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On The Road: New York To Wembley

x3widRacin

By x3widRacin
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x3widRacin

x3widRacin

Posted
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Well, after a week of mixed emotions about not attending the game on Saturday, I have a flight booked and a ticket promised on the day.

One of the largest financial investments of my life will begin in about 4 hours as I hop on a bus en route to New York arriving at 6:30 Tomorrow evening.

After an early nights sleep, I will board my Air Canada flight to London Heathrow via New York & Toronto, Canada arriving in London at 9:15 Thursday night local time. A little early but better than being delayed and getting there a little late.

I will have to find something to do the week after the match as the return flight does not leave until Wednesday morning, but I'm sure I will be able to find something!

I already have lodging arranged in London Thursday-Saturday but I'd love to get to Bristol as well Sunday/Monday. I don't have time to work out the particulars of my travel right now because I still have to pack and get to the bus depot, but I will be online tomorrow night before my flight.

Needless to say this has been the single most hectic 12 hours of recent memory. The bus depot still haven't gotten my ticket details right but hopefully that will sort itself out when I arrive.

If you can think of anything I might need to have with me (or something I might NOT need to have with me!) Or if you're leaving for Bristol late Saturday or early Sunday and have room for a passenger (I'm assuming I can take a train or something back to London at some point to catch my flight) Basically if you've got something that can help me out please send me a PM and I will read it as I get internet access. I've already spent way too much for a student so I'm looking for all the help I can get once I get there.

I will be opening a proper thank you thread for everyone that has helped me put this trip together once I get back or after the match!!! No time right now!!!

Thanks everyone, SEE YOU AT WEMBLEY!!!!!

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lukejones2

lukejones2

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I am landing from Chicago at 10am on the Saturday morning - flight leaves here at 7 on Friday night so I'm just hoping for no delays!!

If you want a lift back to Bristol after the game, my Dad will be driving me back in his van and you are more than welcome, just PM me.

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chowie

chowie

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Well, after a week of mixed emotions about not attending the game on Saturday, I have a flight booked and a ticket promised on the day.

One of the largest financial investments of my life will begin in about 4 hours as I hop on a bus en route to New York arriving at 6:30 Tomorrow evening.

After an early nights sleep, I will board my Air Canada flight to London Heathrow via New York & Toronto, Canada arriving in London at 9:15 Thursday night local time. A little early but better than being delayed and getting there a little late.

I will have to find something to do the week after the match as the return flight does not leave until Wednesday morning, but I'm sure I will be able to find something!

I already have lodging arranged in London Thursday-Saturday but I'd love to get to Bristol as well Sunday/Monday. I don't have time to work out the particulars of my travel right now because I still have to pack and get to the bus depot, but I will be online tomorrow night before my flight.

Needless to say this has been the single most hectic 12 hours of recent memory. The bus depot still haven't gotten my ticket details right but hopefully that will sort itself out when I arrive.

If you can think of anything I might need to have with me (or something I might NOT need to have with me!) Or if you're leaving for Bristol late Saturday or early Sunday and have room for a passenger (I'm assuming I can take a train or something back to London at some point to catch my flight) Basically if you've got something that can help me out please send me a PM and I will read it as I get internet access. I've already spent way too much for a student so I'm looking for all the help I can get once I get there.

I will be opening a proper thank you thread for everyone that has helped me put this trip together once I get back or after the match!!! No time right now!!!

Thanks everyone, SEE YOU AT WEMBLEY!!!!!

You should have stayed Wednesday night for another game at wembley, England v USA.... no but well done on sorting this trip, wish I was coming with you.

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x3widRacin

x3widRacin

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You should have stayed Wednesday night for another game at wembley, England v USA.... no but well done on sorting this trip, wish I was coming with you.

Didn't even think of it, Didn't even think of it. Don't really care enough about the US National team to put down another $230 though :)

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Guest DanC

Guest DanC

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If your in England till Wednesday you might be able to take in the victory parade around Bristol if we win!

Depends when it would be obviously - I have no idea myself. Might be the next day or during the week I guess

Have fun mate!

Rovers played there final on the Saturday last year like we will be doing and had there victory parade on the Monday. I'm guessing it would most likely be the same for us if we win.
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BS3_RED

BS3_RED

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Well, after a week of mixed emotions about not attending the game on Saturday, I have a flight booked and a ticket promised on the day.

One of the largest financial investments of my life will begin in about 4 hours as I hop on a bus en route to New York arriving at 6:30 Tomorrow evening.

