Halloween 2016 at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

Eleven and Dustin Stranger Things

I love anything and everything having to do with the ‘80s.  So when I started hearing buzz about Stanger Things, a horror series on Netflix with deep ‘80s undertones, this past summer, I knew I’d be hooked.  The Grim Cheaper and I finally sat down to binge-watch it in August and immediately became obsessed, staying up until 3:30 in the morning two days in a row to finish it.  Stranger Things is literally one of the best. television. shows. ever.  It was also responsible for inspiring our Halloween costumes this year.  As soon as I saw the first episode, I knew there was no one else I’d rather be than Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).  And the GC quickly set his sights on dressing up as Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo).

[ad]

I am nothing if not anal when it comes to Halloween costumes and, as such, I wanted my Eleven dress to be perfect.  My mom was originally going to make it for me, but the only pattern we could find that came close to Eleven’s pink Peter-Pan-collared frock turned out to be wildly different once my mom started sewing.  So I turned to Etsy and found a dress that was spot-on, made by FrenchieYork.  Thankfully, I already owned a pair of white Converse sneakers and the GC loaned me his blue rain coat, so the only items I had to buy were a pair of green and yellow tube socks, which I found on Amazon, and a wig.  While I originally wanted to wear a shaved head wig, I could not find one anywhere.  I thought I might be able to buy a brown wig and shave it, but after researching that option online, quickly realized that it wouldn’t be possible.  Apparently, quite a few people tried going that route with disastrous results, which I should have anticipated.  I chopped enough of my Barbie dolls’ hair off as a kid to know that cutting synthetic hair, especially that drastically, never ends well.  So I purchased this Hot Honey Blonde Wig and had my mom trim it slightly to match the length of Eleven’s hair.

Halloween 2016-6764

Originally, I was not planning on accenting my costume with a box of Eggo Waffles, as I did not want to be carrying something around in my hands all evening.  But the GC came home with an Eggos carton shortly before Halloween and it dawned on me that I could make a purse out of it, which I did quite easily.  I just put clear packaging tape around the entire thing to make it sturdier, ran string through the sides as a strap, attached Velcro to the top flaps so that my belongings would be secured, and voila!

Halloween 2016-1120929

The GC’s costume was an easy find, as well.  We purchased Dustin’s hat on eBay and his Waupaca, Wisconsin shirt on Amazon (the exact one we bought is no longer available, but you can find a similar one here), which he wore with jeans, a hoodie, and Adidas that were already in his closet.  The wig was a little harder to come by.  We wound up buying this Glam Rock Wig, which my mom cut to look more like Dustin’s hair.

Halloween 2016-1120924

For our Halloween festivities this year we decided to hit up the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride.  For those who have never been, the Haunted Hayride is a longtime L.A. attraction in which guests travel through a frightfully decorated Old Zoo (you can read my post on that locale here) while sitting in a large tractor-pulled trailer.  Though it is one of the city’s most popular Halloween events, the GC and I had never been and decided this was the year to do so.  Thanks to my friend Becky, of the Temporary Rest Stop blog (she wrote this fabulous guest post about Breaking Bad filming locations for my site back in May), I learned that it was possible to walk around the Hayride venue during daytime off-hours and see all of the décor.  So we actually got a double dose of the place!

Halloween 2016-1190699

Halloween 2016-1190700

First thing Halloween morning, the GC and I headed right on over to the site.  Because it was closed and no one was really around, I was a little nervous about just walking right through the Hayride entrance, but thankfully a security guard happened by and when I asked if it was OK to venture in, he explained that the public is welcome to take a look around as long as they don’t touch any of the props or mess up the sets.  How awesome is that?

Halloween 2016-1190701

Halloween 2016-1190704

So we wandered right on in and had an absolute blast.

Halloween 2016-1190706

Halloween 2016-1190709

This year’s Haunted Hayride theme was “Secret Society.”  As the website states, “Inside the gates of the society, members will bear witness to the clandestine lives of their faction and in a shocking turn, will be commandeered by the society and sent into an initiation, confronting the ghosts of hayrides past.”

Halloween 2016-1190703

Halloween 2016-1190707

Getting to see the decorations up-close-and-personal and in the light of day was pretty amazing.

Halloween 2016-1190702

Halloween 2016-1190719

My favorite part of the set-up was the string of former zoo enclosures, which were fashioned with all manner of gory props.

Halloween 2016-1190722

Halloween 2016-1190724

The enclosures were left open, which meant that we were able to venture inside for some fun.

Halloween 2016-1190730

Halloween 2016-1190732

The Haunted Hayride venue is huge and we spent a good hour walking around looking at everything.  If you live in the L.A. area, I can’t more highly recommend stalking it.

Halloween 2016-1190744

Halloween 2016-1190746

Our nighttime visit was a blast, as well, though I will say that the evening turned out to be a lot shorter than we expected.  We were able to go through all of the attractions offered in about an hour and a half.  While we had a great time and enjoyed all that we did, I felt that the Haunted Hayride was lacking a bit.

Halloween 2016-6781

Though various kiosks are set up, there just isn’t that much to do while there.

Halloween 2016-1190765

Halloween 2016-1190766

We purchased VIP tickets, so we did not wait in line at all the entire night, which, obviously, got us through things more quickly, but I still expected there to be more to experience.

Halloween 2016-1190710

Halloween 2016-1190773

That being said, we had a great time and would likely go again.

