Mifflin is a pretty surreal experience — probably more so sober than intoxicated.
This year, for the third straight year, I wandered the few blocks of Mifflin Street with cameras in hand, hoping no one spills beer on me or runs into my equipment. Also, for the third straight year I was also probably the only sober person — besides the police officers — on the street among thousands of people who were pushing, puking, stumbling, swearing, sweating and dancing around.
Mifflin is surreal because I can’t think of another situation where around 15,000 people gather and get absolutely wasted. Wading through the masses looking for photos, it’s weird knowing I’m one of only a few people who is coherent.
This year was a pretty big departure from the previous two. Twenty-one-year-olds were allowed to carry open intoxicants in the street, mainly in an effort to keep people out of the backyards. While I have no idea if this helped safety or underage drinking, I do know that it made getting photos pretty easy. I’m quite happy with most everything I got, with the photo below being my favorite.
I really love that pizza box photo. It’s like you condensed the essence of Mifflin into one photo.