After an early nights sleep, I will board my Air Canada flight to London Heathrow via New York & Toronto, Canada arriving in London at 9:15 Thursday night local time. A little early but better than being delayed and getting there a little late.

I will have to find something to do the week after the match as the return flight does not leave until Wednesday morning, but I'm sure I will be able to find something!

I already have lodging arranged in London Thursday-Saturday but I'd love to get to Bristol as well Sunday/Monday. I don't have time to work out the particulars of my travel right now because I still have to pack and get to the bus depot, but I will be online tomorrow night before my flight.

Needless to say this has been the single most hectic 12 hours of recent memory. The bus depot still haven't gotten my ticket details right but hopefully that will sort itself out when I arrive.

If you can think of anything I might need to have with me (or something I might NOT need to have with me!) Or if you're leaving for Bristol late Saturday or early Sunday and have room for a passenger (I'm assuming I can take a train or something back to London at some point to catch my flight) Basically if you've got something that can help me out please send me a PM and I will read it as I get internet access. I've already spent way too much for a student so I'm looking for all the help I can get once I get there.

I will be opening a proper thank you thread for everyone that has helped me put this trip together once I get back or after the match!!! No time right now!!!

Thanks everyone, SEE YOU AT WEMBLEY!!!!!

Safe trip and don't worry, i will have your ticket with me on Saturday.

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brady bunch

brady bunch

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Hi Gary,

Great news, this post answers my question on arrival time. I will collect you from Heathrow, will meet you in arrivals, I will wear my city top so you can recognize me!!

See You thursday evening, god willing - have a safe trip.

BS3 - how you getting to the ground? if you can get to Twyford station (one stop up from Reading) by 11.00, its probable that we will have a spare sit in our "transport" up to Wembley.

Regards

Tim.

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City Ben

City Ben

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I was working in New York in January and flew back for the weekend to see the Palace away game (Carle's debut if I remember correctly), when we were "bullied off the pitch". Of course, my girlfriend thought I was coming back to see her!

Good on you mate - very strong commitment. Just watch out for the jet lag - you don't want to have just fallen asleep as Trundle cracks the winner in the 90th minute!

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One Team In Keynsham

One Team In Keynsham

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Well, after a week of mixed emotions about not attending the game on Saturday, I have a flight booked and a ticket promised on the day.

One of the largest financial investments of my life will begin in about 4 hours as I hop on a bus en route to New York arriving at 6:30 Tomorrow evening.

After an early nights sleep, I will board my Air Canada flight to London Heathrow via New York & Toronto, Canada arriving in London at 9:15 Thursday night local time. A little early but better than being delayed and getting there a little late.

I will have to find something to do the week after the match as the return flight does not leave until Wednesday morning, but I'm sure I will be able to find something!

I already have lodging arranged in London Thursday-Saturday but I'd love to get to Bristol as well Sunday/Monday. I don't have time to work out the particulars of my travel right now because I still have to pack and get to the bus depot, but I will be online tomorrow night before my flight.

Needless to say this has been the single most hectic 12 hours of recent memory. The bus depot still haven't gotten my ticket details right but hopefully that will sort itself out when I arrive.

If you can think of anything I might need to have with me (or something I might NOT need to have with me!) Or if you're leaving for Bristol late Saturday or early Sunday and have room for a passenger (I'm assuming I can take a train or something back to London at some point to catch my flight) Basically if you've got something that can help me out please send me a PM and I will read it as I get internet access. I've already spent way too much for a student so I'm looking for all the help I can get once I get there.

I will be opening a proper thank you thread for everyone that has helped me put this trip together once I get back or after the match!!! No time right now!!!

Thanks everyone, SEE YOU AT WEMBLEY!!!!!

Totally understand the mentality of this sort of trip, since I have been doing it on and off for a few years now.

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BS3_RED

BS3_RED

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Hi Gary, Great news, this post answers my question on arrival time. I will collect you from Heathrow, will meet you in arrivals, I will wear my city top so you can recognize me!! See You thursday evening, god willing - have a safe trip. BS3 - how you getting to the ground? if you can get to Twyford station (one stop up from Reading) by 11.00, its probable that we will have a spare sit in our "transport" up to Wembley. Regards Tim.
I'm ok for getting to Wembley. Will be getting into London at about ten. What we need to sort out though, is meeting up so Gary can get his ticket. I'll PM you later.
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BS3_RED

BS3_RED

Posted
Posted
Hi Gary,

Great news, this post answers my question on arrival time. I will collect you from Heathrow, will meet you in arrivals, I will wear my city top so you can recognize me!!

