January 30, 2003: Lost in New York
I remember seeing this wack reality show last year where they dropped people off in the middle of some god-forsaken foreign country with no money, and then timed them to see how long it would take to get back to New York. A writer for Vanity Fair did something similar about four years ago- they dropped him off in Mongolia and he had to get home with nothing more than 30 bucks or something. He ended up raising the money for a plane ticket gambling in Macau casinos. I'd like to take this idea and relaunch it on a much smaller scale. Basically, we take one or two of our friends, blindfold them, drop them off in some strange neighborhood in New York City with no money and a camera, and then document how long it would take for them to return to downtown. Probably best to drop them off in the middle of the night as well- it'll be like Judgement Night meets The Warriors. Better yet, we have someone follow them with a camera to capture the hijinx that would be sure to ensue. Some good places to drop people off? The outer boroughs, definitely. Like that no-man's land in outer Queens, or the burned out blocks of East New York, or the middle of Van Courtland Park in the Bronx. Sure, there is the possibility that someone might not make it back alive, but this is the price you pay for creating great art. Who is down?
Comments
I'd prefer to simply blindfold and forget about some of the people we know.
I think it'd be pretty tough to get someone completely lost within the 5 boroughs. There are just too many landmarks; not least of which being subway stations that each contain maps. Plus a big part of the challenge of being dropped off in a foreign country is that you don't speak the language. Pretty much anywhere in NYC there's <i>someone</i> around who speaks English.
Leave a comment