Favorite "small" experiences at BM?

[AbundantChoice]

So given all the negativity in the ticketing threads and the chance that a lot of the big theme camps may be messed up this year, what are some of your favorite "smaller" experiences at Burning Man? My friend who went last year said he spent the majority of his time wandering around off the Esplanade and major arteries, and discovered tons upon tons of amazing smaller experiences.

[Dr. Pyro]

I tried to get some midget to go up on me. Does that count?

[ygmir]

I tried to get some midget to go up on me. Does that count?

see, I was expecting an old girlfriend to two of yours to reply here Doc............

[theCryptofishist]

Second night on the playa my first year. I was walking near the Esplanade, away from Scott and the medical people, and I run into some sort of installation playing a song from my favorite band. I can remember the album, but not the song. I think it must have been the hokey pokey... I don't know that that was my favorite small experience, but it was a nice welcome.

[ygmir]

one of mine was a full on Indian (India type) meal, some hot minx just strolled out and invited my friend and I into their tent. 5 courses, served, bellydancing....the whole thing.

[Mojojita]

Two years ago pre-event, I made a run from camp to the porta-potties at 3:30am - and it started to SNOW. It was quiet and beautiful - although it only lasted a few minutes.

Then there was the gigantic, in your face double rainbow - I think it was Pinemom who I first heard say that it was like a batcall for hippies.

There are so many of these small memories - just this year watching a giant dildo being shot out of a pneumatic cannon - aahhh, does my heart good.

[AntiM]

A tiny bar which seated maybe three people, set up in a beautifully decorated shade gazebo on a random back street.

The book exchanges.

Spoon Return, when it was small.

One year we set up a wall of fridge doors (three of them) and put word magnets I'd made from old bumperstickers on them for people to make poetry with.

Lavender Camp.

[AntiM]

Oh yeah, I have a small project myself.... no wonder I'm fond of them.

[gibson_]

Lots of small stuff that made my virgin year completely magic.

1:00am or so, we had just gotten into the city, 3 virgins, completely shit-scared because we felt like total outsiders (at least I did), trying to make our way to where the people we were camping with were. We were driving what I felt like was a huge obnoxious truck, driving through this city that belonged to these _other_ people, shining our bright lights into their camps in the middle of the night and probably waking them up.

I just felt totally totally totally out of place and really self conscious like I didn't belong here and was being annoying on top of all of it. I felt awful. I had been excited about this magical new thing all year (I got my ticket the day they went on sale in January, and then spent the entire year reading every piece of text I could find about Burning Man), and here I was, ruining it for people by blasting them with my headlights and driving my annoying truck through where they were walking.



Some guy runs up to the truck and sticks his head in the window.

With a big smile he says; "Welcome home! You're almost there!"

Total. Total. Total. 180 degree complete perception flip.

Just that feeling of...like...fuck, these people don't hate me at all... (my eyes are actually welling up right now typing this, ha...weird). Welcome _home_? "Home?" Me? Home?

--

Another was when we were walking through the city one morning and some guy saw me and my two friends out in the street. He gets up from his couch, runs out with a huge smile on his face to ask us what we were doing.

"Oh, just checking stuff out, you know..."
"Huh, cool, is this your first time here?"
"...yeah."
**HUGE** smile, followed by a gigantic hug for each of us.
"Welcome home. You made it."

Goosebumps.

Seriously that _type_ of feeling. "Hey, we really like you by default, and we're all really glad your here.". That's completely *not* something I experience in my day-to-day life. Those couple of experiences were absolutely stunning to me.

And this is why reading some of the stuff I'm reading right now, how people are so upset at some of the virgins because they are somehow not worthy. That hurts -- I hope every single virgin that comes into BRC this year gets to feel that amazing 50,000 person-strong hug that my friends and I got to feel.

Other small stuff was: walking out to the trash fence. Turning around and just seeing total anarchy behind us.