See You thursday evening, god willing - have a safe trip.

BS3 - how you getting to the ground? if you can get to Twyford station (one stop up from Reading) by 11.00, its probable that we will have a spare sit in our "transport" up to Wembley.

Regards

Tim.

Check your inbox.

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x3widRacin

x3widRacin

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I was working in New York in January and flew back for the weekend to see the Palace away game (Carle's debut if I remember correctly), when we were "bullied off the pitch". Of course, my girlfriend thought I was coming back to see her!

Good on you mate - very strong commitment. Just watch out for the jet lag - you don't want to have just fallen asleep as Trundle cracks the winner in the 90th minute!

Good thing I'll be arriving Thursday night then I suppose. What a 24 hours it has been! I've just gotten to New York after a 17 hour coach ride turned into a 21 hour coach ride. I've passed the time by writing up a brief summary of the trip so far! Hope you enjoy the read :) I'll be leaving in a just a couple of hours for the airport.

My New York to Wembley journey actually started not in New York, but in Maryland just outside the capital of the USA, Washington, D.C.. In Maryland to do research for my masters thesis, I was kitted with my 2005-06 home jersey glued to the little 3"x3" setanta sports broadband window on my laptop. I couldn't believe Palace got a goal in the same flukey way we just missed getting one earlier in the match, and I had a feeling justice would be served on the weak penalty call late in the match. Sure enough, we had a stunning performance in extra-time to take us to the final at Wembley.

From the second we re-took the lead I was planning in the back of my mind what I had to do to make the trip possible, but I dared not do anything until the final whistle had blown! From that moment on it became a waiting game. When would tickets become available? How long would airline fares stay within my price range? Sunday morning at 4am local time, after airline prices had more than doubled in the days since the semi-final ended, I logged on like thousands of other Bristol City fans to take my chance at the ticketmaster lottery. Looking just for a single ticket I was actually able to get through with a pretty decent offer, a ticket in section 125 but the 2 minute time limit imposed by the ticketing agency was not even enough time for me to look up the location of the seats at wembleystadium.com; no less complete the purchase of the tickets and try to submit a Name-Your-Own-Price proposal and hope for the best. When I clicked to proceed with the ticket I had been offered I was informed that my session had timed out, and after 8 minutes of waiting to process my second request I got the same message that so many other fans experienced, Sold Out! The end of my wembley dream, or so it seemed.

While sharing status updates with fellow 'exile' BCFC Seattle two days later, a discussion on airline fares uncovered an unexpected opportunity. Seemingly due to having an excess of unfilled seats with only a few days left before the flight, Air Canada was offering reduced price travel to London via New York and Toronto. Unfortunately, that was just the first piece in the puzzle. I still needed a ticket to the match AND a way to travel 800 miles from my University back to New York's Laguardia Airport. I woke up Tuesday morning without a Ticket for Game, Plane or Travel knowing that in order to make this happen I had to have all 3 by the end of the day.

After some negotiations with the Greyhound bus company I had the first piece of the puzzle, A way to get to New York in time for the flight with about 7 hours to spare between arriving in New York and checking in at the terminal. As if it was always the plan, BS3 had a ticket waiting for me in my inbox! With 2 of the 3 pieces now in place, I bit the biggest bullet and booked my flight! The impossible journey was set to begin just a few hours later at 12:40am EST on Wednesday.

With the skies overcast and thunder off in the distance my bus finally arrived just before 3 am. It didn't go far however, just under 3 hours into a 17 hour ride I was playing the waiting game once again in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. By the time a new bus arrived my estimated arrival in New York had been pushed from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM, cutting 4 hours off my 'buffer' of being able to make it to New York in time for the flight! Eating and Sleeping were put on the backburner as the sole priority became making sure you were the first one in line to get a seat on the next bus towards New York. During this leg of the journey I also checked my PM's at the OTIB forum the old fashion way, calling someone up and having them log in for me! I had 5 PM's waiting for me with things I needed to reply to so it was a good thing I was able to do that. There was not going to be any direct internet access for me until well past midnight GMT!

It wasn't until crossing back through the region that this journey truly began one week ago that things started looking up again. After passing by the Pentagon and the Washington Monument we reached the bus station in Washington D.C.. The driver, likely aware of the troubles we had been through already, informed us that we could get off his bus and transfer to an express bus that goes directly from D.C. to New York every hour. We arrived at 3:30 PM and of course, my luggage was one of the last 3 to be removed so that I could spring over to Gate 1 and catch the Express. Thankfully, the bus did not fill and for the first time in the trip I gained an hour back, now scheduled to reach New York around 9 PM local time. I opened up a bag of chips and had 'breakfast', quite a few hours late.

