Roger's Blog
A place to put my thoughts...
The Indy 500
05/10/24 01:17 PM
"Welcome to the greatest spectacle in racing!"
I believe those words are true. I think there is no greater motor race than the Indianapolis 500. The history, the traditions and the sheer magnitude of the track all combine to make the experience of the Indy 500 like no other. And I have been fortunate enough to attend it in person for many years.
The first time I attended the race was in 1988 when I worked for Domino's Pizza and was able to secure free tickets through that company's sponsorship of a race car. Doug Shierson's team had some success with Al Unser, Jr., but the driver I saw that year was Raul Boesel, who finished in 7th place. I truly did not appreciate the race back then. I only cheered for Boesel because of the company affiliation. In fact, I missed exactly half the race when I went to get food, waiting in a massive line for hot dogs while 100 laps transpired. I missed almost everything that makes the race great, and I truly didn't appreciate the talent of the drivers and teams that work so hard to put on a competitive race.
Fortunately, two buddies who were regularly attending the race, Murv and Jerry, invited me to join them a few years later. That first year I joined them, I felt the fun we had was all about the activities we participated in during the weekend leading up to the race. We began the weekend in Dayton, OH, where Jerry lived, where we'd play a round of golf on the Friday before the race, followed by adult beverages. Saturday was all about ping pong and foosball in Jerry's garage, followed by adult beverages. Saturday night, we headed into Indianapolis, where the tradition became a trip to The Slippery Noodle, a blues bar steeped in tradition and great music! After a full night of blues and rock, we'd head to Kroger to do our grocery shopping, followed by a trip to the overnight parking near the track around 3 AM. There, we'd catch a few hours of sleep before the grill started up with steaks in the morning, followed by adult beverages. After a few hours of talking, tossing a frisbee or football around and adult beverages, it was time to walk to the track to see the race.
If you've never been to the Indy 500 race, then you might be curious how over 300,000 fans, many who have consumed numerous adult beverages, get along. What continues to amaze me to this day is that they get along incredibly well. I attribute this to three key elements. First, the majority of people who go to this race have been going to the race for years (decades for a large portion of this majority), and they share a love for the track, the drivers and the traditions. Therefore, they don't let the challenges of being in a crowd of over 300,000 people frustrate them. They wait their turn. They help each other when needed. They mostly look out for each other. It is incredibly rare for this many people to be in one location for a sporting event, and I am so proud of Indianapolis for successfully hosting this event year after year without any major incidents for over 100 years! It is no small feat. I am also proud of the fans who attend every year who behave so well when so many things could go wrong. It's one of the many reasons I love this event.
The second key element that greatly contributes to the success of the race are the police that work this event. Local, county and state police all work together to keep everyone safe while still allowing them to have a good time. There are lots of people who overindulge in adult beverages, so the police often have to show incredible patience and understanding with the crowd. They continually find the balance between keeping people safe and allowing them to enjoy the event. Their focus never seems to be to arrest people, which they could do in hundreds of instances every year. However, they choose to find a strategy to help people through the challenges of being in a crowd of 300,000 fans without becoming oppressive. The only time the police step in with a "heavy hand" is when someone is doing something stupid enough to hurt themselves or others. The police don't get enough credit for walking this fine line.
The final key element is the infrastructure built into the speedway and the community of Speedway, Indiana. After 100 years, they have it down to a science. From parking to vending to communications, they find a way every year to invite a mass of people into a relatively small space and get them back out of that space in a reasonable amount of time. The Hulman family oversaw the operations for decades and can be credited with creating an incredibly strong brand. As the brand started to fade, Roger Penske, former driver and the most successful team owner in Indy history, stepped in to take over the management of the speedway. Mr. Penske has done an amazing job of bringing the brand back to life and returning to the days of filled grandstands, no small feat after attendance had dropped so low.
For the first few years, the race was almost an afterthought to me. I was usually fatigued from the events of the weekend, so I often watched the race in a casual manner. Over time, I started to pay more attention to the pageantry of the race. It began when we started to go into the track earlier than we had, and we started becoming a part of the pre-race ceremonies:
The 6 AM Aerial Bomb - This deep, percussive retort, which can be heard throughout the area of the massive track and beyond, signifies that the gates to the parking lots and track are open. Since we no longer arrive at the track at 3 AM, we now hope to be near the entrance to the North 40 parking lot when this goes off, waiting to get a spot near the track.
