HALLOWEEN RAMPAGE 2009, or THE GREAT HALLOWEEN WASHOUT

Continuing from Friday's pre-Halloween stuff, the actual main event turned out to be a major letdown for a number of reasons, chief among which was the on-again-off-again rain that varied from a dealable mist to torrential downpours, so this year's Halloween Rampage was in actual fact The Great Halloween Washout. Anyway, here's a much smaller than expected photo safari of the day's events.

The gray and overcast Halloween morning, a portent of things to come...

While doing my pre-parade errands, I ran into Popeye at Key Food.

Yer Bunche with a werewolf nose appliance, my first foray into self-applied Spirit Gum and latex.

With snout and fangs.

The finished product: Dashiki Bunchewolf 2009, with Henry Hull-meet-James Brown hairdo and serious glow-in-the-dark claws.

Awaiting the R train into Manhattan.

A ghost rides the R train.

Two literal wiener dogs in Madison Park.

Jared arrives at Madison Park, rockin' his stylish new hand-painted look.

Jared's new look as seen from the back.

The Devil as seen on 23rd Street and Broadway.

A STAR WARS family. Extra Points to mom for representing as Ahsoka Tano!

A Baseball Fury, the first of several seen both in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Two men of mystery take a cig brake.

About an hour in I began to sniffle and that's not fun at the best of times, but it's fucking disgusting when your nose is drooling into an over-the-nose appliance, so it had to go. Luckily I anticipated such a possibility and brought my trusty Duane Reed Bunchewolf mask and used that instead. I also removed the claws because they rendered virtually all use of my hands impossible, plus a few of the nails had already come off (one memorably fell into the medium root beer I'd ordered at Popeye's Chicken). And although I used acetone to take the nails off, the procedure proved quite painful thanks to the unusually strong bond provided by Crazy Glue between the claws and my fingernails. Getting them off took about fifteen minutes and a half-bottle of acetone, and it hurt like a bitch.

The evening's first Jesus. Totally in character, the guy was kind enough to bless me.

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As seen on Thursday night in Grand Central Station, the first of 2009's costumed revelers.

The first of several Michael Jacksons (as predicted), and the only one not rocking the red "Thriller" outfit.

"Ave!" An excellent Roman centurion, a welcome change of pace from those damned now-ubiquitous Spartans from 300.

A pair I can't believe I'd never seen at a Village Halloween shindig: the Ambiguously Gay Duo.

A security guard gets into the spirit as Captain America.

An intriguing Lady Gaga.

A gathering of super-gals.

The massively crowded streets. Repeat after me: NO FUN.

Russell from UP, complete with balloon house and Dug.

Soaked and mostly miserable, costumed would-be revelers attempt to wait out the on-and-off pissing-down rain. At this point my friends and I gave up on the parade due to unmanageable crowds both on the sidewalks and off, the disgusting humidity, and the rain that drenched us. Jared left to return to his upstate home while Susan, Daniel and myself walked back up to 23rd Street, a journey that fortunately yielded some fun shots that the parade itself did not.

The always welcome Wayne and Garth. "Schwing!!!"

A terrific Serena Williams, who wished me a "Happy Hallo-Queen." And I apologize for the haze on this shot; it was taking in the rain and the lens had fogged up from the humidity.

A family of Supers. Note the baby in the sling, also rocking a cape.

Green Lantern club bouncer.

Go-Go Yubari from KILL BILL VOL.1.

A charming kitchen crew.

Hunter S. Thompson, who's becoming more and more frequently seen at Halloween and at comics conventions. Hey, I totally approve, but I'm holding out for Uncle Duke.

Dad's rocking the John Stewart looks while his daughter represents for the NYC superhero contingent. This kind of thing just warms my heart.

Most gloriously tasteless costume of the night and a strong candidate for "Best Couples Costume Ever": the Kennedy Assassination.

Wonder Woman and Aquaman.

Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and The Monarch.

Wrasslin' legend Rowdy Roddy Piper, encountered back in Brooklyn and right outside the bodega where I stopped to pick up some consolation beers before I spent the rest of the night watching cheesy gladiator movies.

Monday morning on the way to work: as Halloween 2009 fades, the first wave of the legion of bell-ringing Santas shows up outside of Grand Central Station. Pfooey.