1st Annual DC Scavaganza- The Crystal Edition

For Crystal's 24th birthday, Brandon had the idea that we should surprise her with a Birthday Photo Scavenger Hunt around D.C. Heres how it worked:

- 3 teams (red, blue, purple). I was on the Blue team. Our team name: Blue your mind!
- Each team was given the same list, a list of different items to be found or completed.
- You had to get a picture with each thing.
- Different tasks had different point values.
- Complete as many tasks as you can in the given time
- Only public transportation can be taken (walking, metro, or bus- no taxis, bikes, or cars)
- The team must stick together.
- All teams would meet back at Bailey's apartment by 2:00. 10 points off for every 5 minutes the team is late.
- A picture with Obama is 1,000,000 points and an automatic win


The team line-up:

    

(The purple team, who also stopped several times for drinks during the scavenger hunt)

And... The non-birthday-girl-center of the event....... The hints!

1.    .  With tourists in matching shirts, 5 points each

2.     .  The point where the four quadrants in DC originate - 25 points

3.     .  Eating Utz Potato Chips - 5 points

4.     .  In an elevator - 5 points

5.     .  Eating salty oat cookies at Teaism - 5 points

6.     .  A bust of George Washington - 15 points

7.     .  The worst souvenir you can find – 5 points

8.     .  Motorcade – 30 points

9.     .  One of the follow names etched in stone – 45 points

a.     WILLIE FARMER

b.     CHARLES EDWARD FARMER

c.     HARRY EARL FARMER

10.  With an astronaut – 20 points

11.  Playing chess outside – 15 points

12.  With an Obama – real = 1,000,000 points and automatic win, cardboard = 10 points

13.  With three tourists doing the "Charlie's Angels" in front of the Spy Museum - 25 points

14.  The butcher's case at Eastern Market - 15 points

15.  With a party animal - 5 points for an elephant

16.  With a registered lobbyist - 10 points

17.  Wearing matching shirts at Filene's Basement - 10 points

18.  A tourist with a fanny pack - 25 points

19.  With six tourists giving the thumbs up - 20 points

20.  The lobby that 'lobbying' comes from - 20 points

21.  With a uniformed MPD officer - 25 points

22.  On Einstein's lap - 15 points

23.  With two tourists giving the peace sign at the Lincoln Memorial - 25 points

24.  DC War Veterans Memorial - 25 points

25.  A bust of JFK - 15 points

26.  At a swimming pool - 10 points

27.  U.S. Senator – 150 points

28.  A Rooftop view of the city – 15 points

29.  A state street – 5 points (10 points if team member in picture is from that state)=

30.  With a Monet - 15 points

31.  Eating ice cream at Larry's Homemade - 5 points

32.  At the Spanish steps - 10 points

33.  With Dorothy's ruby slippers - 15 points

34.  Embassy of the Ivory Coast - 20 points

35.  With one foot in each hemisphere - 25 points

36.  Statue of Ghandi - 5 points

37.  Francis Scott Key memorial - 30 points

38.  Drinking Crystal’s beverage of choice – 15 points

39.  George Mason memorial - 20 points

40.  In the FDR Memorial's "bread line" - 20 points

41.  Eating a cupcake - 10 points

42.  With a uniformed USPS worker - 30 points

43.  With Nats fan – 10 points

44.  Person reading on the metro – 10 points

45.  Starbucks – 5 points each

46.  In a circle – 10 points

47.  FBI building – 5 points

48.  Ford’s Theatre – 5 points

49.  With a food vendor – 5 points

50.  Wearing a political shirt – 5 points

51.  The Newseum – 5 points

52.  Kicking over the Washington monument – 10 points

53.  A patriotic tourist – 10 points

54.  Protesting – 5 points

55.  Impersonating a panda in front of the pandas at the National Zoo – 80 points

56.  Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers – 40 points

57.  Street musician playing a sax – 10 points

58.  A bum – 5 points

59.  Smithsonian elephant – 10 points

60.  With a tourist wearing an “I <3 DC” shirt/hat – 20 points

61.  Orangutans on the O-Line - 100 Points

62.  The snipers on the top of the white house – 20 points

63.  The Arlington Home - 5 points

64.  Eternal Flame – 40 points

65.  12 hands on one flag pole – 10 points

66.  Declaration of Independence – 5 points

67.  Magna Carta – 5 points

68.  The spaceship challenger memorial – 5 points

69.  The last handwritten bible – 10 points

70.  A sign that says Metro Center - 5 point

71.  Supreme Court - 5 points

Kicking over the monument- 10 pts.

Posing as Charlies Angels outside the Spy Museum- 25 pts. 

A picture of an astronaut (we found one inside the American History Museum)- 20 pts.

A bust of JFK (ok so maybe this isn't a bust, but it's better)- 15 pts.

A bust of Washington- 15 pts.

Drinking Crystal's beverage of choice- 15 pts.

A cardboard Cutout of Obama- 10 pts.

Eating cupcakes- 10 pts.

A tourist with a fanny pack- 25 pts.

The Fords Theater- 5 pts.

A tourist wearing an I <3 DC item- 20 pts.

Standing in a circle- 10 pts.

5 points for people wearing matching shirts (these people happened to be wearing matching shirts because they were part of the Great Urban Race that was happening the same day, a citywide scavenger hunt): and a Nats fan- 10 pts.

More people wearing matching shirts

More matching shirts. Boy Scouts wearing matching shirts!

MPDC- 25 pts.

Party animals- 5 pts.

It must be noted, that the purple team had a different interpretation of party animals, as they decided to take a picture "partying" in front of an animal.

A patriotic tourist- 10 pts.

A state street- 5 pts.

Playing chess in the park- 15 pts.

The red team had the best playing chess in the park, as they also combined this pic with a pic of the homeless (5 points)

A protest- 5 pts.

Someone reading a book on the metro- 10 pts.

A rooftop view- 15 pts.

Ruby Slippers (we found these at the America History Museum)- 15 pts.

The Smithsonian Elephant- 10 pts.

We found a second Smithsonian Elephant!

One foot in the Northern Hemisphere, and one foot in a souther hemisphere (If your in an embacy, you are technically in that country)- 25 pts. 

6 Thumbs up!- 20 pts.

Another State street (so, ok, this one referred to a president, oh well)

With a street vendor- 5 pts.

The worst souvenir you can find- we found a coin made out of "cow pie"- 5 pts. 

5 points for every Starbucks you get a picture at

In a pool- 10 pts.

Eating UTZ potato chips- 5 pts. 

And the winning team is........

The blue team for getting a picture with Obama! Haha. OK. Just kidding. This is just a wax figure of him from Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum (where they let us in for free because they thought we were part of the official Great Urban Race). But it is AS CLOSE to getting a picture with Obama as you can get ;)

The real winners were.....

Appropriately the PURPLE TEAM, who beat us by more than 100 points. They were able to get a group picture  more than 45 people wearing matching T-shirts (at 5 points a person) and found pretended to be Pandas in front of the pandas at the national zoo. Here crystal is being give her golden medal. The winning team each got $10 itunes gift cards.

Birthday cake for Crystal.

This adventure has motivated me to want to do more. I have decided that next year, Shawn and I will participate in:
1. The Great Urban Race  http://www.greaturbanrace.com/
2. The Washington Post Hunt   The Washington Post Hunt
3. The Urban Dare Adventure Race  http://www.urbandare.com/

Unfortunately, I missed all of these this year, but can't wait till they happen next year.