The Breakfast Brats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - Shortly after arriving in our parking space, we set up our canopy (to shade us from the usually hot sun), our chairs and the grill, so we may begin the grilling of the brats, always with onions and peppers.
The Post-Brat Break ("unofficial group" ceremony) - After finishing the brat breakfast, some people take a nap, since we've likely started our journey between 3 AM (from Ohio) or 4 AM (from Bloomington). During this time, we begin the pre-race hype by discussing which drivers we will each pick as our favorites to win the race. Everyone gets to pick one driver for their primary pick, followed by a second round of picks, as our backup pick to win. There is no betting or prizes. We just do this for bragging rights. It simply became part of our annual ritual.
The 8 AM Parade of Bands - We don't go into the track this early, as those of us that burn easily try to avoid sitting in the sun any longer than we must. Local and area high school and university bands take a trip around the 2 and 1/2 mile oval, playing music to the fans in the stands (and to those of us sitting on the outside).
The Walk To Our Seats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - I truly enjoy this part of the event. I love walking from a small group of people into the mass of fans entering the track. Even though I've done this over a dozen times, I am still in awe of the size of the track and the size of the crowd here to see the race. I have never and will never see a crowd this size in my life that compares. We usually head over around 10 AM to get to our seats in time to see the ceremonies we enjoy. However, at our age, a vital part of the trip is ensuring we hit the bathrooms before we get to our seats. At this stage, the port-a-potties are still relatively clean and mostly odor-free, which will change over the next few hours. In recent years, we've identified a set of portable toilets that don't get used as much as others, and it's a secret I will take to my grave.
Driver Introductions - Depending on how "on time" we are in getting to our seats, we may or may not see this. The drivers walk onto the stage three abreast, just like they begin in the race, with introductions for each driver through the 11 rows, some bringing their children on stage with them. This is where you begin to see that, while everyone has favorites, you hear cheers for every driver. There is a respect for all of the drivers that I haven't seen with other racing circuits. In most non-Indy Car races, you hear cheers and boos for each driver. It's rare to hear boos from the Indy 500 crowd. The vast majority of the fans respect what the drivers go through, and the respect I see from the fans to the drivers is something I have come to truly enjoy about this event.
The Military Parade - This is one of my favorite parts of the pre-race ceremonies and one that we usually are in our seats early enough to enjoy. This involves military personnel who have recently returned from active duty riding in the back of pickup trucks around the race track, receiving cheers from the fans in the stands. Our reserved seats are directly across from the staging area for this event, so we get a "front row" seat to the military getting prepared for this. You can tell that many of the military personnel are unaware of the reaction they will receive from the crowd, as most of them seem both taken aback and greatly appreciative of the cheers. In a small way, it allows me to show support to these true life heroes in our society during the Memorial Day weekend, which I appreciate and enjoy.
The Invocation - This is the prayer before the race, including a plea to watch out over the safety of both our troops and the drivers in the race.
Taps - This is always an emotional moment for me. I have never served in the military, and I have always been grateful to those that have. Even though I am at a sporting event that I love, I always take this time to think of all the military personnel who have given their lives in hopes of providing a free society in which we all can live. Our country has certainly been involved in controversial wars and conflicts but I will never blame the military personnel who have served their country when asked. I find it important to support both those that have returned and particularly the families of those who have not. Our society owes them a debt of gratitude that we rarely adequately repay.
God Bless America/America the Beautiful For years, Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch mom actress) sang one of these two songs, backed up by the Purdue All-American Marching Band. I came to love this song and Florence's version of both songs. Alas, she has passed, and they now have new singers that do a wonderful job of it, but they don't do it like Florence did.
The Star Spangled Banner The Purdue All-American Marching Band plays this and are accompanied by a new singing star every year, and I have loved every one of them. However, this ends in a military flyover, which is one of the most awesome elements of the whole pre-race ceremony, as they have had some incredible aircraft, which they mix up with a variety every year.
Back Home Again in Indiana No part of the pre-race ceremony was more beloved to me than Jim Nabors singing "Back Home Again in Indiana." Mr Nabors starting singing this song in 1972. He continued the tradition almost every year until 2014, when his poor health finally made the trip unfeasible. Many others have sung the song, before and since, but no one could pull it off like Mr Nabors. Sadly, he is no longer with us either. I think about Mr Nabors every year, and I can still hear him bellowing out the lyrics when the song begins.
