Big Urban Game Sunday: Area/Code hits Pier 40

                          
                        mappy map                           phone interface

Another kickass Sunday spent competitively running around the West Village, courtesy of the ingenious folks over at Area/Code.

Crossroads is a two player strategy game based on New Orleans Mardi Gras culture. Two players, Sun and Moon, compete to capture 24 or so intersections with GPS enabled cell phones (provided) in the West Village/Tribeca area:

                                    
                                          cell phone screen

while running away from this dude:

                                    
                                             BARON SAMEDI
                                        SPREADER OF CHAOS

The object of the game is to run to an intersection and capture it with your presence (your GPS phone records your location to the server). It plays like Othello - the Sun is yellow, the Moon is blue, you do your thing, the intersection pops up in your colour. The sneaky, chaotic Baron Samedi comes by and flips all your hard work into, guess what? Your opponent's colour. The Baron likes offerings, so you can leave things for him on your opponents corner and he'll go do your dirty work. Avoid the Baron, he'll hunt you down, time you out and eat your offerings. All in a zippy, competitive 30 minutes.

Schnapp and I played against each other. I sprinted around town and felt very important while people looked at me like I was insane. I'd make a mad dash for the intersection and not cross. I'd hide from the invisible menace, the Baron Samedi. I'd stop for 30 seconds, with my phone held high up in the air, 'capturing' the crossroad. All in a miniskirt.

did I mention I won? 10 to 7. 10 crossroads captured to 7.

Granted, Schnapp was wearing flipflops and that don't make much for running gear. Eh, I'm a bad winner. So there. Big fat raspberry to the loser. :P

Crossroads is the perfect way to spend your weekend afternoon. It's right by the water, you finally get to know the West Village better (stop getting lost there, you've lived in New York for how long?), you get to win. For good measure, make some impossible bet to raise the stakes. There's a trapeze school, free kayaking on the pier, as well as a strip joint near by if you need ideas.

Essentials and Tangents:

It's on Pier 40, on the west side highway. It's hard to find. Pier 40's quite big.
It's the southmost pier, after the parking lot, after the kids playing soccer. There's a sign that says 'the good life' (in bloomingdale's font, no less!) - who are the folks sponsoring the game - turn right there and walk all the way down. You'll pass the free kayaking school. Balloons mark the spot. Also, see this map:

       
               
Directions on how to play this game

The Gothamist wrote a thing about Area/Code's Minnesota project.

Cheerios - say hi to Frank and Kevin for me.

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