My trike didn't survive the dust so well, so I was riding my friend's bike a lot with her on the handlebars. One night we were cruising around (me pedaling, her on the handlebars) and started singing silly songs (to the tune of glory glory hallelujah)

"I saw two hippies on the playa...
I saw two hippies on the playa
saw a bunch of art cars on the playa
and it was really fun"

--repeat, adapting the "saw a bunch of art cars" to match whatever it was that we were seeing at the time--

It's making me all nostalgic now thinking about it, but riding around with two friends one of them on the handlebars of my [actually her] bike, smiling from ear to ear singing made up songs in the middle of the night surrounded by flame throwers and dancing people and totally insane art cars blasting music. My god. There is nothing better than that.

Oh! And at about 3:00 and the esplanade, sexy Santa Claus read us a bedtime story

OH! And one morning we were walking and found what I can only describe as a...hammock tree? Probably at around 7:00 and C? We were napping in the hammocks a bit, enjoying the warmth, and somebody came over and served us pancakes. That was _so_ cool.

OH OH! And spending one sunset roller skating at the BRC roller disco. And my skates didn't really fit , ha, but I wanted to skate with my friend so bad, so I did it anyway. A freaking ROLLER RINK! What?!?

God that was a beautiful week :-/ -- I really hope I can find a ticket to get back there this year.

[Bob]

I found a couch.

[shykat]

Deep playa bar Sunrise something or something Sunrise... Can't remeber. but is was awesome..


Not sure if thats considered small thought..


They were well stocked with booze ealy in the week. I do remeber one of the bartenders bitching that thier camp was full of rich no participating campers, and that only a hand full of them erected and worked the bar, the rich campers funded the booze.

[tamarakay]

Walking down Esplanade one morning and two matadors with capes flying around and over bike riders yelling Ole! Hilarious and just, ..., perfect.

[AntiM]

Walking out to the Esplanade at dawn to watch the sunrise. So quiet. Magical. You don't get that now.

[poplopo]

I was walking down a random street and I came upon a remote-controlled robot going the opposite way with whom I had a brief and entertaining conversation. It was really cool.

[ranger magnum]

I think it was in 2010.... The girl and I were in deep playa, and it was pretty cold. We stumbled upon a hot chocolate cart. It was magical....

[oscillator]

2010 coming into BRC early, first thing I see is a camp with a large [Yes Parking] sign.

On the way out, an exodust sign says "Don't Forget To Floss" - Ha!

Nice thread - we like the small things, they add up.

-oSc-

[ragabashpup]

Taking a nap in sock monkey camp while two of my friends were still creating their sock monkeys. Was woken up to this adorable little lady with a bag of frozen grapes. Such a happy explosion of joy in my mouth in the middle of a hot day.

[moonrise]

Walking along Ring Road during a hot spell, I ran into an ice cream man, he was dressed in white and pushing a white ice cream cart...I thought, hmmm, maybe he's giving out ice cream, nice cold ice cream ....turns out he was giving out treats alright, SALTINE CRACKERS! haha, what a classic prankster.

Bonus...it turns out he introduced himself as Fucko, one of my favorites from Tribe.net! When I asked how the kids reacted, he told me they couldn't get enough of the crackers (I think he told me he had to 'cut some of them off')

[knowmad]

I got to enjoy a nice cuddle with a new friend on a day bed in the middle of the playa. bliss.

[gaminwench]

Talking to God;

then,

Being God.

[graidawg]

Lots of small stuff that made my virgin year completely magic.

1:00am or so, we had just gotten into the city, 3 virgins, completely shit-scared because we felt like total outsiders
*snip*
I just felt totally totally totally out of place and really self conscious like I didn't belong here and was being annoying on top of all of it. I felt awful. I had been excited about this magical new thing all year
snip


Some guy runs up to the truck and sticks his head in the window.

With a big smile he says; "Welcome home! You're almost there!"

Total. Total. Total. 180 degree complete perception flip.

Just that feeling of...like...fuck, these people don't hate me at all... (my eyes are actually welling up right now typing this, ha...weird). Welcome _home_? "Home?" Me? Home?

