Freedom Trip - Day 5

Game Day!
We left for the game at 9am and spent the whole day in Green Bay.  Dodo was wearing the cheese head her colleagues bought her as a going away present.  She would later buy and change into a Green Bay jersey.

If you didn't know any better you might think they found an empty part of Wisconsin, built a huge football stadium and the town filled in around it.  It completely dominates the skyline, three times taller than anything else.  All the roads are named after former or current players or coaches.  By early morning the tailgating had already begun.

In the parking lot next to the stadium fans had tents, generators, music, sausages grilling....  It was impressive.

There were even buses decked out in team colors.

We had prime seats in a shaded corner of the stadium.  We were sitting next to two ladies who had the same seats for the past 35 years.  They were surprised to hear we'd driven from NY to watch the game.  They were very friendly, offering to buy us beers and high-fiving with the Dodo whenever the home team scored.

The looked like the usual rabid fans and were drinking the expected amounts of alcohol.  However, unlike most stadiums I've been in, this was a happy and pleasant crowd.  No vulgarities, no fighting, no arguments, no pushing.  I almost felt like changing my allegiance to Green Bay from the experience.

It didn't start out as the most exciting game ever - a 3-0 score at half time.  However, the home team started going in the second half and won 17-9, not giving up a touch down to Seattle. 

We enjoyed it thoroughly.

We'd parked a distance away in a residential neighborhood.  Just as we unlocked the car a woman from the house we'd parked in front of came running out.  We both thought she was going to ask us for a donation of something but she explained that she'd seen our NY license plate and simply had to know if we'd driven all the way from NY to the game.  We chatted with her for almost 15 minutes, exchanging travel stories.  The midwest is something else, a part of America that is warm and friendly.  More of us from the coasts should visit and chat with our fellow Americans.