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Survival Guide

Congratulations! You are lucky enough to be attending Concrete Jungle, NYC’s official 2007 Burning Man Decompression party. It will be the Best Party Ever – but only if you help make it that way. Read on to learn how 2,500 people in a museum in Queens can make history.

 

Before the Event

 

Understand the obligations of attending
This year Decompression is at the Queens Museum of Art. Why, I hear you ask? The Queens Museum of Art is a public institution dedicated to community and creativity. It has a beautiful and diverse range of spaces, including rooms of many different shapes and sizes indoors and a generous outdoor park space. Like the Black Rock Desert, they are in a location that may deter the casually curious but pique the interest of genuinely committed. They are a natural fit for an event like Decompression.

Along with the ability to use this unique and historic venue comes the responsibility of treating it with respect. The rules and regulations are described in this Survival Guide, and by attending Decom you voluntarily assume responsibility for abiding by them.

 

Purchase your tickets in advance
There are no tickets available at the door – no matter how hot you are. There are two reasons for this. One is to deter spectators who are just looking for somewhere to get trashed and watch a freakshow. The other is to manage the number of attendees so that there is room for everyone to enjoy themselves. If you're a flaky
Burner who does everything last minute, have a non-flaky make sure you take care of this.

Tickets are expected to sell out during the middle of the week before the event, so purchase them ASAP. Once they're gone, no amount of pleading will get you into Decom.

You can purchase tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/20941

 

Volunteer
Just like you make Burning Man happen, you make Decompression happen. There are zillions of ways to get involved.

Sign up to volunteer at http://brcnyc.com/decom/participate.html

 

Tell your friends
But only the ones you'd actually want to party with and are interested in contributing. Please don't tell that guy who runs around inappropriately groping everyone and then pukes on your shoes.

 

Don’t tell the press or huge mailing lists.
See comment about gropey-pukey guy above.

 

Ask questions.
You can send them to decom@brcnyc.com. Only questions relevant to Decom, please – we can’t tell you where your other sock went.

 

What to bring

 

Costumes
Past Decom censuses indicate that costumed participants are 67.9% more likely to get laid.

 

Warm clothes
Some of the best parts of Decompression will be outside, including all of the theme camps. In November. Dress in layers like you would for a cool playa night.

 

Food and water
These will be available at the venue while supplies last, but may run out or not be what you’re looking to eat at the moment. Dust off those extra cereal bars and be radically self-reliant.

 

FM radio and headset
The A Cavallo stage will be broadcasting live DJ sets on FM radio after 10pm, when amplified sound has to shut off. Bring radio receiver headphones, if you want to dance under the stars. The main dance floor will not fit 2500 people.

 

What not to bring

 

Your own alcohol
Booze will be available at the venue, and we promise to make supplies last.

 

People without tickets
They will be mercilessly turned away at the gate.

 

Cars
Park your car at the lots next to the baseball stadium on Roosevelt Avenue. It is run by a commercial parking company and will cost $10 per car. There will be a shuttle bus running in a loop from parking, the train station and the museum from 3pm - 5am (14 hours).

 

Here is a helpful map: Decom Map

 

Do not try to park in the lot at the QMA. It has a very limited capacity and will be full of vehicles used for setup before the event begins.

 

Getting there

 

Arrive in the afternoon
This is one of the most important things. Definitely arrive in the afternoon. You’ll get to enjoy the beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the daylight, participate in fun daytime activities, and groove out to music on the outdoor sound systems. Sound outside will end at 10pm sharp. Decom only happens once a year and it ends at 4am, so get as much party in as you possibly can!

 

The subway
Take the Flushing-bound #7 train to 111th Street. Follow the map or take the shuttle bus. There will be a shuttle bus running in a loop from parking, the train station and the museum from 3pm - 5am (14 hours).

 

Here is a helpful map: Decom Map

 

By car
Park your car at the lots next to the baseball stadium on Roosevelt Avenue. It is run by a commercial parking company and will cost $10 per car. There will be a shuttle bus running in a loop from parking, the train station and the museum from 3pm - 5am (14 hours).

 

Here is a helpful map: Decom Map

 

Do not try to park in the lot at the QMA. It has a very limited capacity and will be full of vehicles used for setup before the event begin

 

From West and midtown Manhattan: Take the Midtown Tunnel to the Long Island Expressway. Use Exit 22B, Grand Central Parkway West toward the Triboro Bridge. Exit the Grand Central at the first exit, Tennis Center (9P), turn right and follow signs to Museum.

 

From Brooklyn: via Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) to LIE Eastbound, to exit 22B exit 22B (Grand Central Parkway/Triboro Bridge), then exit GCP at Tennis Center (9P) and turn right to the Museum.
From North and Triboro Bridge: via Grand Central Parkway, exit at 9E or 9W and follow signs to Museum.

