The night started wrongly, I think. On my end, I mean, not the games. Cristos and I got off at what we thought was the closest stop to Dearborn Square, only to find that the inevitable hugeness of Chicago blocks had struck again, and we were a good 2 miles from where we needed to be. So... we hoofed it. I tried to convince Cris and thereby myself that this was a good warm up for the game, but I don't think I was entirely successful. We got to Bughouse Square just as Dax was starting to read the rules. We grabbed our ribbons, maps, and names, and proceeded to mill about with the rest of the crowd.

It was just Cris and I on our team, as kids, band rehearsal, and bondage conventions had distracted the rest of the people we were supposed to be going with. Since we were purple we were being released into the urban jungle last, which admittedly, I thought was a bit unfair since the people that could tag us and take our names had a full on 10 minute head start. But oh well. After some discussion with Cris and careful observation of where the majority of the yellows had headed, we went the opposite way and decided to head to Garden first. There was some mumbled conversation about hiding and dodging and weaving, and then we decided 'screw it'. We hadn't seen anyone but purples heading this way, so we decided to take our chances and go straight up Division to the first stamp. We found it attached to a huge sign that had the cut-out letters GARDEN on it, stamped our maps, and headed to the next point, which was Riverfront. We wandered up Division to Halstead, passed by Japonais (very expensive but worth it restaurant) and strolled down towards Riverfront. I took charge of the map reading, because as Cris pointed out, while he is a better navigator whilst driving, I tend to be better on foot. It was just before we hit the staircase down to where the map hinted the stamp would be that we saw our first other players. We walked a bit faster, squinting at their arms, until we realized that they were also Purples. A girl came zooming past us and down the stairs. We got down to the stairs and stamped our maps, watched the girl zoom off towards Division, then waited for the other group to come down. We chatted with them for a bit, then tried to take some pictures. At this point I couldn't figure out how to work the flash on my *new* camera (given to me by my bf, it was his old one but new to me, and lets just say that me and portable technology don't tend to get along) but we tried to take some pictures anyways.



We parted ways and walked down the riverfront, passing a guy on a phone. As we passed by, Cris remarked that the guy looked very comfortable, to which the guy smiled and nodded. We didn't realize until after we had reached the end of the game that he was one of the secret agents. We didn't recognize him because a) he had either cut his hair or had it severely pulled back and b) he was on the phone and both of us had been raised to not bother people on the phone as it was impolite. Right as we were leaving we ran into a guy (also Purple) who was booking but decided to walk with us for a bit. He kept taking off and then we would catch up with him while he studied his map.

We ran into him again when we reached Private Property, but we were on the right side of the fence and he wasn't. He did an impressive reacharound to stamp his map, then he helped me jump the fence (the same one that's in the runner up picture) while Cris used the gate to advantage.

We then walked towards Schiff, and wandered through Cabrini Green, getting eyeballed by some cops while we were there. We heard what sounded like gunshots, but were in fact firecrackers that some of the neighborhood kids were setting off to trigger the police ward boxes (The ones with the annoying blue light. They send a message and start recording when they detect gunshots. Firecrackers work as well.) We reached Schiff, which for all of me looked like a huge version of an Aerostream trailer. I seriously wanted to see a large Tarantula knocking it over..... I took a picture of it, but it turned out that my camera was running out of batteries and it didn't save unfortunately. We wandered around the public greenhouse, and while Cris and the guy (I never got his name, I hereby dub him Running Guy) were looking around the street, I spotted the stamp.



After stamping our maps RG took off while Cris and I talked about how to get to the next stamp. Soon enough, RG came running back through, said that he saw some Yellows and Oranges around the corner, and took off again. We started to walk across the street when a Yellow came running around the corner, so we bolted back for the stamp. Thereby showing him where the stamp was.... The Oranges came round the corner after that, started to bolt, then came back when we called to them that this was a safe zone. One of them was Monkey, who had already been wreaking havoc amongst the Yellows as he had a good bunch of names around his wrist. We hung out for a bit, chatting with the two Yellows and two Oranges, then made a deal with the Yellows that if I gave one a smoke they wouldn't chase us when we left. they agreed, so we left and walked on towards City Hiking.

After a pleasant amble we passed two horses grazing in the yard of the Chicago Equestrian Riding Academy (and again the blasted camera didn't save the picture I took) turned left at the horses and thence on down to City Hiking.



