But just as it was beginning, I was here:
But let me back up a bit. After over a year of waiting, the Winter Classic was finally here. Unfortunately, my friends were unable to join me in the experience, so I ended up selling the extra tickets to a coworker's daughters and their friend. This also meant that I had nobody to go with me to the Marlies game at Comerica Park two days before the big game. So...I went solo. Yes, this meant that I was going to venture into downtown Detroit by myself. The border guard asked me why I rented a car (I was driving a silver Toyota Corolla). I told him I drive a conspicuous car. He asked what that meant. I said essentially, the last thing I want to do by myself in Detroit is draw attention to myself.
I got to the stadium, found a decent parking spot, then went to the game. I had brought all kinds of winter gear with me for the Classic, but in my anxiety about getting to Motown and staying alive, I had failed to dress appropriately. As the game started, I lost feeling in my foot. Before the first period was over, I decided I needed to do something to save my extremities. So I went to an indoor lounge, ordered a beer, and proceeded to try and revive my limbs for the next half hour. Once I could feel everything again, I went back out and enjoyed the rest of the game. The vendors selling hot chocolate with Bailey's were very tempting, but I decided against it. The Marlies won the game in a shootout, which was good in one sense but kind of bad because I had to sit outside even longer. When I got to my hotel, the guy at the desk asked me if it was cold at the game. I told him I still can't feel my legs.
New Year's Eve was spent at an outlet mall during the day, and then in Ann Arbor in the evening. I met up with my brother and his friends and we stayed warm in a bar until midnight, when we ventured outside to see the "puck drop". They had constructed a glowing red and blue "puck", which they hoisted into the air with a crane and then slowly lowered. It was the most cheesy and fantastic thing ever. There was also no countdown whatsoever, so we guessed that when it started to flash wildly that it was now 2014. The guys went back to drinking and I went back to my hotel.
The next day was basically a test of endurance throughout. The drive from my hotel to the mall where I was going to park usually took half an hour, but in this case took me 2 hours. They had a shuttle service from the mall parking lot to the stadium, but given the crazy queue, I chose to walk the 2 miles. The lines for concessions was longer than I had ever seen in my life, so I just went to my seat. The other girls showed up a little late but one of them had a beer for me, so that was great. The beer started to freeze so I had to drink it a little faster. The snow never stopped falling, and it wasn't extremely cold but standing/sitting in one place for over 3 hours still tends to get chilly. Once again the game went to a shootout but we did win, so that was worth it. I had opted to stay to the end, which may have been a questionable move but I just couldn't bring myself to leave before it was over. When I finally got out of the stadium, I was swept out into the street which had become a sea of humanity. I walked back to the mall, cleared off the car, then drove out into the line to get to the interstate. The line moved inches in half an hour. When I realized this was not going to end soon, I had to get out of the line and go back to the mall for a bathroom break. When I came out, the rest of the crowd had caught up and the traffic situation was exponentially worse. Since I had a full tank of gas, I chose to take my chances in the line. It took me two and a half hours to get out of the mall. I have never seen gridlock like that in my life. I also eventually became a more aggressive driver than usual.
I had plenty of time to study the map while I was waiting, so I chose the "go backwards to go forwards" strategy and went to a different interstate on-ramp in the opposite direction. When I got there, there wasn't a single car. I thought, I can't be the only smart person here. But hey, what do I know? I drove past the entrance next to the mall, with the cars inching along and with me on the outside lane avoiding the merging. I got to Detroit, then inched along the Ambassador Bridge and through customs. By the time I got out Windsor, I was starting to fade. That's when I realized that, with the exception of the beer slushie, I hadn't eaten anything (wait, scratch that...while I was in the parking lot I did eat a packet of oyster crackers I had saved from my dinner the night before). I stopped at the first rest stop, which naturally was packed with other Leafs fans trying to get home. The Tim Hortons was the only thing open, so the line was epic. It took half an hour to get my sandwich. As I ate, I was in a bind. It was already 12:30 am, and I still had a long way to go. The only choice I had in order to stay alive was to stop at every rest stop and take a nap. It was also still snowing so the roads were mildly treacherous and I wouldn't be able to drive as fast as I'd like. It was going to take forever but it was the only way.
I leapfrogged my way along the highway, taking 15-20 minute naps at each stop. The fun part was when the "empty" light had turned on. I pushed it all the way to my exit, and I was able to get to a gas station to fill up. I made it back to my place, dumped all of my stuff, returned the rental car (luckily it's across the street), and walked back. By the time I got in, it was 5:00 am. I still went to work that day, only I got into the office after lunchtime. The first day back from holidays was pretty light anyway.
An adventurous start to the year, to be sure. My body has decided that it did not appreciate the abuse I heaped on it during those few days and is now retaliating with a cold, but I'm sure we can come to a truce soon. Hope your year is starting off well too.
"A hundred thousand disbelievers couldn't keep me on the ground, I've invented a momentum that'll never slow me down"