"…,start your engines." For decades, Tony Hulman spoke the eternal words before the beginning of every race, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" He tended to hesitate between each word, adding effect to the phrase. After Tony Hulman died, his widow, Mary Hulman, gave the starting command. Starting in 2020, Roger Penske began giving the starting command. With the addition of women drivers, it became, "Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines!" For some years when there were multiple women drivers, it appropriately became, "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" Occasionally, they just said, "Drivers, start your engines!" but I prefer specifying the fact that we now have men and women participating in this race. I look forward to the day when a woman wins this race, although I must admit that there are some "old-school idiots" that hope that never happens. It will, and I hope I'm around to see it.
Waiting to Hear That All Cars Have Successfully Started Occasionally, a car has trouble starting, so I always sigh in relief when they announce that every car has started. After all the time, energy and money that these teams have put into preparing for this race, the last thing I want to see is a team that can't start the race due to mechanical problems. Of course, that will not continue to be the case once the race begins. This is a grueling race, and it will test every team's hardware.
For years, I watched the race without utilizing race scanners and truly enjoyed the race. However, one year, I decided to rent a radio and a set of headphones just to listen to the communication between the drivers and their pit crews, and it absolutely changed my understanding of the race. I always knew that gas efficiency was a part of the race strategy but, after listening to one race, I learned that fuel economy drives the strategy of every team. Teams and their drivers win primarily because they develop a strategy of fuel use that is superior to everyone else's (and there is often an element of luck based on yellow flags, weather, accidents and tire efficiency). It's also quite humorous to hear some of the discussions that go on between drivers and their pit crews. If you ever attend the race, I strongly recommend you pay to rent a set of headphones for your group and a radio. It provides an insight into the race that you will never experience just watching the race. Murv, from our group, has actually purchased two radios and 4 sets of headphones and we rent them from him each year. Thank you, Murv!
I'm a big Helio Castroneves fan (as well as Tony Kanann) but I'm happy for every driver that wins the race. I also cheer for the drivers who have been participating in the Indy 500 for years but haven't won yet because I know that they all have dreamed of winning in Indy. It is the pinnacle race for Indy Car and winning the race will change their lives forever.
Some tips I've learned over the years from attending the Indy 500:
-Get up incredibly early to avoid waiting in line to get into the parking lots before the race. It's well worth it and allows you to enjoy the company of your group more once you are in the parking lot, rather than sitting in your vehicle for hours waiting to get in. Try to arrive at your particular parking lot's entrance by 5:30 AM, and you should get in quickly after the gates open at 6 AM.
-Bring a canopy to provide your group with shade while you wait for the time to enter the race track. Bring comfortable portable chairs and a table (for eating or playing games). Bring a grill and fuel for the grill and make your own food. This is MUCH cheaper than buying the food there, and you will likely enjoy better food than you can purchase. Bring PLENTY of drinks (including WATER to hydrate) for both the pre-race and during the race. The track and stands get very hot, and you will get dehydrated if you aren't drinking PLENTY of water. This is especially true of you decide to drink alcoholic beverages, that will further dehydrate you.
-Give up on the idea of getting out of the parking lot quickly once the race is over. First, don't rob yourself of the best part of the race (the finish) by leaving early to beat the crowd. Frankly, I've never understood people who go to an event, only to miss part of the event (in this case, the BEST PART of the event) by leaving early. Simply have a plan for what you will do while you wait for 300,000 to find their way out of the track and parking lots. In the case of our group, we always schedule another meal after the race. Once we return to our vehicle, we start up the grill again and have chicken. By the time the meal is over and we've cleaned up our area, we can usually leave the lot with very little waiting in line to get out. It's hilarious for us to watch someone get in line to leave at the same time we start getting out the grill, and they don't move more than a few hundred feet by the time we are eating.
-Have patience. There are hundreds of thousands of people sharing this experience with you. Some things will take time (going to the bathroom, buying a souvenir, etc). Be a good neighbor and look out for one another. Help anyone who is too old, too young or too drunk to do what they are trying to do. You will end up enjoying yourself more than being a selfish idiot. Live in the moment. Rarely will you ever experience something like this again.
