Photo credit: rkeally
Rachel and I participated in our very first Valentine's Day Pillow Fight flash mob event last night in Justin Herman Plaza and it was definitely a genuine SF-only type experience. The Pillow Fight Club web site details rules around the event along with video from 2009. Not only were we surprised by the turnout, with people coming from all over the Bay Area but there were still people pillow fighting three hours after the event started at 6:00 PM.
Both Rachel and I decided to document the event with video and photos rather than join the masses in swinging pillows. Rachel positioned herself above the crowd, standing on stairs to shoot video from the flip cam. I roamed the crowd and grabbed a bunch of great shots. After about an hour of watching people of all ages and sobriety levels vent their possible Valentine's frustration or happiness, we decided to leave the chaos and grab dinner at La Mar Cebicheria.
What was hilarious is after spending a couple of hours eating dinner and enjoying beverages at the bar at La Mar, we made our way towards the Embarcadero Muni station and were surprised to see pillow fighters still at it. Justin Herman Plaza was littered by every type of pillow filling you can imagine and discarded pillows littered the streets and plaza like dead soldiers.
Next year - Rachel and I will come equipped with pillows, breathing masks and goggles to take part in the event.