After that we walked over to Cool Water and chatted with the ever-so-subtle Secret Agent in the gondola. I, being the swift person that I am, gave the Secret Agent the proper phrase and received my first additional name for the night. We were also offered spaghetti, but alas, there was no spaghetti to be had!



Saddened by the lack of spaghetti, we trudged onwards towards Bishops House, where I got a case of the hiccups after seeing the bike chained to the 'No Bicycles' sign. (At this point I think my camera had decided it didn't like me, because no pictures between here and there saved) Stopping only to pet a very adorable pair of beagles being walked by their equally adorable owner, we headed towards Basketball. We managed to safely avoid all of the downtown yuppieness, and escaped to the alley where a very young punk in a very cool jacket looked askance at us and hurried off as we were stamping our map.



It was on our walk down Rush Street that the randomness occurred.

ELVIS!!!!!

Or at least, very drunk guy in an Elvis costume, complete with wig and fake chest.



Shaking our heads in amusement, we kept on to Take Something, where we tried to ambush some Oranges that were stamping their maps, but being spotted we gave it up as a bad job, stamped our maps as well and then went off to Soccer.



Here we ran into the loverly Tam who was taking pictures from the roof of the parking garage. So of course I took a picture of her taking a picture.



Then, surprise surprise, we ran into the same group of Yellows and Oranges that we had met and dealt with at Schiff!



We hung out for a bit, chatting about how the game had been going and how many Yellows Monkey had managed to de-name since Schiff, when who should appear but RG again. Only this time he was on his last stamp and heading for Heart of Gold. Last stamp? Wow. Then again, apparently Cris and I had managed to pick the exact right route and pace that we didn't run into anyone except at Secret Spots.

We left Soccer after a nice chat and headed to King Lear, where after stamping the map and crossing the street I realized that I recognized two of the people meandering around the square from the Journey to the End of the Night game, so they HAD to be Secret Agents! Sure enough, we go back over there, and once they stop making out I am able to give them the secret phrase and get my 3rd name of the night.



We leave again, after a photo op, and head to the last Secret, Sell Me. On the way we are almost run over by a couple ballroom dancing on the sidewalk (blasted camera again), and then as we are stamping our maps a Very Large and Curious man asks us what in the hell are we doing? We proceed to explain both the game and SF0 in under 3 minutes, write down the website addy and our nicks, and take off to the Red Line stop at Grand.



When we hit the station we meet up with a very pregnant Orange and 3 of her compatriots and proceed to chat about the game. We also run into the Secret Agents from King Lear again, and as the next red train is extremely packed Cris, I, and the Agents squeeze onto it, leaving the Oranges behind. The Agent kindly trades me a female name for a male name after I complain that all I've gotten are men all night. We reach Heart of Gold at precisely midnight, where I submit the Random Elvis pic to the picture contest, which subsequently freezes the girls laptop for about 10 minutes.



I also submit a story for the night (10 words) which is 'Orange, Purple, Yellow, in truce at Schiff, smoking. Random Elvis.' but I don't make it through the 2nd round of audience applause. Then we get treated to Dax and his accordion, which was great.



As we were leaving we run into Tam again, and walk with her to the El stop on Belmont. On the way we see this...



We get to the Brown line El stop where we also run into Monkey.

And this, kids, is where it really gets bad. Cris and I are on the Brown line to downtown. At some point in downtown it magickally turns into an Orange line train and is heading to Midway. Not really a problem, we live off of the Orange Line anyways. Except that the car is parked in Logan Square off of the Blue Line. So we get off at Roosevelt, get told that there are no more trains coming back into the Loop and that we need to go downstairs to the Red Line. We do this and find that the gate is closed. I end up jimmying the gate up and Cris and I and the other two guys that were as annoyed as we were sneak under the gate and downstairs. Red Line arrives, but it's not going anywhere near the Blue right then, so we end up getting off at Lake and walking 3 blocks to Clark and Lake to catch the Blue Line to arrive, starved and exhausted, at the car.

At which point we decide that starvation is overwhelming exhaustion, so we go out to IHOP with friends, eat, tell them of stamps and random Elvii, then head on homewards to collapse.

I do wish that we had been able to be more involved in the running/chasing/grabbing names, but it just didn't work out. We still had a blast though, and I can't wait to do another street game.