The Former Traveling Spotlight

The tales of a "30" something gay former stand-up comic living in NYC who is searching for his soul mate or soul...which ever comes first.

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Bums Rush

For years, I always said I'd be fairly good at the amazing race. I know some of my strengths (I'm fairly fearless of heights, physical challenges, have a strong sense of direction...). In fact, my Ex and I auditioned and made the call backs. That's as far as we made it, but we made it further than some.

So it was only natural that I would join a race of similiar fashion that took place in New York City.

55 teams
110 participants
The 5 boroughs of New York
The Grand Prize...A week ski trip to France.


My partner in this event? A life long born and bred New Yorker, who is also a fellow runner.

We arrived at our starting line which was a movie theater on 23rd street, and were given the basic rules. No taxis, cars, bikes, or rollerblades. Only public transportation or travel by foot. On each subway, you must take a picture of a team member on the platform with the train station name in view, a picture of a member on the train while traveling, and a picture of a team member on the platform with the station name in view where you are exiting the train. If you change trains, you must take new pictures for the new train.

My team mate tried to be smart and took seats near the exit of the theater, so we could be out the door first. Our competition was pretty fierce. Both men and women...all determined to do whatever it took to get that free trip. I personally wanted to pull a Tonya Harding on some of the other teams. It was while we were leaving the theater, I realized how difficult this was going to be.

The only time I've seen people scatter as fast as this group was going was when I party I attended was raided. Seriously, people were sprinting out the emergency exits to get out of the theater faster. Panic on the streets of NYC and Jase and I were among them.

Clue: Liberte!

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free".

This poem is inscribed inside the base of a 305 foot tall gift to the United States from France.

Travel by subway and on foot until you can see this gift. Take a photograph of one team member with this gift clearly visible in the background, then proceed to your next clue.

And with that, we were headed to find a view of the Statue of Liberty. Now trains go down to South Ferry, which gives you the best view...but a real New Yorker knows you can get a view of the monument from the Christopher Street Pier...which is where Jase and I went. It's also where we made our fatal mistake.

A round trip run from the Christopher Street Station to the pier is just over 1.25 miles. When we had taken the picture, we checked our next clue.

Clue: Stone Cold
Make your way on foot to the site of the first Presidential innauguration and take a photograph of one team member posing in front of teh statue that marks this site.

First...thank god for Google and my Ex for giving us directions to this site over the telephone. However, this site was on Wall Street, five miles away. Jase and I would have had to run that distance. Instead, we got back on a subway and redid the Statue of Liberty photograph, and then made our way to the George Washington statue on Wall Street.


Back on the 1 train! Notice that the man in the photograph is looking at us like we are crazy...we got a lot of that.

At this point, my team mate and I were close to exhaustion, but yet we still continued. We needed to find 5 people who were willing to pose as if they were snowboarding on the subway platform. Thank god for tourists! These four sisters and a random woman stranger agreed to help us...just when I thought I was going to have to pay someone off. If anyone knows who they are...let me know. I so want to thank them, not to mention I'm sure they'd love this photo. Broadway may be dark...but these ladies know how to form a kickline!

Off to SOHO...the shopping grounds of my team mate. Upon exiting, we followed the directions of our next clue, which ordered us to proceed to a snowboarding shop and have one team member try on a hoodie, jacket, hat, and snowpants. My team mate grabbed clothes like he does on a regular Saturday shopping trip and had things on his body in less than two minutes. One of the other teams forgot to take the items off before they left the store.






From SOHO...my team mate and I had to run 2.4 miles to a bookstore on 6th Avenue and 8th street. We had to take a picture of the the Novel "Frankenstein" as well as get a stranger to act out a scene with one of the team members.



That look on my face is pure exhaustion...having at this point run over 4 miles.

By the time we finally made it to our pit stop, 2.25 miles away, we were sweat soaked, and ready for a rest before going on to the next task. Our task? Go home, shower and take a nap. We didn't get to the pit stop fast enough and were eliminated. Would I do this again? Oh yes...but you can guarantee I'd do some aerobic training first. Currently today I can barely get out of my office chair!

Hmmm...maybe I'm not ready for reality television after all...

Patrick - 11:20 AM -

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