I’m a Sesame Street kid, born and bred — the old, edgy, dark Sesame Street where Mr Snuffleupagus was a figment of Big Bird’s drug-addled imagination, Cookie Monster didn’t preach moderation, and I just knew one day I would go postal on Bert’s behalf and mow Ernie down with a plastic butter knife.

So, of course I took the opportunity today to return to my Sesame Street roots, and fnd out who the people are in my neighborhood by participating in the first ever “Crossroads Bellevue Street Scramble” — 90 minutes or 3 hours of street-strolling or bike-riding fun in the heat of Washington’s first ever “heat advisory”.

Some very important things I learned: walking is hard, Bellevue is big, and a $15 hotdog and coke (free with Street Scramble entry fee) can be the best thing you’ve ever tasted.

Now, Bellevue’s street scramble is an addition to the three usual street scrambles in Seattle, and all are preparation for the 3rd annual Night and Day Challenge in July, a 3-hour, 7-hour, or 16-hour (take your pick) extravanganza of a scavenger hunt that will have you staggering around Seattle at all hours of the night, trying to answer insane questions such as “In X park on the southwest corner, how many of the swing seats are black?”. And if you think that question sounds bad now, just wait til you read it at 2AM in the morning after having walked around for the past 10 hours.

Sound like fun? I’ll see you there.