Fall has gotten up to rub start here in New York City.

We've had cloudy days, heavy rain, and even some massive floods.

But on this Saturday afternoon, the sky is clear.

The perfect weather for me to join a walking tour in the Lower East Side with a very particular tour guide.

Yes, it is me, Sammy Shade from Let's Make Up, but please call me by my name, my government name, which is Phil.

I'm not trying to hide anything, my fans all know my real name. I just want all of this to be totally aboveboard so that any awkwardness can be totally out of the way, and then we can have a nice day here, okay? Thanks.

Phil says he was a contestant on the reality show Let's Make Up. I've never heard of it, but okay. He says he got his nickname Sammy Shade for, well, being shady.

He also says he has a popular catchphrase.

Couture or Boar?

It ended up everywhere somehow, even on T-shirts at Hot Topic.

And yes, I did try to sue the network over that, but only because they tried to sue me first. Honestly, I'm not sure what he's talking about.

But I set my skepticism aside and laser-focused on the things I do recognize.

Phil has a black lightning ball painted on his face that's very David Bowie-esque.

His t-shirt has a very recognizable pop star, one that I respect and admire, which is why I rolled

out of my bed today to take a walking tour in a city I know very well.

The tour begins at a building that was once a music venue called CBGB, a place where iconic musicians like

Blondie, Patty Smith, or the Ramones performed regularly. But we're not here because of them.

We're here because... On May 26, 2005, Stephanie, Joanne, Angelina Germinata gave her first performance in a public venue.

She had done some stuff at NYU, but CBGB's was her first real music venue and a legendary one at that.

Stephanie Joanne Angelina Germinata is the one and only Lady Gaga.

I'm Manila Morales, and this is Atlas Obscura, a celebration of the world's strange,

incredible, and wondrous places.

...