# Fun Things To Do In Public **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 27, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249 "2001-08-27T00:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/1 "2001-08-27T00:03:39Z")
I’m bored. Can anybody tell me something fun and amusing to do in public, just to make people wonder? ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/2 "2001-08-27T00:10:51Z")
Walk down the sidewalk then suddenly do a half spin so your backwards then moonwalk for 10 feet or so then half spin again and continue walking normally. Repeat every 30 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![sdarr2002](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@sdarr2002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdarr2002)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/3 "2001-08-27T00:19:14Z")
when we were in college, my brother and i used to go downtown, look up at a tall building. the brain- (in a loud voice) think he’ll jump? me- (also in a loud voice) i don’t know, hope so. we could get a bunch of people looking up, and once the cops showed up. find a guy with a beard, and pretend you think he is jerry garcia back from the dead. follow him around, begging for his autograph. this happened to the brain once, guy followed him for 40 min. finaly, bro. signed something for him and he went away. i suppose you could pretend they were any celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/4 "2001-08-27T00:20:31Z")
As you walk towards someone, let your conversation get more and more animated. Right as they walk past, point and say “Like that guy!” Just be careful when you pick your targets. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/5 "2001-08-27T00:21:40Z")
Borrowed from another thread… > [@](#): > > \*\*Lest we forget, > **Mopery** is the act of exposing oneself to a blind person. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/6 "2001-08-27T00:48:14Z")
My friends and I play the Yak Game, in which we carry on a completely meaningless but innuendo-filled conversation about our plans and acquaintances. The game gets its name from one of the most vital elements of the conversation, the yak, which is usually rented. Observe: “I hope you paid the bill for the last yak we rented? I mean, they threw in the blue unscented shaving cream for free.” “Bill? But I paid the guy when I returned the yak!” “Umm then why is he still sending us bills? You _did_ return it to the right place, didn’t you?” “Yeah, you know, the little Belgian guy with no arms.” “Belgian! We got that yak from a Venezuelan!” And so on. Having been die-hard drama dorks, my friends and I maintain totally straight faces when discussing Ted, who is now Tiffany, the fingernail marks and ketchup stains in the Twister board, and what exactly happened to the cat. Then again, we also wandered around Melrose on a quest for King Arthur and got some very good leads. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/7 "2001-08-27T02:07:02Z")
When I was in my teens, I used to like to put red food-colouring in my eyes, then sit in a local all-night eatery, consuming coffee, and twitching. It made the waitress nervous, and kept me off the streets. I feel much better now. Many years ago, I used to participate in organized headtrips with groups of nerds from a local BBS. (Remember BBS’s?) A favourite exercise was to confuse bus riders. We’d decide on the “odd thing”, once, we had a stack of newspapers (both the Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Province) from the same day 7 years previously, when the Queen had proclaimed Canada’s new constitution. Yippee. We all got on the bus at the beginning of the run, and got off at various stops along the way. Then we’d get on the next bus, pretend not to know each other, and begin to catch up on the news. Other times, we’d all carry umbrellas when there was no chance of rain, or be reading (different) books about weird things. Once, we all brought books by and about Wilhelm Reich, another time, books about Carl Jung, and a couple of people had cheesy Police shirts-- From the _Synchronicity_ tour. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/8 "2001-08-27T02:11:13Z")
One boring afternoon in a mall, me and a friend started having some fun. We took turns walking down a crowded path, right in the middle of which we “accidently” stumbled into a somersault, then stood up and kept walking like nothing happened… ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/9 "2001-08-27T02:13:27Z")
This only works if your back is to the people you’re trying to confound. If there are some puddles on the ground (in a pothole, say and the muddier/nastier the better) simply stop walking, squat down and start scooping the nasty water up to your mouth and make some slight slurping sounds, which makes it appear you’re slaking your thirst at a handy puddle. Stand up, don’t look back, and keep walking. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/10 "2001-08-27T02:35:30Z")
