Post what you DID like about 2011 here

[Drawingablank]

I'm a witness to your creativity, DAB. Start planning that ultimate costume/lighting project for next year NOW. Go big.. very big. Do some LED work that shines across that playa. Take that full length jacket you made and implant rows of sequenced LEDs in it. Need some help? It's easier than you think, and will give you focus and a hobby through the winter.

Now, I'm just wondering how I'm going to endure the next 50 weeks.

LOL, I'm already on it and was sketching some ideas on the loooong drive home. First is a utility belt - while I enjoy wearing skirts as much as the next guy, the lack of pockets in them is frustrating to say the least. A second coat is on the drawing board too - that one was too warm much of the time so I need another option for the warmer nights. I definitely plan to light them up but I'm not sure which way I'll go with that yet. I like sound activated El wire, but may actually do a mix of that and leds.

Also have begun planning next years camp as we are going much bigger next time. Starting to look into storage units so we can just leave the camp infrastructure out there and fly to and from. 4 - 5 days drive each way is just too much especially coming back to default home as I'm already in a state of exhaustion before I even hit the road.

[CapSmashy]

• The Temple. Magnificent.
  Hanging out with Goathead and watching his magic again
  Hosting Japanese pop artist Ken Hamazaki and his crew in our camp this year. Lots of ideas and potential projects for next year because of them.
  Working Gate and getting to yell at dirty hippies.
  Riding perimeter with Ygmir
  My Raiders
  My village
  And all that other stuff...

[devilgrrl]

I liked my lovely neighbors who let me use their shower stall. You are too awesome!

Don't worry folks. Our camp had a place to dump the gray water.

[Mr.Coffee]

shit, just about everything!

From the impromptu deep playa tour with the rat lady, which lead to the discovery of the dust city diner, to El Pulpo Mechanico, to the fact that when my mind wanders it goes straight back to the playa. One hell of a first burn.

My absolute favorite part? Any time I got bored, or sad, or lonely, or upset, all I had to do was get my ass out of camp and go explore, 20 minutes later, the grin was back and I was having the time of my life again, every time.

I can't even remember why I wanted to come to burning man, but I know I can't wait to be back. Now I just have to narrow my plans for next year down to the one thing I'm actually going to do.

[waxpraxis]

I just had a wonderful time overall.

My wife and I went for our first time to celebrate our 10th anniversary - it just seemed fitting.

Everyone there was so nice, so loving, and so generous it has really been hard to return to the default world!

Here's a list of a few of the things we really enjoyed:

• Our ride Thursday afternoon on "Ichy", the art car with an ichthyosaur on top, all around the playa
• Front row seats for the Flaming Lotus Girls fireworks show
• Being offered snow cones while walking around friday afternoon
• Seeing "Charon" at night
• The RGB LED arch path
• Getting our picture taken in front of the "LOVE" sculpture
• The LED weeping willow
• Meeting awesome new people and sharing meals with them

[CapSmashy]

OH! OH! OH! Perhaps the best thing I saw this year was when we turned onto the pavement from Gate Road. There, on the edge of the gravel was the mutant vehicle (made of 2x4's painted green that was supposed to be a dragon or something???) that had 3 of it's occupants try to start a fight with one of my Raiders when they were stopped and told that A street was pedestrian only and they needed to back up and get off the street broken down and waiting for a tow truck.

I was not in a position to grab the PA mic to express my happiness at their plight, but it was sweet satisfaction seeing it there and was simply the cherry on top of knowing that the official complaint that was filed with DMV over their actions will mean that they will never be licensed for a MV ever again.

[C.f.M.]

I don't read up on art and what's going to happen, before I go, and it was REALLY cool to wander around and all of a sudden see, "Oh!! I read about that on Eplaya/Kickstarter!"

the Pier
the Bank
Georgie Boy


Some things I didn't even connect to having seen, like Aurora, until I got back here.

Pretty cool. I got to stop by Blukis and say hello, they were one project I donated to that didn't get funded, but letting them know how awesome it was, for them to come from Lithuania, was great.

[ygmir]

I don't read up on art and what's going to happen, before I go, and it was REALLY cool to wander around and all of a sudden see, "Oh!! I read about that on Eplaya/Kickstarter!"

the Pier
the Bank
Georgie Boy


Some things I didn't even connect to having seen, like Aurora, until I got back here.

Pretty cool. I got to stop by Blukis and say hello, they were one project I donated to that didn't get funded, but letting them know how awesome it was, for them to come from Lithuania, was great.

