sometimes things start to go south for no good reason, or just because and it's no one's fault. could be a turn in the weather - that happened today. could be weird sunday only construction on the subway that you need to take to get to your hotel - that happened today. could have a baseball game you have tickets to rained out - that also happened today. and so it was. by the time i got to the hotel here in washington, d.c. i was already (well nearly) spent. up early from last night's wedding action. a three hour train ride - i do like the train though. but walking in the rain for many blocks after having to get off the subway, take a bus to the next stop, then getting poor instructions to the new stop once on the subway, etc...i was looking for a way to salvage the day and not just stay in the hotel room - which is very nice i have to say...double tree inn by hilton. fancy. cheap. hotwire.com doncha know.
as i was walking to the hotel i saw a couple women in washington capitals jerseys and asked them if the caps were playing today, and yes they were, at 3 pm. hhmmm. maybe i should try and see if i could score a cheap ticket. is hockey a big draw here? i don't know. well i know now.
i took the subway over to the verizon centre where the capitals were going to be playing the boston bruins and started looking around for tickets. they had some for sale at the ticket booth, the cheapest being $125.00 and the rest around $200.00 and some much more. way more. i looked and talked to the scalpers outside and they were no better, in fact, naturally, worse.
i had a talk with the ticket booth woman and she said to wait and maybe they would release some better tickets because the $125.00 were way up and maybe some $150.00's would come up or....and then, as i waited for her sign that some new tickets had been released, a woman came up to me and asked me if i was looking for a single ticket. well yes i am. she them handed me a ticket and when i asked her how much she wanted for it she told me she wanted nothing for it. that a friend of hers couldn't make the game and wanted her to give it away. i asked her if we'd be siting together and she said not that she was not and that i wasn't to sell the ticket or cheer for the bruins. i told her yes to both and thanked her and told her that she had really done something nice and that she had saved my day in washington.
so great. three rows from the ice in the corner with the camera guys in front of me but of no bother at all...could see into all the corners, everything. great seat.
and are they, washington, into hockey. in a word, yes. very much so. but in a very aggressive american kind of a way. guys running down from rows up to pound the glass and yell at the refs. lots of well rehearsed chants and cheers. when the announcer says what time a boston goal was scored, in unison, the crowd yells, "who cares". when tim thomas had a goal scored against him they'd yell, again in unison, "that's all your fault, yes, all your fault!". and more.
it was a great time. went to overtime, boston won in the end. sad fans all around me. and then home to the hotel on the subway.
i'm really tired and will sack out soon as i have to be up mega-early to get my flight to seattle...good times.
i'm ready for my own bed.
g. xo
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