I should be ashamed to admit this after posting (primly) in the spoilers thread, but sometimes Mr. Del and I play the “Fake Spoilers” game. If we are in the video store, we will talk quietly about the plots of the various movies in the new releases section, only what we’re saying doesn’t make any sense. We’ll pass the row of videos for _Gladiator_ and say things like “Oh, I loved that movie. But I thought it wasn’t very sporting when they made him fight those hamsters. Great CGI hamsters, though.” Or _Traffic_, and say “Before I saw that movie, I had no idea that Silly Putty abuse was so widespread. Nor that it is so lucrative for dealers.” There’s a level of hell reserved just for us, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/11 "2001-08-27T02:39:07Z")
If there’s a person on the elevator that you’re about to board, stand RIGHT NEXT to that person. That is, so close that your sleeves are touching. Nothing like invading someone’s personal space! –or– When walking with a friend, give the “punchline to the joke” just as you’re nearing a group of people. The punchline can be anything that you want. I prefer “…no, not a sprocket. A SOCKET!” \ ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/12 "2001-08-27T02:46:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GrizzRich \* > \*\*If there’s a person on the elevator that you’re about to board, stand RIGHT NEXT to that person. That is, so close that your sleeves are touching. > > Nothing like invading someone’s personal space! > \*\* This works best on long elevator rides, but you do this, and then halfway up, you glare at them and complain that they’re not respecting your personal space. ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/13 "2001-08-27T02:51:51Z")
Did this the other day: If you live in a big city, look out for families of tourists downtown. Walk up to them and scream “WHAT UP, DOGS?” Uh, yeah, I suppose it’s funnier when you actually do it. Studi ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/14 "2001-08-27T03:01:46Z")
As long as your with a friend, just stop, start pointing to the sky and asking each other about the UFO you just witnessed. Be sure to point and argue with each other over the details. I’ve only done this once, but it took less than three minutes for someone nearby to claim they had seen it to (and they were serious). ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/15 "2001-08-27T03:23:53Z")
Oh yeah, that tourist thing reminded me … one day a couple of friends and I were walking across campus and came across a large group of tiny looking high school students obviously being given a tour of the fine school. As the group neared, my friend RH, who is a large and evil-looking lad, whipped out his pocketknife and savagely popped a bunch of balloons that had been tied nearby to welcome the wide-eyed lemmings. Maybe you had to be there, but I almost busted a nut laughing. Such things are fun to pull on prospective students and orientation-week freshmen. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/16 "2001-08-27T16:08:24Z")
A good friend of mine and I will always play a “calvin ball-esque” game of chess with the items found at a restaurant table. He will grab something on the table and move it to somewhere else on the table. I’ll grab something and move it. It keeps going and the moves get more and more rediculous (Example: Take the ketchup,turn it upside down, and set it on his plate.) Finally when one of us has had enough, we will make one final move and say out loud, “Check Mate!!!” The other guy then gives that look of defeat adding a, “Darn. I knew I shouldn’t have moved the [whatever was last moved].” ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/17 "2001-08-27T17:12:46Z")
Hold your hand to your ear and have a one-sided conversation with your shirt collar. Works even better if you’re wearing a dark suit and a tie. “Yes. He’s leaving now. Negative. Have the tactical team standing by on channel 2. Look, trust me, we don’t wanna blow this. We can’t have another Miami on our hands…” When people stare just kinda shrug and say “don’t pay any attention to me, folks. Go on about your business.” Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee… ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/18 "2001-08-27T17:51:26Z")
My friend Lenny (female) and I crack ourselves up by walking down crowded streets, appearing to be engaged in surriptious conversation and then, when passing middle-aged women, whispering loudly (occasionally in ridiculously fake accents) from the corners of our mouths “Live sex show, madam?”. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/19 "2001-08-27T18:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Dragwyr_: > > A good friend of mine and I will always play a “calvin ball-esque” game of chess with the items found at a restaurant table. Yowzah. Where’d you learn this?? I used to do this with a friend of mine back in the good ol’ college days, 'cept we called it table chess. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249/20 "2001-08-27T19:07:42Z")
I’ve never quite understood why the “Let’s mess with people’s heads!” thing was such a delightful pasttime for people. Do something useful, fer chrissakes. Go sit down and talk to a homeless person and fight out about his/her life. Pick up litter. Go to the library and read about the history of Mennonite quiltmaking in central Indiana. SOMETHING. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-things-to-do-in-public/78249.md?page=2)