[RedHeaven]

I was so inspired by my campmates and camp this year. So much personality and creativity. I camp with a lot of great people at many different festivals and have been camping at Bman with some great folks for years but these people at Cirque Du Cliche took the cake as being so funny, warm, creative....maybe just doing the Burn the way I like to do it, but bumping up my participation fantasies beyond being prepared and helping out and being a team player. They had rock bands, funk bands, banjo chicks.....Art Tour guides, and knew the cool old school dive bars. I loved our across the street neighbors Rhythm Wave, too. New age yoga hippy like dancing with this sweeeeet smooth socks only dance floor. They played EPIC tunes. ADORED them. After being on the Esplanade 3 years in a row, this was certainly a wonderful change. Sleeping next to Hookahdome was fun for 3 nights but by the weekend you couldnt see the stars at night and you heard the same sounding music the whole time. The Suburbs are where it's at. :cue up Arcade Fire:

[Savannah]

I liked so many things that I can't really express it properly at this time.

[licious d]

2011 was my very first burn!!! i had such an amazing time and met so many beautiful people

there is nothing i didn't really like about the burn but the things i did like the most were

learning how to heckle and making people stick my cheesy salty balls in their mouth

adopting a lawn flamingo named larry and using him to help me heckle

CAMP BOOSH!! they were sooper awesome neighbors as well as CAMP FOSTER!!!

the yeti winter wonderland camp and their air conditioning was AMAZING!!! as well as the people who occupied the camp

bringing out and sacrificing my dj gear to the playa, was totally fucking worth it,
seeing the smile on peoples faces who enjoyed the music and watching them jam out nearly brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion

the love everyone had for the good of the experience!!

not to mention the best fireworks show i have ever seen in my life!!

im pretty shure i could go on this list forever but i'll save everyone's time and not
so in short...I LOVED IT ALL <3

[RedHeaven]

I second the made up street names like "BITCH BORING BUTTHOLE etc" Whoever did that gets a prize!!
I loved all the Lotus energy in the art. There was a swaying purple pink laser thing over by man and 10:00 that was so cool to ride your bike around. Made you feel like you were moving all crazy. Also, the Wall of Shame. The man base, climbing it, and meeting the Musical Robot at the bottom groovin to Beck. The temple. The way the temple made the city seem smaller and the flat ground made the deep playa more accessible. I liked that I let go of trying to "do it all" yet I got out significantly. I like how I missed the Trojan Horse burn because I was having fun. I liked hearing songs like Christopher Cross "Ride like the Wind" all remixed fancy style out of loud speakers. I liked the twirly windmill turbine thingy at 4:00 and Birthday. Thanks for getting me home every night. I liked the HOTD bartenders and doing the Time Warp. I liked the burn barrels. I like this burning in my heart.

[Lassen Forge]

The weather. Fucking amazing beautiful WEATHER. NEVER have so many seen so little rain/opressive heat/cyclonic winds/frigid cold, most evenings were bare boob warm, the days were never too hot, and that little breeze... wheee... and WHERE WAS THE FUCKING DUST??!! I heard 20+ year burners claim this was the best weather they can remember on playa... ever. They may be right!

[RedHeaven]

Sure was nice to get out and see lots of art and do lots of interactive things during the day too, and go deep playa riding due to the kickass weather.

It got FRREEEZZZING around twak:30 each morning though. Never felt the playa so cold before in my 6 years.

[tahiti_treat]

So much I can't even list it all.

Some highlights:

- My friends and campmates. We're best friends who've camped together at smaller festivals and I felt like this experience bonded us even closer.

- Taking the advice "If you're a virgin, you have to say yes to everything unless you find it morally objectionable". There were a lot of things I wouldn't have done otherwise, including having delicious tea in a lovely little tea dome (hot tea in the desert? turns out it's wonderful).

- Walking out onto the playa for the first time. It was nighttime Tuesday, and seeing all the art cars moving slowly around, hearing the music, taking the vastness of the city for the first time in the perfect warm night air was unforgettable.

- Gate staff and our greeter - made us feel really welcome and our virgin initiation was everything I'd hoped for. We gave them mini M & Ms and it was a wonderful start to the week.

- Bringing our homemade jellyfish umbrellas to the jellyfish swarm on Wednesday night - so much fun! Next time I want to make a bigger and better one!

- Snack Food Glory Hole. I really appreciated that they asked about dietary restrictions, and my snack was delightful!

- Guy sitting on an art car playing the harmonica during the Trojan Horse burn. Also watching the Trojan Horse fall - that was my first large burn and it was incredible.

- Losing a friend in the crowd right before the Trojan Horse burn, figuring he was gone, and then finding him again at the Disco Fish! I was so happy because that was the only time our whole camp went to an event together the whole week.

- Getting caught by a fisherman on the pier with a free hug token - one of the best hugs of my life.

- The porta potties were excellently maintained. Almost every time I went in there they'd just been serviced (and I pee a LOT) and enjoyed reading the signs.

