Facebook Memories may be one of the best parts of the social media world. Just this last weekend, Facebook reminded me of our favorite NFL trip – New England & Buffalo. Let me start by saying, the sentence should end with “New England” because Buffalo was definitely NOT our favorite. But it did provide some interesting stories … but let’s start from the beginning.
We can never talk about this trip without mentioning the arrival into Boston. We took a straight flight from Denver, but landed around 1am, and we were exhausted. We never pack light, so Dan had to lug the 2 travel golf bags around, while I had 2 large suitcases, a backpack and of course my SUPER light purse (insert sarcastic eye roll here) We get our bags and trek through the airport to our rental car area – which is never an easy feat – and make our way outside to pick our car. I made sure to pick a larger SUV, for the bags and comfort, and walked outside to find … MINIVANS. Nothing but minivans lined the area we were supposed to choose from.
Of course, I was not pleased. I am whining and complaining to Dan, and noticing the tired, cranky, edgy mood I am in, he finds someone to help us out. I of course start to unleash on this poor guy, and a few sentences in he says “Be right back” and dashes out. I am shooting daggers at anyone I can as we stand there, patiently waiting. He comes back in a brand-new Cadillac Escalade, jumps out and says, “here take it” tosses Dan the keys and we thankfully load our luggage in. Not a bad deal, and great customer service for this very cranky passenger. We collapsed into the hotel around 2:30am, and luckily had no plans the following morning.
Thursday was the start of the NFL season! We woke up refreshed and ready to go to the New England Patriots game. It just so happened to be the start of the season after they won their fifth Lombardi trophy – so not only was it opening day, we also got to see the fifth banner get hung. The field in Foxborough is surrounded by a mall – so we headed out early, to get there, grab a bite, walk around and enjoy the area.
We enjoyed a seafood meal at one of the restaurants in the mall. Dressed in all Patriots gear, everyone thought we were part of the local crowd. The people were incredibly nice. We were surprised just how nice they really were. After our meal, we wound up at a bar close by. We sat outside and chatted with so many people – even told them we were in from Denver. They seemed surprised we were wearing Pats gear, but they rolled with it. One of the main things we also noticed, was even though there were plenty of the opposing teams fans there, they never trash talked or berated them!
We got into the stadium and prepared for the game. The stadium was super nice inside as well – but we weren’t there to tour around it, we were excited to watch the banner go up. It just so happened we were sitting right below them, so we got an up close view of the reveal of number five. The pre game ceremony included a performance from Mark Wahlberg, which did not disappoint, and the teams took the field.
We enjoyed the entire game – from the people around us, the atmosphere, the weather and the actual game (even though they lost). We left that stadium feeling so grateful for one of the best experiences.
A few days later we left Boston behind and drove eight hours into Buffalo. We had many friends who knew we were going to Buffalo and had been there before. You’d think they may have mentioned what we were about to face (they didn’t). We stayed in a really cool hotel that was an older building they renovated into the hotel. They had a “cocktail hour” upstairs and we were able to go up, enjoy some wine and got a great view of Niagara Falls. We went to the Falls that evening after dinner and before the game the following day. The falls were awesome to see and well worth the trip.
We drove into the city for the game, leaving early enough to beat traffic, find our parking area and of course get in with enough time to see what the stadium was all about. What it was about, well, was a disappointment. We were shocked at the fans, the insane amount of alcohol being consumed around us, and the lack of cleanliness. Maybe we were there for a bad day, but it was not fun. We went into the stadium early and got to watch a live band play some 80’s music, which was cool.
I’ll sum it up by saying, we left Buffalo as the 3rd quarter was starting. I was not interested any longer in staying for the game. We witnessed someone throw up in their seat in front of us, during the National Anthem! Before the game even started! I also witnessed a full grown man ram into a woman carrying 2 beers, without so much as an apology or checking to ensure she was ok.
We got to the airport 4 hours before our flight, and we were perfectly content with that. Checking New England and Buffalo off the list – and never going to Buffalo again. (Sorry to any loyal Buffalonians)
Duncan Travels 