No Pants Subway Ride
The 9th annual “No Pants Subway Ride” took place yesterday in New York City, Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, Mexico City, and 39 others around the world. Organized by Improv Everywhere, a group that says its mission is to cause ”scenes of chaos and joy in public places”, the event started in 2001 in New York City when seven people entered the subway and took off their pants.
In New York, participants on Sunday met up at six locations, formed groups and dispersed to subway stations to catch trains.
Once inside, they began calmly removing their pants and folding them up, then read their newspaper or chatted with other passengers, uh, normally.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports the scene on the Bay Area Rapid Transport, or BART, system:
“It feels strangely normal,” said Luke Jakobsson, a student from Castro Valley who rode BART from the East Bay in nothing but shoes, a Swedish soccer jersey and matching skivvies. “Although I’m not sure how I feel about the wind in my ass.”
Some wore frayed cotton boxers, others opted for pink satin thongs, and a few forewent underwear entirely.
The purpose of the event was to “bring a bit of goofiness to public transit. Although, this being the Bay Area, many just wanted an excuse to disrobe in public.” Some of the Bay Area participants had some interesting viewpoints.
Enrico Rossi, an Oakland craftsman, took the pantless theme a step further, shedding shirt and underwear as well. Instead, he wore work boots and a taupe-colored, transparent leotard.”We’re part of the Pants Liberation Front,” he said. “Pants have been keeping us down too long. I’ve been itching and chafing for 24 years.”
Candace Leong was headed to Berkeley but changed plans when she saw the hairy legs and cheery smiles of her fellow BART riders. While on the train, she spontaneously took off her jeans, stowed them in her bag and joined the unclothed masses headed to San Francisco.
“I was going to go rock climbing but thought I’d do this instead,” she said. “It’s liberating, although it might be a little awkward if you did it alone.”
Not everyone appreciated the humor. Tony Jackson, clad in a shimmering gold suit and tie, was headed to church on BART when he came across the pantless people.
“What the hell? It’s a disgrace,” said the San Francisco church elder, shaking his head. “It’s an abomination.”
Tourists Margarita Manfredini of Italy and Jesse Gonzalez of Mexico City, waiting for a cable car on Market Street, were thrilled with the spectacle.
“Here in the U.S., there is such a closed mentality,” Manfredini said. “But this is wonderful! I think, ‘Am I in America or Europe?’ ”
Gonzalez agreed.
“It’s crazy, like everything else in San Francisco,” he said. “We love it.”
Improv Everywhere has a reputation for organizing the quirky, massive stunts, “such as drawing hundreds of people – via Facebook and other social media – to congregate at a Best Buy store in blue polo shirts and khakis, and to move in slow motion at a Home Depot store, both in New York City.”
Posted in: Random