Turtle racing

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Yup, turtle racing, that's what I wrote. There is a bar out in Marina Del Rey, Brennan's Pub on Lincoln Blvd, which has been the home of turtle racing since 1972. Turtle racing takes place every Thursday night at 10 p.m. and a cover band plays inside near the bar. 

It's simple. The turtles are placed in the center of a large circle and the first turtle to make it to the outside white line is the winning turtle.

You can rent a turtle to race or bring your own, but generally they have women place the turtle into the center ring but they can't bend their knees as they do it, thus making their asses stick out rather blatantly or flattering depending on the case. If your legs bend or if you're pretty they'll drop a flag and make you do it over and over again, lol. Once and awhile a guy goes out to place a turtle too and he is booed. 

As the security guard outside will yell out to the crowd seated in a circle of bleachers, chairs and and a wall of unluckys who weren't able to snag a seat, there is only one rule in turtle racing, do not point at the turtles. He'll repeat it over and over again, yet of course someone still points and they will drop a flag on the "race course" and make the offending pointer put $5 in the pot. It's not like the pointing really bothers the turtles, it's just a rule that makes everyone laugh when someone has to shell out (no pun intended) money--as long as it's not you of course. Here's a quick video that I uploaded to YouTube.

When I got home though I accidently hit my head on this stupid bike rack thing that pertrudes from the wall in our garage. I literally saw stars and had to put a package of frozen vegetables on the already forming bump on my head. My friend visiting from New Hampshire snapped a photo of my care.