We competed in the Urban Challenge held in San Francisco. It started with a 30 question multiple choice quiz and participants were released based on how well they scored. We were released with the first group at 9am and managed to complete 8 of 12 checkpoints by the official end time of 2pm. We began with checkpoint 3.

Question: "That Guy Owes Me Money!" Unscramble the words below to form the name of Checkpoint 3. Find it northwest of Union Square.

                    -------
                    Ed Youth

Answer: Hyde Out - 1068 Hyde St

Theoretical Travel Time: 17 min

We got stumped on the unscramble for a while and finally found the answer by going through the phone book.

Question: "Can You See the Truth?" Checkpoint 4 is an organizational symbol surrounded by red brick in the Civic Center area. This organization shares the same purpose as the beauty pageant contestants in "Miss Congeniality".

Answer: U.N. Plaza (corner of McAllister & Hyde)

Theoretical Travel Time: 18 min

We had visited the Civic Center area the day before, so guessed this one quickly and found it easily.

Question: "They're Geoff Yaw's Favorite!" Checkpoint 5 shares its name with a variety of Pepperidge Farm cookies. Find this Hotel within a half mile of race headquarters.

Answer: Milano, 55 S. 5th St.

Theoretical Travel Time: 7 min

Finally googled enough cookie names to recognize the hotel next to our own.

Question: "You Go Girl!" Checkpoint 6 is a memorial to the person who is credited with rallying the good people of San Francisco in the 1940s to save the cable cars. Find the memorial on the Barbary Coast Trail near the American birthplace of Irish Coffee.

Answer: Irish coffee invented at the Buena Vista at 2765 Hyde St. Friedel Klussmann turnaround across the street in Aquatic park.

Theoretical Travel Time: 21 min

But note that the transitinfo.org directions tell you to use the cable car, which has a ridiculous line on a Saturday morning. So better directions are from Third and Market:

Theoretical Travel Time: 18 min (plus 5min to walk or bus to 3rd)

We were held up on this one for about 1.5 hours. We gave up on the wait for the cable car, walked to the bus stop, then had two full buses pass without stopping until a third finally came and we pushed our way onto a very full bus.

Question: "Use the Force" A certain series of seven alpha-numeric characters always appears in movies by George Lucas. Checkpoint 7 is the establishment on Fisherman's Wharf at the address that corresponds to the last numeric character in that series.

Answer: Cafe #8 Fisherman's Wharf.

Directions - walk to pier 45. Hard to tell that this is really it from the web. But it's about 4 blocks.

Theoretical Travel Time: 10 minutes.

We only knew we were looking for something number 8 on Fisherman's Wharf but knew we had it as soon as we saw it.

Question: "Wacky Equation:"

      The blank in ______ in America or ______ Highway

                                 Plus
      
      To establish and organize something for the future, esp. an institution.
                        Equals checkpoint 8.

Find this saloon in North Beach.

Answer: Lost & Found Saloon, 1353 Grant at Green Street

Theoretical Travel Time: 14 min

Question: "Forget it, it's Chinatown" Find the Chinatown establishment that shares its name with the major work of an author who lost his head for asserting that the English Parliament did not have the right to usurp papal authority in favor of the king.

Answer: Utopia Cafe 139 Waverly Pl.

Waverly is two blocks long N/S, connecting Washington and Sacramento between Grant & Stockton. Only about 6 blocks from Grant & Green.

Walk - estimate 15 minutes.

There were two Utopia businesses listed in the phone book, Utopia Salon at 33 Grant, and Utopia Planitia at 624 Bush. The latter was at the edge of Chinatown, so we went there to find it no longer existed. Utopia Cafe is not in the phone book, but could be found by calling information.

Question: "Cast of Hogan's Heroes?" Checkpoint 10 is an establishment in the Haight area.

	Hint:  Elijah Price, Max Cady, Noah Cross.

Answer: Villains, 1672 Haight St.

We aren't certain about "Villains". It's definitely an establishment in the Haight, and the three hints are definitely movie villains, but what's the connection to Hogan's Heroes?? We would have used our photo with the skip person (who we found) to skip this one.

Theoretical Travel Time: 29 min

Question: "En guard!" True or false, in fencing, the epee is heavier than the foil?

If true, then the Cervantes bust is Checkpoint 11.
If false, then the Beethoven bus is Checkpoint 11.

Answer: Epee.

Walk - estimate 15 minutes.

Question: "Light the Fire..." Find a lantern from the garden of the Seasons in or near the Takamine Garden at the Strybing Arboretum. Get a photo with it.

Answer: In Golden Gate Park. 9th Ave and Lincoln Way.

Walk - estimate 10 minutes

Question: "Is it accredited?" Find the University of Wisdom in bronze in the Financial District.

Answer: Bronze sculpture at the Old Federal Reserve. 400 Sansome

Theoretical travel time: 31 minutes

Question: "Of Socks, Slacks or Shoes?" Checkpoint 2 shares its name with a variety of Pyrus communis. Find this restaurant north of Market within one mile of Union Square.

Answer: Anjou Restaurant 44 Campton Pl. SF.

Walk 6 blocks: 10 min.

Return to Race HQ:

Walk 4 blocks: 10 minutes

Reasonable time taking public transportation with no mistakes: 209 minutes. This does not allow any time for figuring out the clues.

The winner made it in 170 minutes, but they probably skipped one and ran.

Last Updated: January 29, 2020