Halloween 2016-1190775

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride consists of three main attractions, the primary of which is the Hayride itself, which was fabulous at night and a lot longer than I anticipated.  At one point, guests even get off the tractor and have to find their way through a corn maze.

Halloween 2016-1190718

Halloween 2016-1190713

My favorite part of the night, though, was the Trick or Treat attraction (the exterior of which is pictured below), during which guests roam through a fake village of tiny cottages, knocking on doors in order to get candy.  While treats are handed out, so are scares, as people jump out at visitors from doorways, windows and other dark places.  Trick or Treat was incredibly well done and I loved every minute of it, even more so than the actual Hayride.

Halloween 2016-1190768

The third event offered was the Ouija Origin of Evil House of Shadows, which could have been really cool, except that the entire thing was lit by intense strobe lighting, which made me really dizzy.  I am not one to get woozy easily (I regularly read in the car), but those lights had me feeling like I’d downed a bottle of tequila.  By the end of it, I was so disoriented that I was walking into walls.

Halloween 2016-1190780

According to recent Yelp reviews, Hayrides of years past were far better executed, so I’m looking forward to going back to see how it is in 2017.

Halloween 2016-1190776

Halloween 2016-1190779

All in all, it was a fabulous Halloween and I am deeply saddened that my favorite season has come to an end.  I hope all of my fellow stalkers had a fun-filled holiday.  I, for one, am already looking forward to next year.

Halloween 2016-6782

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Halloween 2016-1190758

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride takes place each October at the Old Zoo, which is located at 4801 Griffith Park Boulevard inside of Griffith Park.  You can find out more information about the event here.

Halloween 2010 at the Hotel Santa Barbara

IMG_2321

As I mentioned last week, this past Saturday morning the Grim Cheaper and I headed up north to the Central Coast of California to spend Halloween with our good friends who live in Santa Barbara, or the “American Riviera” as the seaside city is colloquially known.  For those who have never visited the area during Halloween, I must say that there is just simply no place better to spend the holiday.  For whatever, Santa Barbara has got some MAJOR Halloween spirit.  Downtown State Street turns into one big Halloween fest each and every October 31st, during which everyone – and I do mean everyone – dresses up for the occasion.  It’s an absolute blast and if you EVER have the opportunity, I HIGHLY recommend spending at least one Halloween there!

IMG_2326 IMG_2327

At one point in the evening, we even witnessed a flash mob dancing to “Michael Jackson’s Thriller”, in which ALL of the participants were dressed like Zombies.  So darn cool!  But I digress.

IMG_2317 IMG_2318

Anyway, as I always do when planning a vacation, I set out to find a hotel to stay at that had some sort of Hollywood history or cinematic significance.  And find one, I did!  While doing some cyberstalking I came across an article on the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau website titled “Movie Tourism is a Natural in ‘Hollywood North’”.  Besides doling out some fabulous area filming location information, the article also stated that in the 1920s the Hotel Santa Barbara, a place where I have actually always wanted to stay, was “the getaway for many of Hollywood’s brightest stars”, including actors Leo Carrillo, Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard.  So, I immediately booked the GC and I a room there.

[ad]

IMG_2316 IMG_2319

The 84-room, Mediterranean-style property, which was originally named “The Saint Barbara Hotel”, was established in 1916 and was one of the first hotels built by famed Santa Barbara hotelier Neal Callahan.  The original hotel building was destroyed during the June 29, 1925 earthquake and was rebuilt by Callahan the following year.  From the very beginning, the upscale hotel enjoyed a loyal following, housing vacationing starlets and wealthy tourists alike.  According to this October 2000 Los Angeles Times article, during Prohibition the property even boasted a hidden gambling room on its premises, where alcohol was indeed still served.  And while in later years the hotel degraded a bit in stature, it underwent an extensive $4 million renovation and restoration project in 1997 and is once again a popular upscale vacation venue.

IMG_2310 IMG_2311

The hotel was very reasonably priced by Santa Barbara standards (most hotels in the seaside city are exorbitantly expensive and not very well maintained), especially considering the place’s centralized downtown location.  Lots of freebies, such as bottled water in the room, wireless internet, and a continental breakfast, were also included.  Our room, while small, was extremely cozy and very nicely appointed.

IMG_2314 

And it also boasted a fabulous view of Downtown State Street and the Santa Barbara Mountains.  And even thought the staff there couldn’t tell me much about the history of the place nor about any of its celebrity clientele during the heyday of Hollywood, I honestly can’t recommend the Hotel Santa Barbara enough!  I’ve stayed in quite a few different hotels in the area over the years and not only was the Hotel Santa Barbara one of the nicest, it was also one of the least expensive, which, of course, pleased the Grim Cheaper to no end.  🙂

   IMG_2328  ScreenShot6013

 IMG_2329 ScreenShot6012

As always, the GC and I looked to Hollywood for our costume inspiration this year and decided to dress up as Ferris Bueller (aka Matthew Broderick) and Sloane Peterson (aka Mia Sara) from fave movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  My mom, whose help we enlisted to make Ferris’ leopard print vest, was convinced that no one would recognize us being that the movie is almost two and a half decades old.  I, however, knew that would not be the case.  I mean, hello!  Ferris and Sloane are iconic!  How could people NOT know who we were!  And sure enough, I was right – people recognized us pretty much everywhere we went that night.  🙂  Well, a few did refer to us as Ferris and “Simone”, but hey, that’s close enough.  😉

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: Hotel Santa Barbara is located at 533 State Street in the heart of Downtown Santa Barbara.  You can visit the hotel’s official website here.