Ok, so this isn't my trip to El Salvador yet... that's coming. And I guess it's not really a traveling post, BUT it is a post about if YOU are traveling and you want to go to San Francisco on a fun weekend.
Bay to Breakers is a 12k race done the third Sunday in May across San Francisco from the Bay to the ocean Breakers, hence the name. It's more than 100 years old and has a tradition for being the "mardi gras" of SF. B2B gets about 50,000 participants a year to run the race. It also gets another 100,000 spectators to dress up in costumes and party along the race route. So as you can see, it's a pretty big party.
I will keep this post short by summing up:
We chose to do the race portion of B2B. Note that you can sign up for the race and support the cause, but most of the city actually just chooses to run around afterwards partying. So, this can be a very cheap weekend if you want to check out the craziness of SF.
Second, the more ridiculous the costumes, the better. People run this competitively or they also walk it. I chose to run it while the rest of my group walked it. You can dress up as your own thing, or go as a team.
We chose to be... breaded cats! In case this is new to you, breaded cats were an internet meme last year where you stick bread on a cat's head. An example here. Yes, it kind of pisses the cat off a bit.
Don't ask me why this is a thing. It is pretty stupid, but it turned out great! We made our cat breads by
'
On the run, I saw people dressed up as:
I was running so it was a little hard to take pictures. But we saw lots of people cheering us on!
The rest of my group was walking, and apparently they are featured in slide 10 of this article of the Oakland Tribune.
Yes. I ran 12k with a giant foam with duct tape attached to my head. It's pretty sweaty now. I have some photos but they say Do Not Copy, so I'm not going to post my finish photos.
Finally, finished! And then promptly went to the corner store and bought a 40 (or in my case, a giant beer : ) We went to some thing called a "parklet" which is apparently some new SF fancy word for a street parking space that has turned into a hangout spot, and then....
I went running BACK ACROSS THE CITY to find Natalie and Eugene (and Julie, and Tafflyn, and Alvaro, and several other people!). Why was this so important?? Natalie and Eugene were moving to England soon! And this would be the last time I'd see them in a long time (or whenever I next choose to fly into London lol). Anyway, this was super important, so I started going back towards the center of the city, effectively adding probably another 3-4k to my total run.
I go TOO FAR, and end up at a party Natalie told me they'd be at. I got some photo ops in and also saw their awesome dog costume. Yes! It is a dog dressed up as a hot dog!
Finally after running (keep in mind I am drinking ANOTHER 40 at the time), I find them!
\ We have a bit of beer and then hit up a Whole Foods to get some lunch and beer and picnic in the park. At which time I am starving, inhale two sandwiches and more beer, then totally pass out in a nap in the sun on the grass. And that is how I got my horrible tan line from my running capris.
Overall, I totally recommend coming up to SF for B2B. You don't have to sign up if you're not a runner - just come for the festivities!
Coming soon, when I upload my photos - El Salvador!
Bay to Breakers is a 12k race done the third Sunday in May across San Francisco from the Bay to the ocean Breakers, hence the name. It's more than 100 years old and has a tradition for being the "mardi gras" of SF. B2B gets about 50,000 participants a year to run the race. It also gets another 100,000 spectators to dress up in costumes and party along the race route. So as you can see, it's a pretty big party.
I will keep this post short by summing up:
We chose to do the race portion of B2B. Note that you can sign up for the race and support the cause, but most of the city actually just chooses to run around afterwards partying. So, this can be a very cheap weekend if you want to check out the craziness of SF.
Second, the more ridiculous the costumes, the better. People run this competitively or they also walk it. I chose to run it while the rest of my group walked it. You can dress up as your own thing, or go as a team.We chose to be... breaded cats! In case this is new to you, breaded cats were an internet meme last year where you stick bread on a cat's head. An example here. Yes, it kind of pisses the cat off a bit.
Don't ask me why this is a thing. It is pretty stupid, but it turned out great! We made our cat breads by
- Square foam seat cushions
- Cloth that looked like bread
- Brown duct tape
- Scissors
- Cat ears and tail
'On the run, I saw people dressed up as:
- Coneheads
- Salmon swimming upstream
- 80's stuff
- Bullfighers in Pamplona waving the Spanish flag
- Fairies
- Superman
- And because there is no law against public nudity in SF, naked people. 27 naked people in fact. 26 naked men and one naked woman. Now, running a 12k race as a naked woman is not very easy for very obvious logistical reasons. So this smart lady decided to run with a top and a bra, but no pants. Kudos to her. And no, I am not going to offend anyone by taking pictures of people who choose to run in the buff, nor will I offend your delicate eyes by posting them on my blog. Carrying on...
I was running so it was a little hard to take pictures. But we saw lots of people cheering us on!
The rest of my group was walking, and apparently they are featured in slide 10 of this article of the Oakland Tribune.
Yes. I ran 12k with a giant foam with duct tape attached to my head. It's pretty sweaty now. I have some photos but they say Do Not Copy, so I'm not going to post my finish photos.
Finally, finished! And then promptly went to the corner store and bought a 40 (or in my case, a giant beer : ) We went to some thing called a "parklet" which is apparently some new SF fancy word for a street parking space that has turned into a hangout spot, and then....I went running BACK ACROSS THE CITY to find Natalie and Eugene (and Julie, and Tafflyn, and Alvaro, and several other people!). Why was this so important?? Natalie and Eugene were moving to England soon! And this would be the last time I'd see them in a long time (or whenever I next choose to fly into London lol). Anyway, this was super important, so I started going back towards the center of the city, effectively adding probably another 3-4k to my total run.
I go TOO FAR, and end up at a party Natalie told me they'd be at. I got some photo ops in and also saw their awesome dog costume. Yes! It is a dog dressed up as a hot dog!
Finally after running (keep in mind I am drinking ANOTHER 40 at the time), I find them!\ We have a bit of beer and then hit up a Whole Foods to get some lunch and beer and picnic in the park. At which time I am starving, inhale two sandwiches and more beer, then totally pass out in a nap in the sun on the grass. And that is how I got my horrible tan line from my running capris.
Overall, I totally recommend coming up to SF for B2B. You don't have to sign up if you're not a runner - just come for the festivities!
No comments:
Post a Comment