Each year, during San Francisco’s Chinese New Year’s Parade, ordinary citizens act out their Indiana Jones fantasies on the streets of Chinatown, North Beach, the Financial District and Telegraph Hill. They are the participants in the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt, devised by local private eye Jayson Wechter...
Since 1990, Wechter has sent hundreds of Bay Area residents on search for treasures- ranging from historical plaques to artistic and architectural flourishes- in the oldest corner of the City, while dragons and fireworks roar along the parade route.
“This area is very rich in visual stimulation,” say Wechter. “It is one of the most diverse areas in The City linguistically and culturally. I love discovering interesting things that overlook and showing them to people.”
People love discovering Wechter’s finds, too, even if they can’t pick them up and put them in their pockets.
“Part of the fun is that Jayson put you in some of the greatest places,” says Jim Mayer, 54 a video program producer who participated in at least a dozen Wechter designed treasure hunts. “Even if you think you know The City, you end up in places where you wouldn’t have found yourself otherwise.”
Adding to the thrill of the hunt is the backdrop of the Chinese New Year Parade, the largest of its kind outside mainland China.
“The parade is kind of an obstacle in the middle and it’s breathtakingly beautiful,” says hunt veteran Gail Williams, 47, director of the communities for Salon.com
Just before the parade begins at 5:30 p.m., teams of four to nine people receive packets of clues- beginners’, regular or masters’ level- to kick off the hunt. That’s when the real fun starts.
Participants have just three hours to solve the clues, make a note of the red “treasure letter” placed at each location and return to the finish line. Te winner at each level is the team with most correct answers in the fastest time. Any teams returning late are ineligible. The bounty? Champagne and certificates served up with explanations of the clues.
“It’s really helpful to try to solve as much as you can before heading out,” says Williams. Like Mayer, she has participated in the hunt for several years. Having a seasoned hunter around is a definite benefit for a team, but Mayer and Williams both agree that a diversified team is the most important factor in successfully solving clues.
“You need to have a real variety of people- variety in backgrounds, skills,
instructions,” say Mayer, whose team has won multiple times and now competes
on the masters’ level. “It’s important to look at each clue form
many different perspectives in order to solve it. It helps to heave people who
are specialist in different area: literary, scientific, historical, neighborhoods.”
In fact, some teams strategize to have such specialization, even making assignments
to team members in the weeks before the hunt. Many also arm themselves with
the helpful resources, such as telephone books, city guides, maps and newspaper
clippings. The real essentials, however, are comfortable shoes and versatile
layers of clothing.
“It’s fun, even if you’re not participating for the first time,” asserts Williams. “People who are unfamiliar with the event can really help because they don’t overlook the clues.” She adds that a 12-year-old boy was particular boon for her team one year. “Once we got to a location, the adults would be trying to figure out where the letter could be, and he just got down and started searching with his flashlight.”
The location is not the only mystery of the hunt; Wechter is skilled at crafting highly cryptic clues.
“Often, the first part of the clue tells an intersection, and the last part is something you can’t figure out until you get to the location,” says Williams. One of the “easy clues” from last year’s competition read, “On the little street of maidens, look for the double c, and Frank Lloyd’s circle is what you’ll see.” The answer is the Frank Lloyd Wright- designed Circle Gallery on Maiden Lane, across from the Channel boutique.
Because the event is timed and teams members cannot separate- careful mapping of a route is a key element in the team’s success.
Teams also should decide how much time to spend at a given location before giving up and moving on to the next clue.
“Finding the letters without giving their location away to other teams
(within earshot) can be tough; you have to be sly,” says Mayer. “A
lot of teams use a code words or phrase to let the team members know they have
found it.”
While many teams are highly competitive, newbies (sic) should not be discouraged.
“The sights and sounds at night during the parade are amazing. It’s
a challenge, but it’s really about the spectacle of the whole thing,”
Williams notes. Jayson has created an intellectual and collage- with lots of
running!”
Mayer concurs, “The idea is to have fun. It’s a great event for people
who have a love of The City. You get a sense of wonderful aspects of The City,
it’s history, places where great things happened. It’s a magical evening,
and you feel connected to The City in a new way afterwards.”
The Treasure Hunt started as a sort of party of friends, but now it acts as a significant fund-raiser for charity, (sic)
This year’s beneficiary is Hamilton Family Center, an emergency shelter for homeless families. Last year, the event raised more that $10,000 for the center.
“This is the most original charity event I’ve participated in,” says Williams. “The event itself is a treasure.”