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Another really special experience is seeing sports in the U.S.; particularly in New York it is an integral part of many people’s vacation.
Watching sports in the US: basketball
In general it is always meritorious because of the much more serene and joyful atmosphere than we have. I was particularly lucky because the 2 sporting events I attended, in my own small way I can consider them memorable.
From New York I took a bus to Boston in the early afternoon. I passed by the snowy downtown I remembered well and then went to the beautiful arena for the NBA game. I enjoyed every moment of that atmosphere of joy and fun so different from the way sporting events are in Italy.
I would have already been fulfilled for that, but I also enjoyed a terrific game.
Houston got to plus 26, which in basketball is an enormity, it seemed over. Instead, slowly the hosts came back. In the final James Harden, one of the strongest players of all time, made 2 consecutive and identical resounding foolishnesses that if one of my kids makes them I’ll eat him alive. The final was 99-98 for Boston, probably the game of the year.
Seeing sports in the US: football
For the last day, I found tickets to go watch football, a sport that never interested me but that I wanted to see live once in my life.
Included with the ticket was transportation by train from central New York, passing under the Hudson River, to New Jersey, which is another state but where the New York team plays.
Lots of snow and lots of white even in the city can be beautiful, but if you stay warm or move around; quite different if you have to sit still and outdoors, even more so sitting on any frozen seats. For U.S. Americans, going to a sporting event is mostly a way to get together. Underneath the stadium stands is a succession of stores, bars, and restaurants; I soon discovered that there were far more people there than in the stands.
I had seen what would later be the only goal of the race, the hot chocolate had long since run out all over the stadium. I had made my rounds of gadget stores, and like many others I decided that I had gotten cold enough already, so I went out to get more comfortably to the airport. The first train back, although the game was far from over, arrived shortly thereafter, just enough to freeze further. As the train doors opened and dozens of people entered the warmth at once, a chorus of satisfied grumbles of pure pleasure rose. A guy next to me exclaimed Ahhhh, better than having sex.
New Year’s Eve by plane
The goal of seeing sports in the U.S. could be said to have been achieved even with half a game. Leaving early was also convenient for me because I would have to return to New York, pick up my luggage in the depot, and get to the airport on the other side of town.
My stroke of midnight would be flying over the Atlantic. I had imagined some kind of celebration or even a countdown by the crew, even wondering what time zone they would consider.
None of that. It was, quite rightly, an airplane loaded with people who didn’t give a fig about New Year’s Eve starting with my seat neighbor, who not only didn’t give me a kiss, but didn’t even deign to give me a look or a hello. After all, I had chosen that very flight to save a little something, and probably the same was true for the other passengers
Jan. 1 at the coffee shop, Holland
I had a stopover in Amsterdam, where I had already been twice, once visiting it well. I had time for a trip downtown and did not mind the idea of seeing it on the early morning of January 1. It was indeed as deserted as I had imagined, even too much so because I struggled not a little to find an open place to have breakfast.
By the time I had begun to despair, I found that it was raising its shutters just the kind of establishment I had hoped for. So I began the year with breakfast in a classic Amsterdam coffee shop.
Home travel Traveling in the USA in the winter
Previous stop New York with snow, but terrible accommodations
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Countries visited in my travel stories
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