neighborhood scavenger hunt

I get an email from Andrea.

Anybody up for this?  Might be goofy, might be fun, who knows?  I am registered.  It is supposed to be for all ages.  Their intro says: 

Using interactive technology, this scavenger hunt will send participants on a mission to discover the remnants of Yorkville’s cultural and social history. Groups will engage with the built environment learning about how late 19th and early 20th century immigrants lived along the way. After two hours of play on the streets, teams will report back to a secret final location for prizes and a celebratory reception!

It's a free event. It's outside. I sign up.

Andrea and I arrive around one at the meeting place on 91st and Second. Already, about 100 people are waiting around.  Because there are only two of us, we get matched up with three others: Emily, Kendra, and Evan. 

The rules are explained. 

All the clues are given via an app. It is all very well organized. 

First, we need to name our group. We decide on The Yorkies. Next, we need to choose a level of play. We of course pick the most advanced; we have Andrea on our team. She just happens to know a ton of stuff on the history of this Upper Eastside neighborhood.

Our first stop is on 84th Street. A Hungarian Bakery. Along the way, we answer trivia questions, and take photos of various architectural details we are asked to identify and submit. The bakery looks too good to just photograph, so we buy some fattening stuff to eat along the way. An hour passes and we bump into one of the team leaders.  "How are you all doing?" she asks. "Great," we collectively answer.  "You know, one team has already finished."  "You're kidding?  How many stops are there?" "Eleven," she replies.  We just finished our first. And, the game ends in an hour.

I need to leave early, but not before I got  to meet Jacob Ruppert Jr., who became General Manager of Ruppert Brewery (makers of Knickerbocker Beer) and owner of the Yankees when they acquired Babe Ruth.  And not before our group composed and wrote (in white chalk) a love poem to the neighborhood on an 88th Street sidewalk. 

I doubt The Yorkies won the competition, but I'm guessing we had the most fun.