In most of the country, Easter Sunday means church, bonnets, egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. Here in SF it means two things: Hunky Jesus and Bring Your Own Big Wheel.
With the timing of the events, it’s difficult to attend both. So you have to decide which kind of person you want to be. The Dolores Park-sitting, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence-watching, Jesus cat-calling, sacrilegious type? Or the plastic wheel-riding, bloody knees-getting, costume-wearing sacrilegious type?
It’s a choice we must all make, and it’s not an easy one.
If you’re the latter, like me, then here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s Bring Your Own Big Wheel:
1. It’s amazing! And with the forecasted rain, it’s likely to be a sloppy, scrapey, silly mess like it was a few years ago. Wheeeeee!
2. Yes, you do need plastic wheels. There have been a lot of metal and rubber machines in the last few years. Come on, techies, you don’t have to have the fanciest machine, plus those can hurt other riders. Any plastic toy will do.
3. It’s technically free. But you should pay–$10 to get a fancy patch and $5 to just help out. The folks who put it on had to pay thousands of dollars in permit fees, and we should support it and make sure it happens next year.
4. When and Where: Vermont Street—the actual windiest street in SF. It used to be on Lombard, but Potrero seems a better match for the scene. Registration opens at 2:30 pm, riding at 4 pm.
5. Costumes strongly encouraged. If you dress as a Mario Cart character, you’ll be in good company. My favorite is a woman dressed as a nun, with the words “nun for you” sharpied across the front of her ride.
6. Don’t ruin it. This is one of those amazingly "San Francisco" events. So bring your A Game: Dig through your costume closet, keep your drunkenness under control, and don’t trounce on the Potrero neighbors’ flowers.
Other than that, let your plastic wheels rip! Oh, and you don’t have to ride to enjoy the event. Watching it can be even more fun—and you usually avoid the bloody knees.