Those couple of experiences were absolutely stunning to me.

And this is why reading some of the stuff I'm reading right now, how people are so upset at some of the virgins because they are somehow not worthy. That hurts -- I hope every single virgin that comes into BRC this year gets to feel that amazing 50,000 person-strong hug that my friends and I got to feel.

Other small stuff was: walking out to the trash fence. Turning around and just seeing total anarchy behind us.



God that was a beautiful week :-/ -- I really hope I can find a ticket to get back there this year.

I saw both of these things many times, probably not to you and yea they make my eyes well up and goosbumps on my arms too.

my favorite small experience was giving away a hip flask of cinnamon whisky. the giftee was so pleased at my spontaneaous gift i think i will always remember it

[Shambala]

I was heading back to my camp because I was very low on water, and a lady with a cooler of fresh ice water offered me some out of the clear blue. It was the best and really appreciated it.
Every morning, I stand on the road by my camp and offer pastries until I run out. Later in the morning, I switch to passing out bike locks.

[junglesmacks]

Talking to God;

then,

Being God.

Like.

[quadraspleen]

I'm with AntiM. Apart from the many other obvious candidates listed here, it has to be dawn for me...



Dawn, September 4, 2009

[litlaur]

first pee/poop in a just-cleaned porta potty.

[Savannah]

Tuesday August 26, 2008 - 6:18am

I was lucky enough to wake up before the sun, and got to the Esplanade in time to cheer for the sunrise.

An old man said "It waited for you," then smiled and rode away.

[Drawingablank]

Stumbling up one of the radials (4:00 I think) one night we got waved over to a bar. Looking around we see its "The Next Whiskey Bar" and has an sign with a portrait of Jim Morrison in EL wire. Being a huge Doors fan I didn't need to be asked twice and went right in - only to be called a barbarian and told to leave if I know how to use a door. So I walked out a bit baffled since they had just invited us in.

Looking back I saw a 36" prehung door frame strapped to the otherwise open front of this structure (picture a 30 foot open shade structure with the door as its only obstruction), so I walked back in using the door.

I had some great drinks and met some great people.

But never did hear any Doors there - they played Michael Jackson the whole time we were there.

[Savannah]

Hollering at people to use an (unnecessary) doorway seems to be a Black Rock City tradition. I was told to do this at the Hunter S. Thompson Happy Hour, but I was dressed as the good doctor, so I was not about to take direction . . . just examined the saloon doors thoroughly through my amber aviators, legged it 'round them with an exaggerated step, and took a seat at the bar.

[AntiM]

Hollering at people to use an (unnecessary) doorway seems to be a Black Rock City tradition. I was told to do this at the Hunter S. Thompson Happy Hour, but I was dressed as the good doctor, so I was not about to take direction . . . just examined the saloon doors thoroughly through my amber aviators, legged it 'round them with an exaggerated step, and took a seat at the bar.

I always bring my amber aviators and my aloha shirt and my stethascope, I have yet to remember to make it to HST Happy Hour.

[kittyrodriguez]

I was walking down a random street and I came upon a remote-controlled robot going the opposite way with whom I had a brief and entertaining conversation. It was really cool.

I talked to that robot too.

We had quite a few wonderful "small" experiences.

* A wonderful high tea out on the playa. We had tea in teacups and little salmon sandwiches. It was lovely.

* Stumbled upon a lemonade stand out by the Black Rock Bijou. Best lemonade EVER.

* We delivered mail for a while. Hilariously unsuccessful for a while. We rode around in circles for quite a while. We eventually delivered most of it, with lots of help from the locals, and returned the rest undeliverable.

* We got stranded at BMIR during a dust storm, and almost got pickle juice and whiskey? They ran out, but it was so cozy in there with all the friendly people, and beer, while the storm "raged" around us.

* Silently bonding, with glances, with other drivers on the drive in as we all watched the hilarious antics of some half naked sparkle ponies running from car to car to, I can only assume, score some sort of illicit substance.