Slab City
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Thinking of checking out Slab City but is it more than a bunch of meth heads?
Any tips or do's and don'ts?
>>1062997
Do yourself a favor and go. The longer you can stay, the more you will enjoy it. A one day trip there is completely wasted. I spent a little over 3 weeks there my first time and meet some of the nicest people that became my closest friends. I have been back once since and will be heading there again in the next couple weeks.
Slabs can be whatever you want to make of it. Tons of old white people use it as a place to park their RVs in the winter (snowbirds), There is also a big crust punk/train hopper scene going on there that is pretty awesome. Tons of young artist/hippy people come out in the winter time too, If that sounds like your scene be sure to check out East Jesus. Its a community within slabs that will even take in people and provide housing if you only plan on staying for like a week.
Do
-Talk to strangers. Get out into the culture as much as you can. There is a music thing/hangout deal going on every night of the week. If you can make one social friend, he will lead you to the others and you will really experience it as a whole.
-Go to the Range on Saturday night. Big music deal. easily the best way to meet people get over your fears.
-Get naked in the hot springs. Just do it, dont be that one and only guy in his underwear. Nothing weird is going to happen, just relax and have fun.
Don't
-Cross through peoples camps. Respect all boundaries, even if they are made of tires or stacked bottles. There are tweakers out there but they stay to themselves. If you walk over a well defined line of trash, dont be surprised if someone comes out to yell or question.
-Try not to look so rich or so touristy. Everybody is real nice and you wont really have a problem with thiefs or anything, but they tend to not be as personally welcoming if you roll up in like an audi.
-Dont camp right on top of another camp. There are plenty of spaces everywhere, and you are welcome to stay at any of them for as long as you want, but ask the people camping right next to you if its cool before you setup.
>>1063273
>Get naked in the hot springs
Is it a complete sausage fest?
Is it safe to say that it's just a year round burning man that's less intense? Never heard of it and I'm sort of fascinated
Wow, thanks for all the info. I'm definitely way more interested in going now. I wish I had more time available to spend there.
>>1063320
Surprisingly not a sausage fest. Surprisingly not sexual experience. I mostly go late at night so you cant really see too much unless the moon is bright. Just a bunch of voices having rad conversations as you float around this naked mucky hot spring thing.
Besides most of the ladies being like 5/10, You'll be too engulfed in the experience to be poppin boners.
>>1063329
Sort of, and winters only if your a normal dude.
Think like early days burning man, Completely free and super unrefined. There is no corporate events or entry fees, but there is also no Porta Potties or trash cans. You have to make it what you want it. The winter months are amazing, high 70s during the days, 40s at night. Everybody comes out and it becomes this beautiful thing. The summers however are like 120*f all day, everyday. All the cool art people and traveler kids move on and it becomes just a big swatters camp for people who dont fit in with the norm or dont have anywhere else to go. I'd still stop by in the summer if your crossing by, But I wouldn't roadtrip for it. Too hot, too real.
do avoid papa jimmy
dont do business with papa jimmy
I was really interested in visiting East Jesus if I got the chance, could you give any more info on that?
Do you just rock up and they put you up for a week in exchange for whatever menial tasks need doing? How could you extend your stay?
>>1063727
That is my understanding. Some friends that I met a slabs said they stayed there there first week. I believe if you are welcome to setup camp back there and fully use all their common spaces as long as you help clean up and maintain the art and what not. I am not 100% on the rules or anything but I promise that if you show up, you wont be turned away.
East Jesus has the most media coverage of all of slabs if you are into researching before you go. Even playboy did a video on the place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgW0M7YdK0 Most videos cover too much of the ownership of the land. People get real held up on that because its so hard to believe, but once you are there, none of that shit matters.
My biggest shock in Slabs wasnt the dirt or people, but the extreme free time. You can literally do whatever the fuck you want, all day long. There is also no standard of art, no good from bad, You just make whatever you want to and have fun doing it. Pretty freeing.
>>1063767
you just described what burning man used to be. slab city captures much more of the de-commodification aspect imo
>>1063767
Colour me fascinated, I'll definitely pop round next time I'm stateside.
How self-sufficient is it? Like if you stayed there long-term would you need savings to buy food from some nearby town or do they grow enough?
Sounds like a year round mini rainbow gathering. Might make it out there this week, think I could do it on just a couple hundred bucks?
I've never been to Slab City itself, but I'm pretty familiar with the Salton Sea area.
Thing about people around there is that many of them moved out there because they don't want to deal with city/suburban culture nor the people from there. They go out there to be left alone.
I'm sure that many of them will be friendly and will show you hospitality, especially considering that like many artist communities they are dependent on visitors. But do know that there will be people who want nothing to do with normies. Also there is a good amount of tweakers and tweakers by nature don't like what they aren't familiar with, especially people.
>>1064790
They don't grow food there.
Some people have savings or a pension. They buy a lot of rice and oats, and will serve a communal meal for free.
You could stay there long term and not have to pay for food, but you would be expected to be doing something.
>>1063273
I drive a bmw but I like to pretend to be poor. Is there a place I could just park it far away then walk in my stuff so people don't hate me? Or is my car definitely at risk of getting scratched up/broken into?
>>1066091
>You could stay there long term and not have to pay for food, but you would be expected to be doing something
Exactly what I wanted to hear, I'd like to stay longer than a week when I go but I'd feel bad if I felt like I was mooching.
