I was estatic to finally be attending my first masquerade party. My mother, on the other hand, was not so thrilled for me. “Those things never end well, Ashley. I’ve seen movies!”

I laughed, and upon her insistence, promised that I would do a “mask check” every hour to make sure that the people around me were in fact my friends!

And therefore I can confidently say that I am 70% sure that I know the people in these pictures…

There’s just something about wearing masks that makes the night feel more special… and a little bit dangerous…

And there’s just something about masquerades that makes you want to take a million pictures in your special, dangerous masks!

The event was held at Hudson Terrace, a venue with sweeping views of the USS Intrepid… and the parking lot next door.

There were so many creative masks! They put my amazon.com mask to shame!

As the night went on, we somehow ended up with bottle service.

No one complained.

And then my Hungarian friends showed up! At least, I think they were my Hungarian friends (I didn’t do a “mask check.” Sorry mom!)

The night ended in the best possible way: dancing on tables with our masks lost/abandoned.

See, these are my friends!

To stay updated on the next World Masquerade Ball, click here.

And if you’ve seen my mask, let me know!

~A