 

From East and Long Island: via LIE to GCP West, exit GCP at Tennis Center (9P) and follow signs to Museum. Free parking.
Alternatively, please refer to http://www.google.com/maps for door-to-door directions.

 

You can use Queens Museum of Art as the endpoint.

 

Enjoy the park during the day
If you arrive during the day and plan to explore the park, get a wristband as soon as your arrive so you don't have to wait in a huge line later. Note that the park closes at dusk. When the sun is getting low, head to the Queens Museum of Art.

 

Respecting the Venue:

 

Okay, sit down and take a deep breath. Ready? There are some rules. They are probably different from the rules you are used to at other parties and at Burning Man, but they exist for good reasons. Please respect the venue and your fellow Burners by following them. All it takes is one inconsiderate person to ruin the whole party for many people. Don’t be that person!

 

Inside the Museum

 

There is absolutely no smoking inside the museum
There is no smoking inside the museum and there are no excuses or exceptions. If you smoke inside, you will be ejected and ridiculed by everyone. Read that again. You will be kicked out of Decompression and not allowed back in. The person ejecting you will be a professional security guard, not a Burner, and he will not care who you are or what your art project is. Do not smoke inside the museum. Cigarette smoke, ash and butts are insanely bad for art.

You are permitted to smoke outside, but please don’t throw your butts everywhere cause that’s just gross.

 

Only touch art with a “Touch Me” sign
The Queens Museum generally showcases non-interactive art. Just because you can’t touch it, write on it or climb on it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. We just ask that you enjoy it with your eyes, not your hands.

 

Respect food and drink boundaries
There are some areas inside the museum that are off limits to food and drink. These areas will be clearly marked with signs. If you’re too far gone to read, helpful security guards and rangers will remind you.

 

Don’t hang out in the stairwells or hallways.
Hanging out in stairwells and hallways creates congestion problems. Hang out in the theme camps instead - that’s what they’re there for.

 

Don’t lean on the walls or glass cases
Your fabulous costume can leave stains and smudges that we either have to clean up or pay for. Lean on your friends instead – that’s what they’re there for.

 

Respect barriers
There will be barriers set up to protect the museum's artwork. Please respect them. They look just like the BRC orange trash fence, so you can't miss them.

 

Outside in the Park

 

No booze
It’s that pesky open container law again. There is no alcohol allowed outside in the park. If you forget about this, helpful security guards and rangers will remind you.

 

Try not to tear up the grass
Your stilts are okay. Your hole to China? Not so much. The park spends an extraordinary amount of money and effort caring for the grass. Let's make friends with them by not damaging their sod.

 

Don’t even think about jumping the fence
If you jump the fence you will be ejected from the event and not allowed to return. No excuses or exceptions. The person ejecting you will be a security guard who will not care how important you or your art project is.

 

No flyering
Those little pieces of paper get everywhere and are a pain to clean up. If you really need to promote something, consider getting a rubber stamp and applying creatively to participants’ body parts. This rule goes for stickers, pamphlets, booklets, encyclopedias, etc.

 

Everywhere

 

Dress street legal
The dress code for Decom is street legal. Please don't wear costumes (or lack thereof) that would not be acceptable for say... the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Also note that nudity is illegal at events where alcohol is sold, such as Decom.

 

Leave no trace.
We will be expected to leave the venue in the condition we found it in. Please help doing this by disposing of garbage properly, instead of leaving it there for a volunteer (possibly yourself) to clean up later. There will be separated recycling, so please read the signage before you throw something away. After 4am, please stay for awhile and help clean up. It will be fun, we promise.

 

Recycle
There will be separate trash and recycling bins. Please take a moment to read signage to see which one you are using.

 

No vending or commercial activity
Nobody wants to buy your crap anyway.

 

After the event

 

Stay and help clean up.
Big parties leave a big mess. The more people help clean up, the quicker it goes. This is a community event and we need to take responsibility for ourselves. If we can clean up five square miles of desert after a week of 50,000 people, the museum and park should be no problem. Please stay afterward for an hour or two and help clean up.

 

Pack in, pack out
Take everything you brought to Decom home with you. Anything left behind will be considered a ground score and kept by the clean-up crew. If it’s not worthy of ground-score status, the clean-up crew will mock you extensively. And don't be surprised if you're barred from participating in future community events and can't get a date.

 

Fill out a Decom Census form
Having census forms makes us feel almost as official and important as having a survival guide. Don’t burst our dreams. The Census form will be posted on the website shortly after Decom.

 

Important dates

9/24/2007
Tickets go on sale at 9am EST.

10/15/2007
Theme camp & large project submission deadline.

10/22/2007
All project submission deadline.

11/1/2007
Tickets sales end at 11:59pm EST.

11/3/2007
Decompression!

 

Downloads

Transportation & Survival Guide

 

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