- The steampunk octopus art car was one of the best things I've ever seen in my life.

- Meeting so many wonderful people. Literally everyone I met was kind, caring and genuine. Not just at the event, but afterwards in Reno and even on the road home. It really restored my faith in humanity.

[trilobyte]

The weather was truly epic, Sue. In fairness, it was MUCH hotter than it needed to be the week before the event, and it did rain a little on Friday night/Saturday before the start (while a bit worried about things getting ugly it never did, that rain only served to cool things off and provide perfect dust abatement). Other than some dust during the week in the center of the playa as I pedaled across at mid-day (probably coming off the gate line), no real massive amounts of dust until Monday (which we dubbed exodust), again probably the result of the line of cars.

[AntiM]

This morning, under my maple tree, finally reading my dusty copy of BRC Weekly, drinking leftover strawberry powerade zero while supervising dad's cats on their yard visit and eyeing the playa dust on the bicycles.

Sometimes the playa follows you everywhere.

[RedHeaven]

Absolutely, AntiM. Its in our heads and our fingertips now....and sheds a new glow every turn....!!

Im glad I met a special someone out there who might of truly needed my "inspiration". He is in the hospital now getting a stent put into his heart after feeling funny all week. A preventative procedure/measure for future heart attacks. Maybe helping push him a bit on the playa was a good thing, as he went to the doctor when he got back to Calitopia and found out thats what it was. Send some love out to a Burner in need of some healing vibes today! <3
This person is so wonderful, I would of never met him elsewhere. Not at any music festival I attend and I go to ones with lots of diveresity. I met the best people this year but I think that had little to do with the year I think and a lot to do with where I put myself and who I surrounded myself with. I tried new things this year.....But I always meet so many diverse people in BRC.

[Foxfur]

The pendant that Savannah made for Sweetpea.
The skirt Quick gave me that she made from a pair of paratroopers trousers.
The kissing booth at the HD Saloon. I haven't been kissed by anyone besides Sweetpea for 20 years!
The Trojan Horse burn.
Meeting up with my oldest friend and going back to her camp for flatbread-hummus-ham sammiches at 2:00AM.
Being a burgin and treated like family by strangers.
Allowing myself to shed inhibitions and fully participate.
Being spanked and groped by the greeters.
Riding in the crow's nest on the Gypsy Queen trawler.
The F-16 flyovers.
Spending time with a special eplayan who wasn't going to make the burn but managed to pull it off.
The well lighted street in Terminal City.
The smiles on people's faces when I handed 'em the control of the fire poofer and watched 'em make fireballs.
The taste of spam cooked with a flamethrower.
The taste of bacon cooked on a burn barrel.
The nice megaphone man who set the volume to barely audible and said only nice things.
The grilled cheese camp on 7:30 & B.
The girls in a golf cart chasing me down while shouting my name.
The wonderful meals Helga served us at Espresso Camp.

Meeting the eplayans I've fallen in love with over the past three months.

[Sic Pup]

There were a few imaginative camps I ran across in my travels that brought a smile to my face:

Across from "Vegcamp" the folks set up an "Ask a Carnivore" to compete with the, more popular than I would've thought, "Ask a Vegan" booth. I passed by the camp several times but only saw it at the start of the week, maybe they were threatened with carrot shanks or the notion of force-fed smoothies or something?

"Tequilla Mockingbird" featured several rows of arcade type birds wherein one was asked to down a shot of tequilla and throw the shot "glass" at the targets, if you missed you had to repeat. I'm pretty sure at least one or two weren't really aiming as accurately as they could've.

I received several thoughtful gifts that came at just the right time/place the best of which was a beautiful handmade ceramic pendant that was left in my camp with the leather cord lovingly and artistically draped across my table. I came in to camp and was mesmerised that someone would leave something so thoughtful, it gave me such a good feeling.

I later spent some time thinking about my feelings about it after the lovely lady who left it for me came by essentially to tell me she had left it for me in appreciation of my Preying Man Toss. I grappled with how I somehow felt less about it knowing where it came from even though we had a noteworthy interaction, I chalked it off to the imperfection of the human experience, to somehow think something was more meaningful not knowing it's origin, silly but all too real.


I had the most extraordinary intereaction with a young man under the heart during the burn. He came out of the playa with the artist to change the batteries on the installation, we hugged, had a brief conversation a farewell hug and they were off into the dust again. I thought about the encounter several times on Satuday and not conciously intending to, but because it was such an excellent spot (one of my favorites this year), I found myself in the same spot again during Temple burn. Sure enough, they come again to switch batteries and he and I shared a hug that was as close to becoming one with another that I've ever experienced outisde of a sexual experience. I don't think I'll ever forget that hug. I often think about how we're all alone in this world, were born into it solo and we almost always leave it the same way but somehow I felt so connected in that encounter that it challenges that notion.

