walkin' in a winter wonderland

#24 Browns vs. Bills Blizzard Bowl (December 16th 2007)

Let me defrost the scene for you (in case you were sitting by the fireplac).

It was just about noon in Cleveland, Ohio.

I had returned from picking up the the Barretts' four season tickets in Bay Village.

The intermittent flurries that started to fall about thirty minutes ago had turned into incredibly wet snowflakes that somehow found their way onto my blinking eyelashes.
The wind began to howl and whip.

I began tossing my football into the white abyss above smack dab in the middle of Church Avenue, as I eagerly awaited for my JVC roommates to join me for our impending arctic adventure downtown. I was lovin' life.

Now, here is where the exact details start to escape me.

I believe the four of us (Veronica, Brigid, Jakey & I--all pictured) were dropped off by our gracious neighbor, Paula, at the Tower City Mall downtown along with hundreds of other brave souls.  Bundled up to our noses and as far down as our eyes could see, the four of us began our 30-minute journey towards Cleveland Browns Stadium against some of the strongest, roaring winds and blinding snow that the mouth of Lake Erie has arguably ever produced. The wind was whipping so much and without break that Brigid and I had to cling for dear life to a nearby streetlight pole in order to avoid getting swept into the street. No exagerration.

Then, all of sudden, as our view of the stadium became clearer, we received an "invitation" to be children again. This was not a problem for me :)

There is a famous ramp by the front gates of the stadium. Usually, fans walk over it within seconds. This day, however, there was a single sheet of ice and fans were either SLIDDING down the embankment on their back-sides or surfer-style screaming like little children on Christmas morning. It was highly entertaining!

Unfortunately, the game itself  was uneventful with its poor field conditions, frozen fans, and low score (the Browns actually won 8-0 on two field goals from Phil Dawson and a special teams safety). Brigid and Veronica made an unpopular decision, when they left the game at halftime (their "hot" cocoa apparently couldn't thaw them). Jake and I were able to outlast the brunt of the second half and were able to take hot showers as soon as we returned home.

I might never be this cold again. Thank you, Cleveland.