Until my next entry…
I believe those words are true. I think there is no greater motor race than the Indianapolis 500. The history, the traditions and the sheer magnitude of the track all combine to make the experience of the Indy 500 like no other. And I have been fortunate enough to attend it in person for many years.
The first time I attended the race was in 1988 when I worked for Domino's Pizza and was able to secure free tickets through that company's sponsorship of a race car. Doug Shierson's team had some success with Al Unser, Jr., but the driver I saw that year was Raul Boesel, who finished in 7th place. I truly did not appreciate the race back then. I only cheered for Boesel because of the company affiliation. In fact, I missed exactly half the race when I went to get food, waiting in a massive line for hot dogs while 100 laps transpired. I missed almost everything that makes the race great, and I truly didn't appreciate the talent of the drivers and teams that work so hard to put on a competitive race.
Fortunately, two buddies who were regularly attending the race, Murv and Jerry, invited me to join them a few years later. That first year I joined them, I felt the fun we had was all about the activities we participated in during the weekend leading up to the race. We began the weekend in Dayton, OH, where Jerry lived, where we'd play a round of golf on the Friday before the race, followed by adult beverages. Saturday was all about ping pong and foosball in Jerry's garage, followed by adult beverages. Saturday night, we headed into Indianapolis, where the tradition became a trip to The Slippery Noodle, a blues bar steeped in tradition and great music! After a full night of blues and rock, we'd head to Kroger to do our grocery shopping, followed by a trip to the overnight parking near the track around 3 AM. There, we'd catch a few hours of sleep before the grill started up with steaks in the morning, followed by adult beverages. After a few hours of talking, tossing a frisbee or football around and adult beverages, it was time to walk to the track to see the race.
If you've never been to the Indy 500 race, then you might be curious how over 300,000 fans, many who have consumed numerous adult beverages, get along. What continues to amaze me to this day is that they get along incredibly well. I attribute this to three key elements. First, the majority of people who go to this race have been going to the race for years (decades for a large portion of this majority), and they share a love for the track, the drivers and the traditions. Therefore, they don't let the challenges of being in a crowd of over 300,000 people frustrate them. They wait their turn. They help each other when needed. They mostly look out for each other. It is incredibly rare for this many people to be in one location for a sporting event, and I am so proud of Indianapolis for successfully hosting this event year after year without any major incidents for over 100 years! It is no small feat. I am also proud of the fans who attend every year who behave so well when so many things could go wrong. It's one of the many reasons I love this event.
The second key element that greatly contributes to the success of the race are the police that work this event. Local, county and state police all work together to keep everyone safe while still allowing them to have a good time. There are lots of people who overindulge in adult beverages, so the police often have to show incredible patience and understanding with the crowd. They continually find the balance between keeping people safe and allowing them to enjoy the event. Their focus never seems to be to arrest people, which they could do in hundreds of instances every year. However, they choose to find a strategy to help people through the challenges of being in a crowd of 300,000 fans without becoming oppressive. The only time the police step in with a "heavy hand" is when someone is doing something stupid enough to hurt themselves or others. The police don't get enough credit for walking this fine line.
The final key element is the infrastructure built into the speedway and the community of Speedway, Indiana. After 100 years, they have it down to a science. From parking to vending to communications, they find a way every year to invite a mass of people into a relatively small space and get them back out of that space in a reasonable amount of time. The Hulman family oversaw the operations for decades and can be credited with creating an incredibly strong brand. As the brand started to fade, Roger Penske, former driver and the most successful team owner in Indy history, stepped in to take over the management of the speedway. Mr. Penske has done an amazing job of bringing the brand back to life and returning to the days of filled grandstands, no small feat after attendance had dropped so low.
For the first few years, the race was almost an afterthought to me. I was usually fatigued from the events of the weekend, so I often watched the race in a casual manner. Over time, I started to pay more attention to the pageantry of the race. It began when we started to go into the track earlier than we had, and we started becoming a part of the pre-race ceremonies:
The 6 AM Aerial Bomb - This deep, percussive retort, which can be heard throughout the area of the massive track and beyond, signifies that the gates to the parking lots and track are open. Since we no longer arrive at the track at 3 AM, we now hope to be near the entrance to the North 40 parking lot when this goes off, waiting to get a spot near the track.