[emayess]

Wow, there's so much to list...

1) 1.5 hour entry (pulled of the highway onto gate road at 6:45 pm on Sunday)
2) Weather (mild temps, no rain, no dust storms)
3) Unexpectedly seeing the Lucent Dossier Experience at Temple of Boom Friday morning
4) Sunrise on Monday morning and finding a small group that wheeled out their genny and DJ gear to the open Playa for a sunrise trance set
5) The Temple!!! Simply amazing, beautiful, breath-taking and awe-inspiring.
6) PleasAIR for sultry pole dance contests AND only having sound mid-day (was camped across the street from them at 8:15 & E)
7) S'mores pancakes at Pancake Playhouse
The "rowing skeleton" wheel art piece (don't know it's real name)
9) Deep Playa tours on The Purple Palace
10) 30 minute Exodus (left at 7 am Sunday morning, had to work Tuesday)
11) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank)

[robrob]

I loved the C.O.R.E. project.

first, it was simply awesome marketing for the regionals. I know alot of folks dismissed them before, or didn't even know about burns taking place in their backyards. This should really help to get people informed and raise the profiles of regionals that aren't flipside

more than that though, it was a great conversation starter, especially if you're like me and somewhat shy when it comes to chatting up someone at a danceclub or whatever. I had great experiences talking to strangers about our project (The light house. Great Lakes!) and then got to adventure by following people to theirs and learning about their scene, etc..

I know it would be asking alot of the regions to do something like this every year, but damn, maybe it would be worth it. I thought it was simply outstanding.

[lucky.bastard]

the big shit like the Horse burn and the pier were almost too much for words but the things i enjoyed the most were usually only shared by a few people:

this band of punks that played beautiful music on brass horns, marching band drums and what not

the little boat art car that my campmates brother made.., they drove 8 or nine of us around one night and went out to the trash fence and back looking at art.., taking time to let everyone explore the different pieces,, letting people on when there was enough room and kindly explaining to people when there wasn't

sitting by the burn barrel in front of our camp

[theCryptofishist]

I second the made up street names like "BITCH BORING BUTTHOLE etc" Whoever did that gets a prize!!

I third it. I really think the street names are sort of annoying. Asshole just fits better than "Anniversary." We should come up with a permanent list that we can use every year, so we don't have to try and remember new "themic" ones for more than five minutes.

[Playa Status]

Did anyone else think the trojan horse burn/show was the best one of them all?
From the fireworks to the raging fire..I could literally feel it roaring in the ground...astounding.
It beat the man! Who else is with me?

[Cheyenne]

Did anyone else think the trojan horse burn/show was the best one of them all?

Of course it was, I was one of the archers... that feeling of loosing an arrow into a pyro charge was unbelievable! Interesting surprises are afoot for next year!

[Cheyenne]

Sooooo... for my first burn:

Being one of the Archers firing flaming arrows at the horse

Putting a dedication on the temple for my friend who died of cancer recently

The temple

The 'self' wedding at the Black Rock centre for unlearning

Having the opportunity to play a set at Ooligan Alley whilst looking out on to the temple vista and playing Aaron Carls 'Simply' (he died a year ago to the month of cancer and was one of my favourite Detroit house producers)

The love of the people at our camp (Transmorphagon)

The guys who were doing sno-cones every afternoon at around 7 & D or something

The feeling after a girl returned my bike after taking it by mistake and apologising profusely..... on the first day....

Our Art car (the junk boat)

The little house on the prairie art car - complete with working kitchen!

Meeting the eplayans at the M&G

The ghetto blaster art car

.... I actually think my first burn was pretty conservative considering what I could have been doing

[Foxfur]

Did anyone else think the trojan horse burn/show was the best one of them all?
From the fireworks to the raging fire..I could literally feel it roaring in the ground...astounding.
It beat the man! Who else is with me?

I couldn't agree more. This was my first burn but somehow the man burn seemed anticlimactic... To much buildup? Not sure.
In my book the people were MY burn. Everything else came in a distant second.

[FIGJAM]

Here, here!!!

You being a major part of that!!!

[BBadger]

Did anyone else think the trojan horse burn/show was the best one of them all?
From the fireworks to the raging fire..I could literally feel it roaring in the ground...astounding.
It beat the man! Who else is with me?

I couldn't agree more. This was my first burn but somehow the man burn seemed anticlimactic... To much buildup? Not sure.
In my book the people were MY burn. Everything else came in a distant second.

Exact same impressions this year. Meh to the man (they probably siphoned the wood off it for the temple), but an absolutely great time with friends and camp. In some ways, I wonder if my disappointment with the art, etc. this year was only because the people/camp/city experience eclipsed the events and sights on the playa?