The Rules
The hunt rules are simple:
1. Everyone must travel by foot. They cannot use personal vehicles, bicycles, taxis, buses, etc.
2. Teams must stay together. You cannot separate, split up, or leave players behind. This means that you must travel at a pace all of you agree upon. Make sure you're all in agreement on this before the hunt starts. You'll be doing a lot of walking (and if you choose, running) over 2-3 hours. It's also important the teams clarify beforehand how decisions will be made.
3. Team decisions should be collective. Be sure that all team members have a chance to read and discuss a clue before heading to a location (I emphasize team solidarity because I think it leads to better morale, and ensures that everyone gets to participate fully).
4. Once you have found the token you need to transcribe the letters that you see on to your score sheet. Also, please mark down the time of day that you found the clue. Both sets of information are needed in order for the clue to be considered "solved".
5. You cannot move, destroy, alter, obscure or interfere with the tokens at the clue sites.
6. If you try guessing and fill in something on the answer sheet without having solved the clue, you'll be disqualified. The point is to solve the clue and find the tokens. In this sense, the event is sort of like a road rally.
7. None of the clue sites are out of the boundaries listed below. Also, none of the clue sites require that you leave the boundaries of the Hunt at any time.
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Solving Clues
Boundaries:
The boundaries for the hunt are as follows:Tips on solving the Clues:
The first part of a clue may refer to a location -- a street, landmark, business, etc., while the second part may refer to reference objects or things you will find at that location. Not everything in a clue will make sense until you get to that location.
The location can be a half block to a block long. The clue won't pinpoint the exact location of the token. That's why you need to search carefully, in a systematic fashion. This is another area where teamwork is key. But keep in mind that the token is usually not more than 10 feet from the final clue site, except in a few cases where there are fences.
None of the clues require that you go inside any buildings — all the tokens are outside - unless you are otherwise instructed in the clue!
If you search in one location for ten minutes and haven't found the token, you're probably in the wrong place and should move on to another clue. Most of the clues start and end at the same location. A few clues require that you walk a few blocks from the starting location for that clue. But even so, none require that you walk more than 5 minutes or so from the start for that clue. Also, keep in mind that I will not send you more than about half a block without further descriptions in the clue.
In solving clues, you are encouraged to consult telephone books, reference materials, authority figures, or just the proverbial "man on the street". I STRONGLY encourage teams to make sure that at least one member of the team has a cell phone and/or a copy of the White Pages. A few of the clues require that you start at a place of business and you will need to call 411 or refer to a White Pages directory to find it.
Tip: Before you set off, sit down as a group first (I suggest a quiet, secluded spot near the start of the hunt) and read through all the clues carefully and completely. The first sentence or two usually will tell you where to start out to solve the clue. Be imaginative when you decipher the clues. Pay close attention to typeface, spelling, capitalization, possible homophones, and watch out for puns (OK, there are a few groaners, but hey making these clues up isn’t easy).
The clues are not listed in geographical order, so I suggest marking down on your maps the number of each clue and where you think they may start. From there make a roughly circular itinerary — this will save you a lot of time, energy, and frustration!!
Sample Clues and Solutions
At a verdant street, on a capitol Place,
There’s a tragic site that was blackened in disgrace.
For the first few minutes on that fateful day it was clothed in bright red,
Which with great sorrow left one-hundred forty six dead.
SOLUTION: A verdant street is Greene St. and a capitol Place is Washington Place. At the NW corner of Greene St. and Washington Pl. is a plaque that commemorates the Triangle Shirt-Waist Factory Fire that killed 146 women and children.
On a street of higher learning (at least in name)
There is an old tavern of much fame
Whose name suggests it is made of wood.
From there, heading south would be good,
But make a right when you see the 26th letter of the alphabet times 3
And at No. 3 times 3 a façade that really is made of wood is what you'll see.
SOLUTION: The street is University Place and the tavern is Cedar Tavern. Starting from there (12th St and University Pl) and heading south, you'll reach ZZZ Cafe and Restaurant at 10th and University Pl. (which unfortunately isn’t there anymore). From there, if you make a right and head west to #9 10th St, you'll reach an apt building and the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life (next door at #7), whose façades are made of beautifully carved teak wood. It's really impressive and it dates back to the turn of the century when the curator of the Met lived there and brought it over from his factory in Bombay.
Tips on finding the tokens:
The tokens are small, but easily found if your team looks systematically and keeps in mind the 10-foot rule. At each of the clue sites the tokens are hidden from plain view, but not hard to find. There will be more than one group of tokens at each clue site (2-4 copies), but at each clue site they are all the same so once you find one you can transcribe it on your score sheet and move on.
Tip: Use all your team resources — so that means split up (at the clue site only!!) and look systematically for the token, but don’t give it away to a nearby team.