New Amsterdam Summer Sunday Hash
Run #14, May 3rd 1998
Start: Staten Island Borough Hall. On In: Mills Court
Hares: Joyce, Paul and Roy
Scribe: Roy
There are three days you want to avoid Staten Island when you are setting a hash -the NYC marathon, the Staten Island half and the five borough bike race. Bearing this in mind the three wise JMs opted for the day of the bike race. Yours truly had no problem getting to the start but my co hares who decided to drive there from their home five minutes from the ferry via the Verrazano bridge had to compete with 30,000 bikers. Fortunately I had a good book with me while I waited for them on the steps of Borough Hall. After setting the trail we found Basil and Mary fresh from the bikathon. They had tried to get in Mills Court for some liquid refreshment but found it jam packed with bikers so resorted to sunning themselves by Borough Hall.
The 2.30 ferry arrived and disgorged over 20 hashers including two visitors, Larry and Mark, from Ithaca. Before sending them off into the wilds of Staten Island we assembled for the annual photo. The trail was an A to A. It was also an up and up. I still can¢t work out how a trail that starts and finishes at the same point can be 90% up hill, but up hill it certainly was. It also went through every bit of urban shiggy we could find as well as up (and once down) every set of stairs we could find. I swept the trail but needn¢t have bothered as Rick was marking every check and going back to mark every possible short cut so Michelle, who, along with Jerry, managed to miss the 2.30 ferry wouldn¢t get lost. What a gentleman.
As it was heavy going up the hills we had a beer and cookie check three quarters of the way through. As sweeper I thought I was with the last runners but at the beer check I realized we were missing Petra and Timmy. Petra had broken her leg or something and Paul would have to go fetch her once we had dispensed with more important things like the beer. Only Timmy knows what he was doing when everyone else was following the trail. We picked him up again shortly after the beer check, completely off trail.
I had a surprise as we neared the end of the trail. The trail just stopped. As it was an A to A we hadn¢t marked the last section. I thought Paul was going to mark it once the pack had left. Paul thought Joyce was going to do it and Joyce thought I was going to do it. Who let these three fuckwits set a trail? At least the on in location was written at the start so even the dimmest hasher could find it.
We used Mills Court last year because it¢s near the ferry and had decent beer so we decided to use it again. Unfortunately Mr Mills recently had a disagreement with his Sam Adams supplier so it was just Bass and Murphy¢s. Down downs were given to the hares, to the NASS virgins and to the athletes -Basil, Mary and Jimmy for doing the bikathon and Rick for coming second in some race. Never did find out what race. Probably a pants dropping race or a belly dancing race, two things he seems to excel at. Other down downs went to Ewa (Polish national day), Miho (Japan¢s constitution day) and to two vandals. Jerome for knocking a full pint onto the floor and Jerry for being stupid enough to put the pint there in the first place. The first NASS T shirts also made their debut. Thanks to Ewa for designing them.
There was also a considerable number of people who should have gotten down downs but didn¢t. Several civilians who turned up, Aleks for Polish national day, Petra for breaking her leg or whatever, Jerry and Michelle for missing the ferry and, mostly, Paul for using a Jaguar as a hashmobile.
Upcoming hashes include Geoff¢s Queens run which you will have just finished when you read this, Sue¢s Breezy Point run on May 31 which promises to be a good one in virgin hashing territory and Jerry Mackenzie¢s Montclaire NJ run on June 28 which was great fun last year.
On On