The Breakfast Brats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - Shortly after arriving in our parking space, we set up our canopy (to shade us from the usually hot sun), our chairs and the grill, so we may begin the grilling of the brats, always with onions and peppers.
The Post-Brat Break ("unofficial group" ceremony) - After finishing the brat breakfast, some people take a nap, since we've likely started our journey between 3 AM (from Ohio) or 4 AM (from Bloomington). During this time, we begin the pre-race hype by discussing which drivers we will each pick as our favorites to win the race. Everyone gets to pick one driver for their primary pick, followed by a second round of picks, as our backup pick to win. There is no betting or prizes. We just do this for bragging rights. It simply became part of our annual ritual.
The 8 AM Parade of Bands - We don't go into the track this early, as those of us that burn easily try to avoid sitting in the sun any longer than we must. Local and area high school and university bands take a trip around the 2 and 1/2 mile oval, playing music to the fans in the stands (and to those of us sitting on the outside).
The Walk To Our Seats ("unofficial group" ceremony) - I truly enjoy this part of the event. I love walking from a small group of people into the mass of fans entering the track. Even though I've done this over a dozen times, I am still in awe of the size of the track and the size of the crowd here to see the race. I have never and will never see a crowd this size in my life that compares. We usually head over around 10 AM to get to our seats in time to see the ceremonies we enjoy. However, at our age, a vital part of the trip is ensuring we hit the bathrooms before we get to our seats. At this stage, the port-a-potties are still relatively clean and mostly odor-free, which will change over the next few hours. In recent years, we've identified a set of portable toilets that don't get used as much as others, and it's a secret I will take to my grave.
Driver Introductions - Depending on how "on time" we are in getting to our seats, we may or may not see this. The drivers walk onto the stage three abreast, just like they begin in the race, with introductions for each driver through the 11 rows, some bringing their children on stage with them. This is where you begin to see that, while everyone has favorites, you hear cheers for every driver. There is a respect for all of the drivers that I haven't seen with other racing circuits. In most non-Indy Car races, you hear cheers and boos for each driver. It's rare to hear boos from the Indy 500 crowd. The vast majority of the fans respect what the drivers go through, and the respect I see from the fans to the drivers is something I have come to truly enjoy about this event.
The Military Parade - This is one of my favorite parts of the pre-race ceremonies and one that we usually are in our seats early enough to enjoy. This involves military personnel who have recently returned from active duty riding in the back of pickup trucks around the race track, receiving cheers from the fans in the stands. Our reserved seats are directly across from the staging area for this event, so we get a "front row" seat to the military getting prepared for this. You can tell that many of the military personnel are unaware of the reaction they will receive from the crowd, as most of them seem both taken aback and greatly appreciative of the cheers. In a small way, it allows me to show support to these true life heroes in our society during the Memorial Day weekend, which I appreciate and enjoy.
The Invocation - This is the prayer before the race, including a plea to watch out over the safety of both our troops and the drivers in the race.
Taps - This is always an emotional moment for me. I have never served in the military, and I have always been grateful to those that have. Even though I am at a sporting event that I love, I always take this time to think of all the military personnel who have given their lives in hopes of providing a free society in which we all can live. Our country has certainly been involved in controversial wars and conflicts but I will never blame the military personnel who have served their country when asked. I find it important to support both those that have returned and particularly the families of those who have not. Our society owes them a debt of gratitude that we rarely adequately repay.
God Bless America/America the Beautiful For years, Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch mom actress) sang one of these two songs, backed up by the Purdue All-American Marching Band. I came to love this song and Florence's version of both songs. Alas, she has passed, and they now have new singers that do a wonderful job of it, but they don't do it like Florence did.
The Star Spangled Banner The Purdue All-American Marching Band plays this and are accompanied by a new singing star every year, and I have loved every one of them. However, this ends in a military flyover, which is one of the most awesome elements of the whole pre-race ceremony, as they have had some incredible aircraft, which they mix up with a variety every year.
Back Home Again in Indiana No part of the pre-race ceremony was more beloved to me than Jim Nabors singing "Back Home Again in Indiana." Mr Nabors starting singing this song in 1972. He continued the tradition almost every year until 2014, when his poor health finally made the trip unfeasible. Many others have sung the song, before and since, but no one could pull it off like Mr Nabors. Sadly, he is no longer with us either. I think about Mr Nabors every year, and I can still hear him bellowing out the lyrics when the song begins.
