Showing up late?

mje113 · Post by **mje113** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 11:37 am

Possible first-timer here...

Now that I live within a days drive, I was thinking about finally making it to the event. Only problem is, I don't have the vacation to be there the whole week. I was wondering what kind of advice I could get on showing up only for the last 3 or 4 days? Is it not worth it? Will it be hard at that point to find a place to camp? Will I even be able to get in (presuming I already have a ticket)?

Thanks.

III · Post by **III** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 11:42 am

there will always be a place to camp (there are contingency plans, though they generally have a good idea of how many people will be there based on advance tickets) you just might not end up in the most central location.

a lot of stuff doesn't start happening until midweek anyways, so you'll get your fill of stuff even if you show up later.

i knnow a couple of veterans, who when faced with only a couple of days there, prefer to go in the beginning part of the week, and leave when the mad rush starts. for your first year, i'd suggest coming late, though.

BlueBirdPoof · Post by **BlueBirdPoof** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 11:45 am

Lots of people only show up for the last few days. I think that they've started closing it on Friday at midnight so that they cut down on the "just here for the burn" factor, but I don't understand how they can make that stick if someone's waving a ticket at them. A gate person would have better information.
Walk in camping would always be available. From what people have said, there will be room on the outer streets, you may just have to search for a while. If you have any friends who are going earlier, you may be able to camp with them. Maybe in exchange for giving them a place to stay the night before they arrive.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 12:29 pm

Ticket sales end midnight on Thursday. The gate stays open for the
duration of the event. So if you have a ticket, you can show up at 5 PM
on Saturday no problem.

If you're arriving late, you will probably be relegated to camping on the
outskirts of the city, or you'll have to finagle a spot with a camp that's
already secured their location. Hooking up with a group of people who will
be there early could guarantee you a spot for your tent someplace more
central. But that's not really necessary. Just bring a bike and you'll be
fine.

As for it being worth it, yeah, it's worth it. Try to get there as early as you
can because the first day is all acclimation.

mje113 · Post by **mje113** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 12:56 pm

Great, thanks for all the advice... it seems to be a common thought that we'd be relegated to the outskirts. Is there anything particularly bad about that, or is it just a matter of being away from the "action"? It should be quieter out there, right?

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:05 pm

There's nothing wrong with the outskirts, and in fact many people go there by choice. The only problem is you're further from the big tourist traps in the center.

Go as early as you can. I've always enjoyed the beginning of the week more than the weekend, but maybe that's because I like building stuff more than partying.

Is there no way to fenagle a few extra vacation days by working weekends or something?

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:11 pm

The outskirts may or may not be quieter. Walk-in camping should be, but
the outer ring streets can sometimes be loud, especially near the
10:00/2:00 rave camp zones.

The city's big. As in, walking from 2:00 to 10:00 on Esplanade is about 2
miles if I recall correctly. And since it's a circle, walking any of the streets
behind Esplanade is longer.

Bring a bike. Really. But no, there's nothing inherently wrong with the
outskirts.

mje113 · Post by **mje113** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:27 pm

Thanks to this board, I think I have a pretty good idea of what camping will be like, but one final question: showing up late, I should still be able to find a camping spot right next to my car, right?

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:33 pm

Probably. You should be able to squeeze in somewhere other than walk-in
camping, which is the only place you can't take your car. Might take
sweet-talking some people into letting you share their space if for some
reason it's *really* crowded, but I'm not sure I've ever seen it so
crowded a single car/tent/small shade structure couldn't find a spot.

BlueBirdPoof · Post by **BlueBirdPoof** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:01 pm

precipitate wrote: The city's big. As in, walking from 2:00 to 10:00 on Esplanade is about 2 miles if I recall correctly. And since it's a circle, walking any of the streets behind Esplanade is longer.

I did the calculations for myself during Chai Guy's "Art Cars are Stupid" Thread
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=2555
and yeah, it was like 1.9 miles from 2 to 10 on Espanade and just over 3 on the Abyss. 1 and a quarter from the foot of 3'oclock plaza to the foot of 9 o'clock. I never trusted the almost 10 square miles of inhabited real estate, but that's what I came up with. I always did lose decimal points...

so yes, the operative word is big

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:02 pm

Just remember that when you arrive, and find a suitable spot, it's a good idea to talk to your soon to be neighbors before just pitching your tent and unloading your stuff. Every year it seems somebody pulls into our theme camp (which is very clearly marked), in the middle of the night and sets up all their stuff only to have us explain to them that the empty space was actually reserved for our performances. If someobody asks, however, I can usually find a space for them that works for everybody.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 5:41 pm

Ten square miles? Ten miles square? Neither.

The pentagon enclosing BRC has a side length of about 7641 ft, and the area enclosed is appx. 2306 acres = 3.6 sq miles.

