Ten years ago, when Bianca Del Rio was crowned the winner of the sixth season of “RuPaul's Drag Race,” it was a different time: The reality competition aired on Logo, not MTV. It was a single franchise, not an extended universe of shows from countries around the world. And there wasn't a drag queen who had never set foot in a drag bar.
Of the current state, Del Rio says: “I don't want to use the word 'oversaturation,' but there is a lot of resistance.”
In Sunday Funday, the people of Los Angeles tell us step by step their ideal Sunday in the city. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Season 16 of “RuPaul's Drag Race” premiered this month, and while Del Rio's reign may be over, she still looms large in the fandom. For many years, she was the only winner who was never eligible to be eliminated on her season, and she still appears from time to time as a guest on the show. Last year, she also hosted “The Pit Stop,” an official Drag Race recap series on YouTube.
Next up for the reserved and busy multi-talented artist: “Dead Inside,” her new stand-up show, her sixth world tour since competing on “Drag Race.” She is doing 60 dates across North America, starting in San Diego on February 12 and coming to Los Angeles in The Ace Hotel Theater on April 21. After a short break, it will arrive in the UK, Asia and Australia.
Who should get Dead Inside tickets? “Anyone who has an open mind and is willing to laugh at a man in a wig. This is the show for you,” he said.
Del Rio moved from West Hollywood to Palm Springs during the pandemic, but is still in town regularly to meet friends and make supply runs. (In a world full of “Drag Race”-adjacent fashion designers and makeup artists, Del Rio is still doing DIY. “I can't imagine doing drag without creating the clothes, the makeup or the wigs,” she said. “For me, that It's my complete package.
This is how you would spend your ideal Sunday in Los Angeles
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
6 a.m.: Wake up at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood
I stay in it Kimpton Hotel, which has been one of my favorite places because it is quite central. I get up early. So at 6 am, I get up. And then around 6:05 I realize where I am. I like to get up early and enjoy the comforts of my hotel. If you are at the Kimpton you can always sit by the pool which is lovely.
6:15 am: Take a dose of caffeine
I usually always start the day by running to Starbucks. Many times I say that I am not going to drink coffee. I have this love affair with coffee. Three shots of iced espresso and a splash of oat milk is the best way to start. But I tell myself that many of them are pretty bad for you. So I'm thinking about making green tea lemonade, which is kind of nice, no sweetener, and delicious. It doesn't give you the effect that you would get with coffee. Then I finish drinking coffee. So yeah, I quickly regret it, because I'm wandering around town.
8:30 am: Embark on a shopping spree
When I get to Los Angeles, it's usually more than a day. I have to make it worth it. So my Sunday Funday will start on Friday or Saturday.
I have to visit all the fabric stores because I'm not lucky enough to have all those supplies here in Palm Springs. I will visit a fabulous place called International Silks and Wools. They have every piece of fabric you can imagine. The sad thing is that you probably can't rearrange it, because it's from 1928. Another place I visit is called Ricardo the thread, which are all corset supplies. Everything from hooks, eyes, snaps, boning and anything you need to bring out all your manhood and man body to look like, as I call myself, an erotic clown.
Then I go down to Santee Alley, which is every drag queen's dream. They have everything you need from makeup to heels, which is great, because you have to find shoes that are size 12. You have to pick up some eyelashes and stomp your way into this amazing place called Blue Moon Fabrics, which has another great variety of sequin fabrics that you can order in bulk. And there is also The bead factory, where you collect loose rhinestones to make everything shine. So my trunk is very full.
11am: Go eat oysters at Grand Central
Great Central Market It's one of my favorite places to go. I like it because there are options; I'm not married to having a specific place I want to go. Then I have to think about what I can eat while I'm there. You think to yourself, “I can have whatever I want. I'm 48 years old. This is good.” Now my body says, “No, you can't.”
Let's say today, The oyster gourmet, because I enjoy raw oysters. I'm from New Orleans and that's what happens there. And you can't eat raw oysters in Palm Springs. You should not. I wouldn't recommend it.
You can tell who your friends are when you say, “I like oysters.” They're either completely grossed out or they're like, “Yeah, let's get a dozen to share.” No, no, no, this is bad. Sharing is my worst nightmare. Not “for the table,” the worst words ever. I don't like it at all. I like a dozen for myself.
1:00 PM: Visit MOCA and stop for makeup
We're wandering around Contemporary Art Museum, which is always great. So usually a Zipporah It's quite important. I'm heading there to buy the drag stuff I need. The only thing that's been around since I started drag in 1996 is Mac Ruby Woo red lipstick. Is the best. It is the bluest red. So I collect it, usually in bulk. I have to buy everything I can while I'm there. I also have to buy my NYX white eyeliner and my NYX black eyeliner in bulk, because apparently there are no real women who use them in Palm Springs.
2:30 pm: Meet drag friends in West Hollywood
Around 2:30 I will head to West Hollywood to meet up with two of my good friends and “Drag Race” alumni. Mariah Balenciaga is a friend of mine. And you're wondering, wait, did you make plans with Mariah? No. I show up, because Mariah is always on micky, the great gay bar on the Strip. She will always be there in the yard, with sunglasses and her hair in a ponytail, ready to greet me. And once I'm there, we call to see who else is nearby. She's coming to visit me Adore Delano, who was also from my season. And that's where we catch up.
I try to be a fancy lady while traveling, so I order white wine. Because I know a white wine, I'm fine. I can't go any further than that. After that glass of wine, everyone decides to make dinner plans. You know, that's a whole thing. Everyone says, “Yeah, let's have dinner!” Then no one shows up.
5 pm: Have early dinner at Ootoro in Little Tokyo
I have to go to dinner because I need to get back to Palm Springs. I eat sushi at Ootoro in Little Tokyo. First of all, I love tempura, so tempura is my main focus here. And I love anything with salmon. And I'm the queen of getting a California roll. A miso soup is definitely on my list as always. It's one thing that when you order sushi, you think: will it be enough? It will not be enough? You always wonder how much to buy and that's why you always order too much.
I just devour all of that. Then I'm reconsidering my life because I realize I just bought corset supplies and I'm definitely going to need them after all this rice eating.
7 pm: Return to Palm Springs
While I am full of rice, at this moment I realize that I have to recover. My phone says it will take 90 minutes. My phone is a liar. But I prepare for that. You make sure you have water, plug in your phone, get comfortable, and realize this trip could literally take 90 minutes if you're lucky, or six days. Pack your perishable products.
The trip is long, but it is one of the few times I am alone. It's one of the few times I'm not allowed to text. I'm not allowed to try to discover anything, I just have my music and that's it. It reminds me of when I was much younger and had a cassette Walkman. He was liberating. You just get into the zone.
9:30 pm: Soak in the bathtub.
I get in the bathtub, relax, think about the fun I had, and maybe have another glass of wine. There is a good bath salt that I love and have been using, Aveda Stress Fix Soaking Salts. I love the clay mask, which is another important thing to do when you're a drag queen. And I sit in that bathtub as long as I can until I'm worn out and wrinkled. It's the best in the world.
10:30: Fall asleep during signature baking
I try to commit to watching something on TV, maybe “The Great British Baking Show.” I fall asleep within the first 10 minutes. And then I'm knocked out. You're fighting that dream and it's over. Then I'll have to watch the full episode again on Monday.
