(warning: for a few posts this will be more travel-bloggy than hockey-bloggy) so just before midnight Friday, in below-freezing weather, I boarded a Megabus in downtown Chicago, headed for Cleveland. I had time to wander around Cleveland in the early morning, looking at holiday decor, getting a few photos, stopping at Starbucks, then getting a Greyhound bus before 9, off to Pittsburgh for the big game. the Pittsburgh weather was dreary but I like downtown so much I spent my time before the game walking around getting photos. I was lured to the lights of the big tree in PPG Place and saw there was an ice rink, too. dozens of skaters were waiting as the Zamboni cleared the ice. I had my first sighting of someone else in Blackhawks clothes, a guy in a Winter Classic jersey. he and his friends noticed my shirt. his was a Ben Eager jersey, which isn't one I see that often! here's a photo of the scene, with a ridiculous border added thanks to the holiday options in Flickr's photo editing. (be warned, I'll be posting more of this this month)
I found a downtown mall that was partially open and picked up a few Pittsburgh postcards at a Hallmark store, and this soon-to-be-rare (maybe) Mellon Arena magnet:
I got a few shots of the arena itself without getting too close. on the way, a man asked if I was going to the game and knew anyone who needed an extra ticket. "Go Hawks!" he said. fan sighting #2 (I'd expected more by now). I stopped at a 7-11 to look for Tastykakes (it's a Pennsylvania thing)--hmm, which one would be the most delicious when I unearthed it from the bottom of my bag, mashed into a paste, a day or so later? (your answer below). The young-ish 7-11 clerk said, "I can't remember the last time I saw a Blackhawks jersey in here--oh, and you've got a hat, too." well, the Hawks hadn't played there in about 3 years...
I headed back to the Cultural District to kill time at a coffeeshop, then back over to the arena, assuming they'd open the doors at 6:30. I was correct. next up: the warmups! and then the game!
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