a mean carrot cake. Very nice. Brian and Bruce looked up some old actor friends from their crazy days at Kings Dominion, the Paramount-owned theme park outside of Richmond. Apparently, they were all involved in a kids show called "Mega Mess-o-Mania" (aka my own private hell). Anyway, I got to enjoy a fascinating evening with some actors and actresses working to make it in NY. It's a tough life, but god bless them for going for it.

Sunday we had brunch with Brian's cousin, also an actor, who lives in a great building specifically for actors and artists getting their start in the Big City. Very cool. I'm glossing over this part solely because I'm SO excited to describe our next stop on our whirlwind tour of NYC...New York Costumes.

Now, I've scoured the internets looking for a site for this place, and I can't find one. I do know that it's on Broadway near 10th next to Grace Church and that it's AMAZING. We're talking flat-out ridiculously amazing. This guy has some great photos of the place...but they don't remotely do it justice. Imagine two huge floors of well-organized Halloween bliss. We're talking everything from ornate rental costumes to your standard plastic Superman tie-over-the-clothes type of thing. In fact, for each major superhero and genre of costume, there is an entire SECTION devoted to it. Star Wars? Why, let us direct you to the Star Wars section, with costumes for toddlers up through and including a working glass light sabre. Pirates? Right this way to our PIRATE SECTION...complete with a life-size she-Pirate you could rent for parties. Of course, this place attracted suitably eccentric employees too, and that's part of the awesomeness. Where else could I have overheard sincere advice given to an aspiring drag performer? Anyway, I have a new love and thy name is New York Costumes.