Halloween is like innocence lost. As a child, I looked forward to this annual holiday all year long – only because it was fun to wear the coolest costume for a few hours and compete against my brothers to see which one of us could fill our trick-or-treat bag the fullest. As I’ve grown up, Halloween is not so innocent. Sure, it’s still about having a good time, but it certainly isn’t candy apples and Tootsie Rolls anymore! It’s more like Blow Pops and Butterfingers.

So, with Halloween falling on a Tuesday this year, the holiday turned into a five-night celebration. When Oct. 31 finally rolled around, I was pretty much Halloweened-out but still had a great time out and about. It started out on the Friday before Halloween. We started out our holiday celebration at The Flame. My friends and I had an awesome time at the club’s annual “Pimp N Ho Ball.” It wasn’t much different from a typical night out in Hillcrest, except on this night the hos were just a little easier to spot.

Saturday seemed like Halloween to me. This was the night that I spotted the most costumes and people out and about. I even joined in the fun and sported a sexy sailor outfit, complete with combat boots, sailor shirt, dog tags, Navy hat and, of course, booty shorts. We hosted a Halloween pre-party at our house for a few friends, which turned into about 65 people. Once I finally kicked the masses out of my house, a few of us made it out just in time to pop into a few clubs. Hillcrest was buzzing after the Nightmare on Normal Street celebration, and the throngs were heading to their favorite nighttime destinations.

We first headed into Rich’s for their “Salvation Thriller” party. DJ Tony Moran spun an amazing set, and the lively crowd looked amazing. After awhile, we headed over to Fifth Avenue to make a pit stop before hitting Club Montage. We stopped by The Caliph to visit a friend and enjoyed some great drinks in the much tamer environment that this piano bar offers. Next was The Brass Rail for their Noche Latino Americano “Fright Night” where we danced to the hot Latin beats before stopping into #1 Fifth Ave. to hang out on the patio. In true Barfly fashion, we zipped down Fifth Avenue one bar after another, saying our hellos, before moving on to the next. Making appearances are oh so important!

The night ended at Club Montage for Montage’s “Haunted Mansion.” The club was packed, the people looked great and the decorations were amazing. We danced, we drank, we critiqued costumes, people slapped my sailor ass and we danced some more. You know, I might just dress up as a sailor more often. Everyone seems to love a Navy boy, and my behind is still red from all the slaps, taps and pinches. Go Navy!

After a bit more partying on Sunday and a tame night on Monday, Halloween Tuesday finally was here! There were a number of parties going on around town, but I made it into Rich’s, Flicks and Numbers. I met a number of characters throughout the evening, but my favorites were Whitney Houston and the Toyota Prius Crew. We first headed straight into Rich’s for the “Chainsaw Massacre” party. Rich’s looked amazing! The club was all decked out with a chainsaw-wielding mannequin, blood on the walls and signage reminiscent of the chainsaw massacres. There was a medium-sized line to get in for most of the night and the place was filled with some great costumes. This is where I met Whitney Houston. I think she was a bit cracked out (in true Whitney style) as she wouldn’t stop saying “happy Halloween” to everyone in sight, but she was fun.

After awhile at Rich’s, we decided to step out for a bit and head a few doors down to Flicks. There was a relatively packed crowd inside this video bar, and there were even more great costumes to be seen. We ran into a couple of old friends here, chatted, took some pictures, got my ass slapped a few more times and made our way back up to Rich’s. But on the way, Whitney decided that she needed to go to Numbers. Since we were eventually planning on heading that way, we decided to walk with her. The girl must have said “happy Halloween” 46 times during the short walk. Numbers was hosting a “Hip-Hop Halloween,” so we had time to dance to the funky grooves, have a few drinks and check out even more costumes.

Seeing so many different costumes takes me back to my original point about Halloween losing its innocence as we grow older. As a kid, we were excited to dress up as a pirate, a policeman or some kind of scary goblin. Sure, we still dress up as these things, but the pirates and policemen costumes typically tend to involve as little clothing as possible and some other kind of sexually suggestive accessories. But I’m certainly not complaining – there were some hot boys out there!

Halloween was fun, but the excitement is just beginning! There are number of exciting events coming up in the next weeks, and I hope you’ll be there. Club Montage has two great parties coming our way: DJ Manny Lehman will be spinning live on Saturday, Nov. 11, and the next Military Madness event will be on Nov. 18 (hmm, maybe I’ll put on the sailor costume again)!

Until next time, stay safe and have fun! E-mail your event or venue information to me via editor@uptownpub.com.