Was there a Wonder Woman costume left anywhere for purchase on Friday? We doubt it as the Children's Museum of Houston was overrun with caped heroines and heroes and a good number of masked villains when the popular haunt of kiddos was transformed into grown-up party central for the "Freak Out Friday, Villain's Vengeance" bash.
It was one of the few museum parties where IDs were checked at the door (really), one of the few times that "no kids allowed" applied. Deep Eddy Vodka and other libations flowed while the DJ blasted hit tunes through the halls of the popular playland.
The evening, that doubled as a sneak peak of the "Summer of Epic Adventure" programs, was the third annual partnering between Yelp and CMH. As the museum's Henry Yao noted, "They're here and they'll write reviews of the museum . . . we view these guests as our future donors." Operative word "future," as this crowd was primarily a twentysomething bunch.
More than 700 RSVP'd for the party that featured 19 vendors plying everything from Shipley's donuts to Lucille's frito pie.
More than 700 RSVP'd for the party that featured 19 vendors plying everything from Shipley's donuts to Lucille's gourmet frito pie to Maggiano's lasagna. Spreading indoors and outdoors across the museum playing field, the turnout was the largest to date for a Houston Yelp event.
"It's really a great way to go and be honest and give an opinion of a business or restaurant," explained Wes Clayton, a social worker and member of the Yelp Elite Squad. He and wife Alison Clayton, who works at M.D. Anderson, not only partied but also checked out the museum for review. Wes contributes 25 to 30 reviews to the site each year.
Batman, Spiderman, Maleficent and the like had their faces painted, sampled tastes from Cookie Cup Commotion and Brisket House and played with all the exhibits that are usually reserved for youngsters. Marina and Nicholas Ostrowicki had visited the museum numerous times with their three children but this night was their first with the kids at home.
It was a Yelp party first for the devlish Ursa Major (aka Katie Fulmer) who noted of the varied food offerings, "It's really cool that you can try a lot of places from around town in one place." She and sidekick oncologist Dr. Yasmin Maldonado paired as an evil duo.
Who were those masked men and women? They included Lemuel Restauro, Cindy Le, Lisa Bonilla, Joe Oliver, Tammy Dang, Jennifer Tran, Nicole Cordner, Pierre Gourmelon, Jennifer Brush and Jeff Lorenson.
Leila Nouchedehi, from left, Mario Olmedo and Kristina Olmedo.
