As a Philadelphia
native relatively new to the Washington metropolitan area, I am constantly
learning of new traditions and customs in the city.Panerai replica watches,cheaprolexwatches,replica
omega, Most recently, I was introduced to the High Heel Drag Race, an annual
October event where men don women’s clothing and their best heels and speed down
17th Street in Dupont Circle, a neighborhood “synonymous with gay life” in the
city.
This year’s 26th annual High Heel Drag Race, which typically takes place the night before Halloween,Official site of OMEGA watches. Manufacturer of prestige replicawatches00. was postponed to the following Thursday because of Hurricane Sandy.supply many cheap nike christianlouboutinshoes shoes for you, From the looks of it, turnout wasn’t affected at all by the changed date.
The actual event was set to start at 9 p.m., but a friend told me I should aim to be there three hours early. Feeling a little silly, I arrived at one end of what was to be the raceway at the corner of P Street and 17th Street at half past 6 p.New Style Jeans niketn on sale with fast delivery!m., dragging along my boyfriend, who learned somewhat belatedly that this wasn’t the kind of drag race that involved cars. He was a bit disappointed.
To my surprise, there was already a thin crowd gathered along the sides of the road, which had been cordoned off for the show between P and S Streets. The fenced-in outdoor areas in front of the bars were overflowing with people settling in for the race. By 7:40 p.m., the streets were starting to fill up. Around this time, I ducked into a busy McDonald’s for a quick snack, and when I reemerged 10 minutes later, the crowd was so dense that I was stuck three rows back from the street.
The most unexpected part of the whole event was the ever-present sense of calmness and normalcy. I honestly had no idea what to expect before the race — what the crowds would look like, what kind of people would be there or what kind of mood there would be. The entire event was tame and controlled, especially for something taking place outside at night on a city street lined with bars. Everyone seemed to know what to do, and I got the feeling I was the only one experiencing it for the first time. The demographic was surprising as well — I thought I’d only see young adults, but there were parents with toddlers and tons of grandparents, too.
The drag queens themselves were quite spectacular. The race itself lasted only four-and-a-half minutes, so the exciting part was beforehand — seeing all of the race participants strutting the street-turned-runway and striking poses for every willing camera, confident and seemingly oblivious to the sharp cold. Since the race was Halloween-themed, there were many in costume. The group outfits stole the show by far – four queens dressed up as the ladies from popular talk show The View and pushed around a table on wheels; a group of seven or eight donned long, thin rainbow-colored balloons and plastic fish decorations and went as “The Gay Barrier Reef.”
The race began promptly at 9 p.m. and with little warning. I was positioned in the middle, near the corner of 17th and Q Streets, so I wasn’t close enough to the starting line at S Street to hear the starting signal. One minute, the streets were empty; the next, there was a quickly building roar of cheers that rippled down the street, and the first racer bolted past me, a blur of wig, dress and heels. It was impressive to say the least — as someone who is supposed to be comfortable in the tall, pointy death traps that are women’s dress shoes, I appreciate anyone who can walk gracefully, no less run, in heels.
CBS reported that this year’s winner was Inertia, a 26-year-old who once ran track for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, propelled to victory in her 4-inch stiletto boots.
In all, the experience was incredible — everything I had hoped for and then some. Even my boyfriend, who had come along reluctantly, said it was pretty exciting. I definitely plan to return for next year’s race, and I’m looking forward to making this quirky event a new Halloween tradition.
This year’s 26th annual High Heel Drag Race, which typically takes place the night before Halloween,Official site of OMEGA watches. Manufacturer of prestige replicawatches00. was postponed to the following Thursday because of Hurricane Sandy.supply many cheap nike christianlouboutinshoes shoes for you, From the looks of it, turnout wasn’t affected at all by the changed date.
The actual event was set to start at 9 p.m., but a friend told me I should aim to be there three hours early. Feeling a little silly, I arrived at one end of what was to be the raceway at the corner of P Street and 17th Street at half past 6 p.New Style Jeans niketn on sale with fast delivery!m., dragging along my boyfriend, who learned somewhat belatedly that this wasn’t the kind of drag race that involved cars. He was a bit disappointed.
To my surprise, there was already a thin crowd gathered along the sides of the road, which had been cordoned off for the show between P and S Streets. The fenced-in outdoor areas in front of the bars were overflowing with people settling in for the race. By 7:40 p.m., the streets were starting to fill up. Around this time, I ducked into a busy McDonald’s for a quick snack, and when I reemerged 10 minutes later, the crowd was so dense that I was stuck three rows back from the street.
The most unexpected part of the whole event was the ever-present sense of calmness and normalcy. I honestly had no idea what to expect before the race — what the crowds would look like, what kind of people would be there or what kind of mood there would be. The entire event was tame and controlled, especially for something taking place outside at night on a city street lined with bars. Everyone seemed to know what to do, and I got the feeling I was the only one experiencing it for the first time. The demographic was surprising as well — I thought I’d only see young adults, but there were parents with toddlers and tons of grandparents, too.
The drag queens themselves were quite spectacular. The race itself lasted only four-and-a-half minutes, so the exciting part was beforehand — seeing all of the race participants strutting the street-turned-runway and striking poses for every willing camera, confident and seemingly oblivious to the sharp cold. Since the race was Halloween-themed, there were many in costume. The group outfits stole the show by far – four queens dressed up as the ladies from popular talk show The View and pushed around a table on wheels; a group of seven or eight donned long, thin rainbow-colored balloons and plastic fish decorations and went as “The Gay Barrier Reef.”
The race began promptly at 9 p.m. and with little warning. I was positioned in the middle, near the corner of 17th and Q Streets, so I wasn’t close enough to the starting line at S Street to hear the starting signal. One minute, the streets were empty; the next, there was a quickly building roar of cheers that rippled down the street, and the first racer bolted past me, a blur of wig, dress and heels. It was impressive to say the least — as someone who is supposed to be comfortable in the tall, pointy death traps that are women’s dress shoes, I appreciate anyone who can walk gracefully, no less run, in heels.
CBS reported that this year’s winner was Inertia, a 26-year-old who once ran track for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, propelled to victory in her 4-inch stiletto boots.
In all, the experience was incredible — everything I had hoped for and then some. Even my boyfriend, who had come along reluctantly, said it was pretty exciting. I definitely plan to return for next year’s race, and I’m looking forward to making this quirky event a new Halloween tradition.
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