In the Oakland Journey to the End of the Night during the summer, I got sick 10 minutes in. It was a horrible experience as I moped back to the car…having not even reached the first checkpoint or seen a chaser.
Wait, what is this journey to the end of the night?
Well it’s simply put…
Journey to the End of the Night is a free street game of epic proportion run by hard-working volunteers in cities around the world from London to Los Angeles. The game is a pursuit across the city in multiple parts. Players try to make it through a series of checkpoints as quickly and as stealthily as possible, while avoiding being caught by chasers. The first player to reach the endpoint without being tagged is the winner, though anyone who survives is deservedly praised and feted at the end. Those who fall become chasers themselves, rising to pursue their former friends and allies. Players may not use skates, bikes, or cars, only their feet and public transportation.
Ever since I had heard that there was going to be on in San Francisco game on October 31, 2009…I was so excited, so…thrilled. Despite some friends saying “What? I don’t think I want to do that on Halloween…” I was like WHATEVER. Do I want to spend $50+ on cover? Do I want to stand in a room of people dressed up to the nines with slutty girls who use Halloween as an excuse to show off? Do I want to lay at home moping once again that nobody invited me to a Halloween party (although I need not worry)? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
And so I convinced Chris and of course ta-ching merrily obliged. I concocted a strategy. Multiple costumes! Multiple pathways! Double-back! Run across streets at breakneck speeds! Call “RAPE!” WHATEVER IT TAKES!
And we answered these questions:
What would we do if one of us is tagged?
Would one tag the other?
Would we support each other?
Who is the weakest link? (me obviously)
Do we have to support ta-ching? (yes…sometimes…maybe…)
And then finally the day arrived. We ate pumpkin cookies and drank mulled wine the afternoon before, thanks to the lovely April and Chris C. No awful food poisoning this time. After quickly drinking some water. We went to the BART down to the Embarcadero, where we found a HUGE crowd of 600+ people waiting in line to sign the waiver and get the ribbons.
Little did I know that the game would not turn out the way I had imagined…