"…,start your engines." For decades, Tony Hulman spoke the eternal words before the beginning of every race, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" He tended to hesitate between each word, adding effect to the phrase. After Tony Hulman died, his widow, Mary Hulman, gave the starting command. Starting in 2020, Roger Penske began giving the starting command. With the addition of women drivers, it became, "Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines!" For some years when there were multiple women drivers, it appropriately became, "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" Occasionally, they just said, "Drivers, start your engines!" but I prefer specifying the fact that we now have men and women participating in this race. I look forward to the day when a woman wins this race, although I must admit that there are some "old-school idiots" that hope that never happens. It will, and I hope I'm around to see it.
Waiting to Hear That All Cars Have Successfully Started Occasionally, a car has trouble starting, so I always sigh in relief when they announce that every car has started. After all the time, energy and money that these teams have put into preparing for this race, the last thing I want to see is a team that can't start the race due to mechanical problems. Of course, that will not continue to be the case once the race begins. This is a grueling race, and it will test every team's hardware.
For years, I watched the race without utilizing race scanners and truly enjoyed the race. However, one year, I decided to rent a radio and a set of headphones just to listen to the communication between the drivers and their pit crews, and it absolutely changed my understanding of the race. I always knew that gas efficiency was a part of the race strategy but, after listening to one race, I learned that fuel economy drives the strategy of every team. Teams and their drivers win primarily because they develop a strategy of fuel use that is superior to everyone else's (and there is often an element of luck based on yellow flags, weather, accidents and tire efficiency). It's also quite humorous to hear some of the discussions that go on between drivers and their pit crews. If you ever attend the race, I strongly recommend you pay to rent a set of headphones for your group and a radio. It provides an insight into the race that you will never experience just watching the race. Murv, from our group, has actually purchased two radios and 4 sets of headphones and we rent them from him each year. Thank you, Murv!
I'm a big Helio Castroneves fan (as well as Tony Kanann) but I'm happy for every driver that wins the race. I also cheer for the drivers who have been participating in the Indy 500 for years but haven't won yet because I know that they all have dreamed of winning in Indy. It is the pinnacle race for Indy Car and winning the race will change their lives forever.
Some tips I've learned over the years from attending the Indy 500:
-Get up incredibly early to avoid waiting in line to get into the parking lots before the race. It's well worth it and allows you to enjoy the company of your group more once you are in the parking lot, rather than sitting in your vehicle for hours waiting to get in. Try to arrive at your particular parking lot's entrance by 5:30 AM, and you should get in quickly after the gates open at 6 AM.
-Bring a canopy to provide your group with shade while you wait for the time to enter the race track. Bring comfortable portable chairs and a table (for eating or playing games). Bring a grill and fuel for the grill and make your own food. This is MUCH cheaper than buying the food there, and you will likely enjoy better food than you can purchase. Bring PLENTY of drinks (including WATER to hydrate) for both the pre-race and during the race. The track and stands get very hot, and you will get dehydrated if you aren't drinking PLENTY of water. This is especially true of you decide to drink alcoholic beverages, that will further dehydrate you.
-Give up on the idea of getting out of the parking lot quickly once the race is over. First, don't rob yourself of the best part of the race (the finish) by leaving early to beat the crowd. Frankly, I've never understood people who go to an event, only to miss part of the event (in this case, the BEST PART of the event) by leaving early. Simply have a plan for what you will do while you wait for 300,000 to find their way out of the track and parking lots. In the case of our group, we always schedule another meal after the race. Once we return to our vehicle, we start up the grill again and have chicken. By the time the meal is over and we've cleaned up our area, we can usually leave the lot with very little waiting in line to get out. It's hilarious for us to watch someone get in line to leave at the same time we start getting out the grill, and they don't move more than a few hundred feet by the time we are eating.
-Have patience. There are hundreds of thousands of people sharing this experience with you. Some things will take time (going to the bathroom, buying a souvenir, etc). Be a good neighbor and look out for one another. Help anyone who is too old, too young or too drunk to do what they are trying to do. You will end up enjoying yourself more than being a selfish idiot. Live in the moment. Rarely will you ever experience something like this again.
Until my next entry…