Last night was a blast. Who knew Bastille Days was such a huge event? I sure didn't.
For weeks I'd been planning to run the Storm the Bastille 5K with a group of girls from work. Sadly, the Bistro Babes dwindled down to just two, but the two of us had a grand time on our own. Lauren has run two marathons - I knew she wouldn't let me down!
We met at her house and headed down to the festival around 7:00. A three-block area surrounding Cathedral Square Park is closed off all weekend for the event. We walked around in our running gear, scoping out all the food and beverage stands. There are so many food options! French, American, Cajun, Mexican - roasted corn, popcorn, ice cream - I wanted one of everything. There were a lot more options than even Summerfest offered. Even though I was hungry, we only had some corn on the cob because we didn't want to fill up before the run. (it was delicious)
Bastille Days coincided with Jazz in the Park last night, so we headed into the park to catch some jazz before it was time to warm up. The Gary Davis Band was playing and they were rockin. I've never seen people get so into the music during Jazz in the Park! There were guys sitting ahead of us who kept yelling "Bring it on! Bring it!" They made me laugh. And they were just the beginning.
There were so many funny people everywhere, Lauren and I weren't sure where to look. I love people who just aren't embarrassed to let loose. There was a mousy woman up by the stage dancing up a storm, a man behind us in a fanny pack swingin his hips like he was in a hoola-hoop contest, and a very white man in short running shorts doing step-ball-changes and Michael Jackson-esque turns - he even busted out the robot. It was hysterical - and I mean that in a good way. They were really enjoying themselves and I thought, good for them!
At 8:30 we headed over to the starting area and stretched a bit. We met up with two of her friends and talked for awhile. We heard a commotion coming from up above us and there was an inebriated girl on the second-story balcony of a local pub dancing on the railing and flashing the crowd! I unfortunately didn't look in time - but I still cheered her on!
When it was almost 9:00 the speakers blared "Because we can can can!" from Moulin Rouge and people began bouncing up and down. I was pumped! The camaraderie at these athletic events is always awesome. It makes me wonder why more people don't participate in such things - it feels so good to be surrounded by others who are excited just like you are, and to get outside and GO.
We started at 9:00 and it took us like 27 minutes to run the 3.1 miles. It was really fun to be running with thousands of people through the streets of the city at dusk, but I gotta say, I was dying by the end. Lauren was moving fast and there were tons of people all around and it was HOT. Every once in awhile, a breeze from the lake would sneak its way through the buildings and offer up some relief, but man, was it warm. It was probably 90 degrees still. It felt so good to be done!
Once we made our way through the crowd of runners, we headed for the ticket booth. One must buy tickets in order to get food and beverages at Bastille Days - which seems kind of silly but oh well. We got some white wine and mmmmmmm it was good. We toasted to our run and started to cool down.
We walked around the fest for the rest of the night. Once our first glass of wine was gone, we weighed our options. Ten tickets each left. Another glass of wine or some food? All the food looked so wonderful, but we couldn't decide on something and we were a bit buzzed already so the answer was clear: another glass of wine.
The festival was packed by now and the people-watching, as always, was great. Actually, the fashion faux pas (I love that word) were few and far between. It made us proud of our city once again - a pride that is always lost a bit after Summerfest. People looked good! We were the biggest fashion mistakes in our sweaty running clothes and crinkled race numbers - but we were ok with that.
I had planned on going home shortly after the race was over, but Lauren and I spent until almost midnight walking around. Alright, now, here's a warning: the following may be one of those "guess you had to be there" stories, but I'm going to tell it anyway. Because it still makes me laugh just to think about it.
With each pack of nine tickets, buyers receive a raffle ticket that shouts "Metro Market is giving away $5,000!" Lauren and I of course kept ours securely in our pockets because hey, five thousand dollars is a nice chunk of change. We began noticing, however, that the ground was littered with these raffle tickets! What, a chance at $5,000 means nothing to people these days?
Alas, a game was born that entertained us and made us giggle like crazy people for well over an hour. Each time we saw a ticket on the ground, we ran and picked it up and did a little dance singing "I'm going to win five thousand DOOOllars!" Each time we picked one up, people looked at us like we were insane to which we would say, "well, we're going to be rich!"
Long story short, we collected about 150 of these things between the two of us. Then and only then did we decide to read the entire ticket: "50 winners will each win a $100 giftcard to MetroMarket." Alright then. So not only were we not winning $5,000, we weren't even winning $100. We were winning a giftcard. We sat in the street and just laughed some more. We still want to win, though! We made a deal that if one of us wins, we'll make a delicious meal together with the winnings!
(Guess you had to be there?)
The night was just hilarious and so much fun. Bastille Days is SO worth checking out. The mini-Eiffel tower is neat and the city surrounding the area is beautiful. There's live entertainment and street performers and of course, all the food you can handle! I have the whole weekend off for various activities (much to write about!) and I'll totally be trying to get there again - at least one more time!
Hey, I stormed the Bastille and blogged about it too! Wasn't the starting line crazy?
Posted by: Sonya | July 15, 2005 at 11:03 AM
Hey, that girl on the balcony never flashed anyone – she was FAKING it! What a tease! I agree that the crowd looked GOOD last night. It might have something to do with all of the in-shape runners in tight shorts and sports bras though. If you go again this weekend I think you'll see a better representation of the Milwaukee body and fashion scene. Milwaukee is a party town though – I couldn't believe how packed that place was at 11:00 on a week night. Don’t you people work?
Posted by: oz | July 15, 2005 at 11:19 AM
We work hard, but we play hard too!
Great story Erin! I have never been to Bastille Days, mostly because I didnt realize it was such a big deal. Maybe you'll see me there this weekend!
Posted by: Nicole | July 15, 2005 at 02:54 PM
Hey Sonya,
I read your recap of the race on your blog. 19:40 - good job! I was dyin and it took me 27 minutes! Some of the guys were pretty stinky, and when we ran past one area where spectators were handing out BEER, the stench was so bad I thought I might throw up. And yeah, it was hard having no idea how far you had run. I sure was glad to get past that finish line!
Posted by: Erin | July 15, 2005 at 04:35 PM
This blog is great, It nice to see another person discover and enjoy this city like I do. Youve got to take atrip to la perla! And I can show you Cage and Walkers Pint!
Posted by: Nick Abbott | July 15, 2005 at 06:28 PM
hahah thanks Nick Abbott for thinking about the "non-straight" community as well =)
Posted by: Christi | July 16, 2005 at 05:07 PM
Even if no one else laughed, Erin, I enjoyed your silly story about the tickets. It's fun to get so excited about something little. It really reminded me of some of the things we've experienced together! Free bags of goodies at Radio City Music Hall come to mind... :)
Posted by: Amanda | July 20, 2005 at 02:03 PM