Reek Week by Mitra L. '07

Wednesday
+ Intern Open House at Googleplex

Thursday
+ Freakonomics book-signing at Yahoo!

Friday
+ Non-surprise party at Half Moon Bay

Saturday
+ Gilroy Garlic Festival
+ Santa Rosa shindig

Sunday
+ Riding horses (nope, whew)
+ MIT Send-off

Here are a gazillion pictures from Gilroy Garlic Festival 2005:

The entrance is flanked by two port-a-potties. A little bird tells me that between 120,000 and 150,000 people attend each year, and that it is the largest food festival in the country. On 101S, immediately (2 seconds) after we pass the “Welcome to Gilroy” sign, we can smell the garlic. Love is in the air, and it doesn’t smell good.

A little presumptuous.

Starting out pretty tame — garlic braids.

Garlic jelly (not Jell-O, as one very disappointed visitor found out) is pretty good. Garlic chocolate — not so much.

The traditional garlic fries.

I feel really bad for the stands that were *selling* garlic ice cream — no one’s going to buy it if another stand is giving it out for free.

The happiest (and stinkiest) I’ve been in years.

Eating garlic gives you the power and strength to do things you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.

The bales of hay outlined a picture of a clove. These garlic people are just so clever.

They have a televised garlic cooking competition. You know what that means — free samples. Almost as good as Costco at lunch.

Why these people are dressed like this, I do not know.

This man (‘s hat) is quite popular among garlic paparazzi.

The Crest bus has stations for you to brush your teeth. I say, “When in Rome…”

And three from Santa Rosa:

Some creative marketing on Apple’s part.