Offical Start Wrap-Up
22 April 2007The day started out calmly enough. A trip to the Mall of America with my wife. We stopped at Barnes & Noble and picked up a gift card before heading over to P.B.Loco for lunch.
After a delicious PBBLT, my wife and I parted ways. She to shop, me to sit alone on a bench for the next two hours and forty minutes. It was noon, and Least Dangerous Game had begun for April 21st.
The hiding place was simple and uninspired. In simple terms, it was the Mall of America. The crown jewel of shopping in these United States was an easy place to hide, with its 4.5 miles of storefront. But none of these items were the reason for its choice as a hiding place.
On April 21st, 1961, the Minnesota Twin played their first game as the Minnesota Twins. They played the new Washington Senators in Metropolitan Stadium, losing 5 to 3. And where was the Mall of America built? Right over the grounds of the once mighty Met Stadium.
A plaque, where home plate once sat, commemorates the history of Met Stadium amidst the smells of cotton candy and the cries of children too scared to go on the Ghost Blasters amusement ride. A simple plaque, ignored by the mullet sporting and Twins shirt wearing alike. This would be the clue for today.
So a mere 10 feet from this plaque, I sat. And I waited.
At noon, the first clue to my whereabouts was sent to Twitter.
This partial zip code won’t be helpful. 5542*
No one could be expected to find me with this clue. The 5542 prefix encompasses Bloomington, Robbinsdale, New Hope, and more. I wasn’t about to have someone stumble upon me with dumb luck a short 45 minutes into the day.
At 12:15, the next clue went out.
There is always music in the air.
The clue was originally going to be about trees being all around, but the muzak version of Radiohead playing from the speakers behind my bench were inspiring. People may have had some idea of where I am by this time, but no clear clues had been given out.
I was 15 minutes into Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle when the next clue is given.
When these Senators evenly split their zygote.
Here I was, giving almost my exact location. When a zygote splits, it becomes a pair of twins. The Minnesota Twins were originally the Washington Senators. So the Senator’s zygote split to become the Twins on this day. With enough thinking, people could be shutting down Google at this time and getting into their cars.
Of course, the Mall of America could be up to 45 minutes away from someone’s home. The next clue is sent.
There is no place like home.
At this time, I got a direct message from someone on Twitter.
Alan: “Too bad I am working from home and can’t get to the old Met home plate.”
Ahhh, Alan! You solved it! Right on the nose! Alas, you were not here. And being here is 99% of possession, which is some ratio of the law.
An hour had passed, and it was time for another clue.
This was a great way to past the time.
Not really very deep, but the switching of “pass” and “past” should get people thinking.
1:15pm arrives, and Waldo takes his place at the home plate plaque. Yes, I kid you not. Where is Waldo? is in the mall today. But like star crossed lovers, we were never meant to be together. I texted Twitter again.
Historically speaking, 1961.
A Google search of the Twin Cities, 1961, and April 21st would show you exactly where I was. I continued to sit alone on the bench.
Seven Yankee stadiums.
The Mall of America can fit seven Yankee stadiums in it. Who wants to stick seven Yankee stadiums anywhere is beyond me, but there you are.
Still not found. And I have found no square pants.
Recently, it was announced that Nickelodeon will be taking over the Park at Mall of America. Spongebob Squarepants will certainly have his own ride, but not yet.
Then, another direct message from Twitter came in.
Steve: “As much as I’d like to make it to Home Plate at the Park in MoA I don’t have any means of getting there.”
So many people, so few cars. Time to send out another clue.
Is Black Snake MoAn still playing?
It’s easy. The extra capitalization in “moan” should bring someone right to the mall.
And, just like that, I was found. Two hours and forty minutes into the search, Cariann Higginbotham found me. She had been sitting by Waldo and his pseudo home plate, but the newest message from Twitter had spurred her on.
She was followed shortly by her husband, Ben Higginbotham of Technology Evangelist.
After being found, we had a wonderful discussion about the clues, mass transit, moon bases, Snopes, and other Twin Cities related topics. Face to face with new people I never would have met otherwise.
The prize of a $15 Barnes and Noble gift certificate was enjoyed, and Ben decided to stuff as many winning Girl Scouts into his mouth as possible.
And with that perfect climax, the day ended. There were still plenty of people playing from home, but those who took part had a great time.
This will be happening again next weekend, boys and girls. Get your technology ready for April 28th, when it starts all over again!
2 Responses to “Offical Start Wrap-Up”
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Congrats to the happy couple. I noticed that Ben takes credit for the win on his blog, Bencredible.com, but it’s clear here that Cariann deserves more credit.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Thank you Ed! I appreciate the support.
And Aric, thank you for hosting such a fun game for all us “adult” types. It’s nice to have an excuse to get out and look for you, instead of running errands.
It was fun chatting with you, and maybe I will let someone else win this week. (Game on, Ed)