Grand Prixing
posted by Bob Clasen 4-10-05
Instead of sun worshippers, our beach was covered with cars. The sand was watered down to make the beach a parking lot. It is amazing how much effort goes into getting ready for a three day event. All the streets are protected with concrete barriers to prevent sightseers from being squashed. A very large area from our house down to the Aquarium is cordoned off with chain link fences to prevent anyone from getting in without paying.
This year, the entire Shoreline Village and all the new restaurants in the Pike area were included within the venue, so if you just wanted to come into these areas, you had to pay. We paid. ($52 bought a three day pass)
Also constructed were many overpass bridges that allowed ticket buyers to cross over the race track at various points to get to restaurants, and other venues.
We walked up the green belt, which was quickly transformed into a “dead” belt by all the traffic. Very many large temporary bleachers were laboriously constructed along the race route.
Since we had only general admission tickets, we couldn’t sit in the stands, but we could walk in front of the stands, sit on the grass in front of the stands, stand right at the railing, inches from the cars and watch them scream buy at 200 miles per hour.
Actually, the stands were only half full, at the most. Most people seemed more interested in wandering around, drinking beer and people watching. People were interesting to look at. This is one of those almost clothing optional functions. Guys wandered around in shorts, shirts off, showing their muscles, tattoos and weird hats.
It was bright and sunshiny with a nice breeze so it was very comfortable outside. I bought a 22 ounce Tecate for only $8.75. Tecate was the official beer and Tecate booths were omnipresent, together with sausages, and hot dogs, fish and chips and King Taco stands. Instead of Bud girls you had Tecate girls. I know I am getting old when the Tecate girls looked like skinny high school kids to me.
Of course, girls couldn’t go shirtless, but they often wore very little, and many of them also had tattoos to show off, as well as other valuable assets that they were proud to put on display for the appreciative audience.
The most crowded place I saw was the Yard House, a brewery with over 200 different tap beers and a huge patio looking out on the Downtown marina. (the race could not be seen). That patio was absolutely jammed standing room only with a huge throng of party goers, looking at the people who passed by on the boardwalk, looking at them.
On a huge boat just off the Yardhouse, two young girls who looked like strippers, gyrated and danced to an appreciative crowd of mostly men on top of a boat.
Next door, at Tequila Jacks, it was just about as crowded, with a large crowd waiting to get in for the 100 plus tequilas available.
The Toyota Celicas do not sound like race cars to me, but in mass, like a swarm of angry hornets, punctuated frequently by backfire explosions that sound like gunshots.
The formula race cars have a “vroom” sound more like a race car. The races were the least interesting thing for me.
We walked all the way to Bubba Gumps, which had a patio right on the race track. Unfortunately, some “private party” had bought up all the good seats. We ate inside, just to sit down, get out of the sun, and rest our feet. I had Mahi Mahi fish and chips and Sharie had Popcorn shrimp. And we both drank beer of course.
Car races definitely seem to be a beer event. The more expensive venues: Parker’s Lighthouse, P.F. Changs, which cater to a higher class crowd, were not doing much business. It was the beer bars that were booming.
Well, today are all the real races and then Long Beach will spend a couple months taking Grand Prix City down until next year.
Instead of complaining about the noise, I found it much more fun to go over and immerse myself in the craziness.
Instead of sun worshippers, our beach was covered with cars. The sand was watered down to make the beach a parking lot. It is amazing how much effort goes into getting ready for a three day event. All the streets are protected with concrete barriers to prevent sightseers from being squashed. A very large area from our house down to the Aquarium is cordoned off with chain link fences to prevent anyone from getting in without paying.
This year, the entire Shoreline Village and all the new restaurants in the Pike area were included within the venue, so if you just wanted to come into these areas, you had to pay. We paid. ($52 bought a three day pass)
Also constructed were many overpass bridges that allowed ticket buyers to cross over the race track at various points to get to restaurants, and other venues.
We walked up the green belt, which was quickly transformed into a “dead” belt by all the traffic. Very many large temporary bleachers were laboriously constructed along the race route.
Since we had only general admission tickets, we couldn’t sit in the stands, but we could walk in front of the stands, sit on the grass in front of the stands, stand right at the railing, inches from the cars and watch them scream buy at 200 miles per hour.
Actually, the stands were only half full, at the most. Most people seemed more interested in wandering around, drinking beer and people watching. People were interesting to look at. This is one of those almost clothing optional functions. Guys wandered around in shorts, shirts off, showing their muscles, tattoos and weird hats.
It was bright and sunshiny with a nice breeze so it was very comfortable outside. I bought a 22 ounce Tecate for only $8.75. Tecate was the official beer and Tecate booths were omnipresent, together with sausages, and hot dogs, fish and chips and King Taco stands. Instead of Bud girls you had Tecate girls. I know I am getting old when the Tecate girls looked like skinny high school kids to me.
Of course, girls couldn’t go shirtless, but they often wore very little, and many of them also had tattoos to show off, as well as other valuable assets that they were proud to put on display for the appreciative audience.
The most crowded place I saw was the Yard House, a brewery with over 200 different tap beers and a huge patio looking out on the Downtown marina. (the race could not be seen). That patio was absolutely jammed standing room only with a huge throng of party goers, looking at the people who passed by on the boardwalk, looking at them.
On a huge boat just off the Yardhouse, two young girls who looked like strippers, gyrated and danced to an appreciative crowd of mostly men on top of a boat.
Next door, at Tequila Jacks, it was just about as crowded, with a large crowd waiting to get in for the 100 plus tequilas available.
The Toyota Celicas do not sound like race cars to me, but in mass, like a swarm of angry hornets, punctuated frequently by backfire explosions that sound like gunshots.
The formula race cars have a “vroom” sound more like a race car. The races were the least interesting thing for me.
We walked all the way to Bubba Gumps, which had a patio right on the race track. Unfortunately, some “private party” had bought up all the good seats. We ate inside, just to sit down, get out of the sun, and rest our feet. I had Mahi Mahi fish and chips and Sharie had Popcorn shrimp. And we both drank beer of course.
Car races definitely seem to be a beer event. The more expensive venues: Parker’s Lighthouse, P.F. Changs, which cater to a higher class crowd, were not doing much business. It was the beer bars that were booming.
Well, today are all the real races and then Long Beach will spend a couple months taking Grand Prix City down until next year.
Instead of complaining about the noise, I found it much more fun to go over and immerse myself in the craziness.
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