Art installations: 950 acres; vehicle camping: 530 acres; walk-in camping: 250 acres.

Each "block" arcing 15 degrees concentrically is about 500 ft long at the Esplanade and 1000 ft long along the outermost street, so a walk along the entire length of the Esplanade is about a mile and a half. From Center Camp to the Man: 2400 ft. Random walks may vary.

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 6:11 pm

Random walks may vary

Yeah, beware of the "Let's walk towards those random blinking lights over there"-syndrome

*shudder*

Post by **Eric** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 6:45 pm

Chai Guy wrote:
Random walks may vary

Yeah, beware of the "Let's walk towards those random blinking lights over there"-syndrome

*shudder*

Shudder?

Blinky light tours (on a bike) around 1 or 2am are nothing but pleasure, as far as I'm concerned. And without self-medicating, even.

I agree that "let's walk" has an ominous ring to it.

que.f.o. · Post by **que.f.o.** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 12:04 am

The one aspect not mentioned so far about arriving in the middle of the week is the energy build up. The excitment and energy in Black Rock is palatable and builds as the days progress. More excitment, more people, often times people leave their more exotic costumes for later in the week.
The energy builds for many to a climax on Saturday with the Burn. If possible, stay until Monday because Sunday is totally different than any other day. Half the populace leaves and it becomes a very mellow place.
In other words, arrive as early as possible and stay as long as you can.

marnen · Post by **marnen** » Sat Apr 24, 2004 10:58 pm

Chai Guy wrote:[
Yeah, beware of the "Let's walk towards those random blinking lights over there"-syndrome

*shudder*

However, one of the highlights of BM 2002 for me was caused by my falling prey to the "let's walk toward that random Bach organ music" syndrome...

Best,

LyradRex · Post by **LyradRex** » Sat May 15, 2004 8:01 pm

I showed up late, being my first MB, and I found a place at 2:00. It was at 6:00 am and the pounding music wasn't going yet. So as an obsesive fun maker, I wanted to get fully situated. I set up my tent, shade, and unloaded. Around 1:00 pm I was finshed and I layed down to rest for the evening.

BOOM~

The rave started across the street, but it might as well have been in my tent! LOUD LOUD LOUD!!!

But guess what?! I love loud noise and fell a sleep anyways! And it went on and on. Just remember if you walk in, walk in far if your looking for a place to reflect.

(I'm gonna do it again this year!)

BlueBirdPoof wrote:
precipitate wrote: The city's big. As in, walking from 2:00 to 10:00 on Esplanade is about 2 miles if I recall correctly. And since it's a circle, walking any of the streets behind Esplanade is longer.
I did the calculations for myself during Chai Guy's "Art Cars are Stupid" Thread
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=2555
and yeah, it was like 1.9 miles from 2 to 10 on Espanade and just over 3 on the Abyss. 1 and a quarter from the foot of 3'oclock plaza to the foot of 9 o'clock. I never trusted the almost 10 square miles of inhabited real estate, but that's what I came up with. I always did lose decimal points...

so yes, the operative word is big

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat May 15, 2004 9:17 pm

Last time I did a detailed check ('02), the vehicle camping was appx 530 acres & walk-in camping was appx 250 acres.

Reportedly, the outer streets from 3:30 to 2:30 and 8:30 to 9:30 are surprisingly quiet, due to how the rave camps tend to orient their stacks, but YMMV.

vic · Post by **vic** » Sun May 16, 2004 9:22 am

There is always some open camping space on the outer edges of BRC, even on the day of the burn. If you have just one car with one or two people, you should be able to find a space closer in by talking to existing camps and getting them to agree to let you slip in between. But, if you are a virgin, I would highly recommend arriving during day light. Every year we run into confused folks trying to find a camping spot in the dark. The place is confusing enough during the day. Plan to arrive at least a couple of hours before sunset so you can find a spot to camp.

Smudge · Post by **Smudge** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 7:06 pm

we had a place beside our tent that could have parked 2 busses and we were 2 blocks from the esplanade. Friday 2 people came and parked their tents and busses, but we could have fit more people. If you plan to participate you could very possibly hook up with a larger camp and park your car/tent in close quarters. And more importantly, follow the flow of the Playa. YOu can expect and plan something, but when you join in the energy of Black Rock City surprising opportunities come your way easily more fun than what you'd imagined. So don't worry, come when you can, come as you are.
Welcome home

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 7:39 pm

In the past I had to go for a short time due to work conflicts. The biggest problem that I had with going late is that I tried to fit in too much, too fast before my body adjusted to the heat. The nice part about going early is you can give yourself a day to adjust to the heat, if it happens to be a hot year.

Showing up late?

Showing up late?

Arriving late

Long walks...

arriving late in the week