When we got to the Embarcadero in the cold rain, late and without a camera, I declared last night’s Chinese New Year’s Treasure Hunt “better in theory.” But it was really fun.We started at Embarcadero, got our clue sheets and our map.The course boundaries were the financial district, NorthBeach, and Chinatown.It took the four of us (with two internet-connected cell phones) about an hour to decipher the clues and mark the points on the map…then the hunt really began.We weren’t really racing, but walked toward the first clues and generally found where we were going by following the hordes of other dorky people walking in the rain with Ziploc-covered maps and flashlights.Hey, at least we weren’t like the brain trust group in rat-decorated hazmat suits and k’nex headgear.
After finding the 10th of 17 clues (a “bienvenidos” sign on a doorway in an alley in NorthBeach), we decided “That’s good enough.”Besides, we were in the culinary center of San Francisco, and hungry.We wandered around a bit, until seduced into the Trattoria Volare Caffe with free bruschetta and the promise of homemade pastas.Yummy.
Eventually, we declared our annual mission: We will play, we will get all the clues, we will enjoy the process (no running!), we won’t worry about turning in the results, and we will wind up eating dinner in North Beach.
So, it was better than expected.And next year it will be even better yet, since we are going to have the following: clear skies, warmer temperatures, a team name, and a digital camera.
A better blogger always has a camera.