My friend Greg and I competed again. The winners crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 26 minutes. The second place team arrived a full hour after them! We came in 107th place out of nearly 400 teams, of which only 93 teams completed all 10 Chase Points (as opposed to last year where almost half finished). We were on par to beat our record from last year, but lost an hour due to the unfortunate problem of two schools being named after the same person.
The day before the Chase, we received an email with the secret location of the start point (Public School 34 on 12th St. between Avenue D and Szold Pl.). The e-mail also gave us two opportunities to get Chase Points before the race even started. The first was to raise funds for
the LUNGevity Foundation. To receive the point, we needed to raise $40 before 3 p.m. the day of the race. I figured it was worth a shot, set up an account, and within a few hours we were over the $100 mark.
The second was a clue to information that would be needed for a Chase Point, which read:
"Want to get ahead of the game? Visit www.newyork.metromix.com to find out which team won the "World's Largest Flip Cup Tournament" last year at M1-5 bar and what color their team's shirts were. Bring these two answers with you on Chase day as they will be a necessary password for one of the Chase Points!"
A quick Google search told us Two Finger Fanatics, wearing baby blue shirts, were the reigning flip cup champs. (We ended up not using this info, as we didn't go to the challenge that needed it.)
Saturday morning we arrived with a game plan already mapped out. Since I had an iphone this year, we decided when we got the clue sheet we'd spend the time to map out all their locations so we wouldn't be running all over the city. But before we could get our clue sheet, the City Chase organizers put us on a scavenger hunt to disperse the crowd.
Scavenger hunt (Location: Alphabet City)
We had to find 8 out of the following 10 items. Because we participated last year, we knew that you had to physically bring these items back to the starting point. Many people took photos and were turned away until they completed the challenge correctly.
- The flight # of the first non-stop flight on Southwest Airlines (a City Chase sponsor) leaving Chicago to NYC
- U.S. currency with you team # on it
- Something used in sex
- Current temperature in Quebec City, site of the City Chase national finals
- A 2 inch stain
- Something in a foreign language
- A live animal
- A tattoo
- Something expired
- A heart drawn around one team member's belly button in red lipstick
We run to the first drugstore and saw a mass of people buying out the lipstick and condoms. So we go to the nearest bodega and buy a Spanish language newspaper. Greg came up with the idea to use the free iced tea City Chase was handing out to create a stain on the paper. I used my iphone to look up the Southwest Flight (2288 leaving at 11:20 a.m.) and temperature in Quebec City (61 degrees). Greg had the tattoo. But we could not for the life of us find the rest of the stuff. We decided to head back to the starting point, thinking we'd figure the rest out along the way. On the way back, we passed a street vender. We didn't see any red lipstick, but I guess others had been there and the woman said, "I have! I have!" We paid $5 for lipstick, I drew a heart on my belly and we were back on our way. We jump in line to get our clue sheet, see people use a pen to write their team # on a dollar bill, so we do the same. As we get closer to the table, Greg said, "Tongues are used in sex." We both stuck out our tongues and voila we got our clue sheet.
While others dashed off into the oblivion, we sat in a shady spot and looked over the clue sheet. There were several sections: One required that you do
at least one of the challenges listed, another said that you may
only do one, and the last section had about 15 challenges to choose among. Our day went as follows...
Chase Point 1: CLIF hanger (Location: W. 43 St.)
Clue:
Make it to the top and your Partner will too. Near Hell's Kitchen is a location Clue.
We immediately knew it was rock climbing and that it was at the Manhattan Plaza Health Club. I climbed up the wall first and placed a CLIF bar in a bag located at the top. Greg then had to climb up and grab the CLIF bar out. Easy peazy. One Chase point done.
Chase Point 2: Rolling for clothing (Location: Leisure Time Bowls, Port Authority.)
Clue:
This point is judged by how much you wear. We'll see if you get lucky throwing a strike or if you get bare. There are bus lanes there but these other lanes too. A Leisure sport is what you must do.
The goal: One person bowls, the other person strips for each non-strike or spare. Shoes and socks don't count. Greg rolls. My shirt comes off. Greg rolls again. Shorts come off. Pins reset. Come on, Greg, you can do this! Greg rolls. Sports bra comes off. Ack! Greg rolls. Do I really have to get naked? Yes. My mom would be so proud.
Error #1. We read the clue sheet and realize, in order to get credit for the LUNGevity fund raising, we had to bring a printout to a specific location. Fuck! We jump on a train to Greg's apt. (luckily one stop away) and waste 20 minutes. No worries, we think, we are back on track.
Error #2.
Clue:
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote novels, long and short. I'm not sure what he would pen about this kind of sport. His work was famous and a new revolution and now he tiltles an educational institution.
We Google "Stevenson Robert Louis school NYC" and a dozen listings pop up reporting its location on W. 74 St. We hop on the train at 34th street and get to the school. Angry Chasers scream at us that there was nothing there. I scan my phone and at the very bottom of the page, I see a link for Public School 183, also named after Stevenson, located on E. 66th St.
Decisions. We've already wasted so much time. Do we go crosstown or head to lower Manhattan where all the other challenges are? I suggest heading to 72 St. If we see a bus, we take it. Otherwise we'll go back to the train. As we turn the corner, a bus stops at the light a block away. I tell Greg to kick it into gear and we literally chase down the bus, barely making it as the driver started to shut the doors.
While on the bus we see that there is a Chase Point near the Stevenson school right on the other side of Central Park. We hop off.
Chase Point 3: Plunge (Location: Julia Richman High School, E. 67)
Clue:
There was once a Julia Richman and now her name is on five. Close your eyes and get ready at the one where you can dive.
The goal: Dive into a pool in the shallow end and find the hockey pucks with your number on them at the bottom of the deep end. I roll a pair a dice and get a 1 and 5. Our numbers are 15 and 51. We scout the pool, find where they are located, and I jump in. Crap! I forgot to take out my contacts and now they are gone. I am blind. I attempt one more time and realize this is futile since I literally can't see. Greg attempts the challenge several times and we begin to think this may have been a mistake. Finally he gets one, but at this point he is completely out of breath. The second puck is sitting on a lane line painted on the pool floor. I go again, follow the line to where I think the puck should be, grab the nearest one and YES! we get to move on. Soaking wet, we make our way to the correct Stevenson school.
Chase Point 4: Just one wheel (Location: Stevenson School, E. 66 St.)
This is the first time we had to wait in line. There were only three teams ahead of us though. Greg and I had to ride modified unicycles located on opposite sides of a basketball court, meet in the middle, high 5 each other, and then bike to the other basket. Once there, we each had 5 attempts to make it in the basket. If either person fails, you go to the end of the line in order to start again. Remember, I cannot see even a foot in front of me. But no worries. We each make our baskets quickly.
Now its decision time again. It's 1 p.m. and we need 6 more Chase Points. All the Points we mapped out were on the lower west side. We could do the lower east side challenges instead, but in order to get credit for the fund raising, we had to go to a school back on the west side. Bah! We hop back on the crosstown bus.
On the bus, we hear a commotion. There's a woman wearing a giant airplane costume. There are several of these people spread out all over the city. If you see one, you can ask for a special pass that will let you hop the line at any Chase point. I run up and say the magic words, "May I have an A-Class Boarding Pass?" Score!
