The best thing I can compare Burning Man to at this point is the virtual reality world Second Life, except for the fact that one is real and the other is not - which is also debatable. In both settings, just about all of the content is created by the members of the community rather than a centralized provider. In Second Life, only your imagination is the limit of what you can build using the 3D graphic tools provided by the program whereas Burning Man participants are similarly encouraged to express themselves through costumes, camps, mutant vehicles, and other works of art.

Getting Around

At Burning Man, one cannot drive vehicles unless they are approved as mutant vehicles. That is, they must add to the artistic environment and must not exceed 5 mph (to minimize dust). Other modes of transportation aside from walking that are allowed include bikes, scooters, and other things that you may not think of, like surf boards (I did sight one). Mutant vehicles and other modes of transportation will be covered in more detail in another post.

Land Distribution

In Second Life, densely populated areas are separated by vast expanses of unsettled land. A similar situation exists in Burning Man when you compare the camp area to the deep playa. When walking amongst the camps, you can discover one after another after another in quick succession. Anything from dance clubs to lounge areas to showers to drinks to chips and salsa to sunscreen massages to advice stands and many many many more . . . whatever the imagination can conjure you will likely find at a camp. In the deep playa, anything that the imagination can produce is probably there. The deep playa will be covered in more detail in another post.

Things to Do

One gets the feeling of wandering through Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory as one journeys through the various establishments set up throughout the playa. Whatever you want is available. Whatever you need will likely be supplied. Everyone brings what they need to survive, so the kind of environment that is produced is not one of codependency but of "gifting" . . . giving simply from the overflow of creative expression and the enthusiastic desire to share what one has produced. One woman I spoke to at the sunscreen camp described it well. Having not much more to gift other than an application of sunscreen, she was very willing and eager to do it. "It all comes back to you," she said as she told me about how she lost a shoe on her way to Burning Man and managed to acquire another pair from someone at Burning Man.

There is always something to do and somewhere to go. Black Rock City is the city that never sleeps with so much bustle of activity that it puts New York City to shame. So many people are out and about at all times and open to being with other people. You can literally walk up to anything or anybody, and you will be welcomed to a friendly, unique experience; there are so many diverse types of personalities that you can find exactly the group you want to be with. There's always something happening on the schedule of activities at all hours of the day and night, and many many more not on the schedule. The nightlife will be covered in more detail in another post.

Financial Considerations

The financial aspects of both Second Life and Burning Man can challenge the boundaries of reality. In Second Life, money is used within the virtual world for anything one may pay for in their normal day to day lives. One can get a virtual job and buy virtual clothes or virtual furniture. The interesting part is that you can exchange your Second Life dollars for real money via an online currency exchange. One can actually make a living through the virtual world. Despite all the money exchange, there are still a ton of things available to do that cost absolutely nothing. In Black Rock City, all community-created activities or goods are available for free because there is no exchange of money. There's no need to pay people to do what you need them to do because people are happy to do it, and there's no need to buy things that you need because people are happy to give it. For a week, one can glimpse a utopian society without having to think about all the funding that goes on behind the scenes. It may not be the way our monetary society functions, but there are existing communities all over the United States and the world that are modeled after a similar structure. Though it's not a reality for everyone, it is not impossible.