Knowing that I was finally on a bus that was going directly to New York I even managed to get about an hours worth of sleep. I had a slice of pizza when I arrived in Manhattan then got on the train to relax for about half an hour on the couch checking e-mails and PM's (Right now!) before getting prepared to go to the airport (In a few minutes!)

And believe me, I've only touched on the most general aspects of the trip so far, there have been so many little side stories it has been incredible! Can't wait for Wembley!!!!! See you all soon!

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x3widRacin

x3widRacin

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Can't wait for the next installment!

When's the Book coming out..........? :worship2:

If I wrote about all the little things like How I had to go back to the bus depot 3 times on Tuesday to get my ticket time corrected (The guy at one point gave me a ticket for a bus that was leaving at 7:45... at 7:25 when I wasn't even packed yet and a few miles from my apartment!!!) - Or how one bus was two hours late, the bus driver worked real hard to get us to our next connection on time, pulled in to the bus stop with a minute to spare and we were all thrilled... and the connecting bus was full so we had to wait anyway!... then I would have more than enough for a book. I just touched on the more general aspects :)

I guess installment #2 will be the flight. Hopefully I'll get to sleep a bit on that so it might not be quite so long :P Leaving within the hour got my 02/03 season top on. I'm already feeling like I didn't bring enough city shirts with me (I didn't want to bring them all so I just took the red ones that weren't in the wash :D) but If anyone knows of someone or a place locally that sells older seasons kits or even this seasons kit ( I see them on ebay sometimes ) I'm looking for anything I can buy without having to pay shipping on it because thats a killer :)

On my way to Wembley!!!!!

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howey_ducky

howey_ducky

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If I wrote about all the little things like How I had to go back to the bus depot 3 times on Tuesday to get my ticket time corrected (The guy at one point gave me a ticket for a bus that was leaving at 7:45... at 7:25 when I wasn't even packed yet and a few miles from my apartment!!!) - Or how one bus was two hours late, the bus driver worked real hard to get us to our next connection on time, pulled in to the bus stop with a minute to spare and we were all thrilled... and the connecting bus was full so we had to wait anyway!... then I would have more than enough for a book. I just touched on the more general aspects :)

I guess installment #2 will be the flight. Hopefully I'll get to sleep a bit on that so it might not be quite so long :P Leaving within the hour got my 02/03 season top on. I'm already feeling like I didn't bring enough city shirts with me (I didn't want to bring them all so I just took the red ones that weren't in the wash :D) but If anyone knows of someone or a place locally that sells older seasons kits or even this seasons kit ( I see them on ebay sometimes ) I'm looking for anything I can buy without having to pay shipping on it because thats a killer :)

On my way to Wembley!!!!!

if the lads on the pitch saturday put in a tenth of the effort you have this week mate, we'll be in the Premier League by 5.45.

good luck with the rest of the trip!

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dazza247

dazza247

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This is great news. X3widRacin has been in the forum for years!! Pleased you're finally getting to see City play. Is it the first time in the flesh? My journey from Moscow seems like a doddle compared to the effort you're going to!!!! Imagine the local media will try to get in touch with you if you haven't spoken to you already! Hope you have a great trip with a Bristol City win to take back with your efforts!!!

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RedM

RedM

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So glad you are able to come over, I was gutted for you when at first you were and then weren't. Sounds like you are making a huge effort and financial sacrifice for a team that you have never yet seen. Yes you are a TRUE City Fan and it goes without saying that I hope they can reward you with what you deserve, along with the rest of us!

It seems that so many people are helping you, complete strangers. We football fans often have a bad reputation because of a few idiots, but at times like this it's really fantastic to see everyone helping eachother.

Always Believe! If I've learnt anything at all this season it's to never give up, there is always a chance.

Safe journey to you and all who are traveling home and abroad.

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x3widRacin

x3widRacin

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Yes RedM, there is no way this trip would be possible without the help of fellow City supporters that I've never met before. I'll start meeting you all soon though! Sitting in Toronto's Airport right now after arriving from New York. Boarding for the Toronto to London flight starts any minute now.

As for the book, not much of a chapter to add after this mornings flight. It went something like this:

Arrive at Laguardia, board the plane, take off, sleep, approach Toronto, Oooh Look a really tall spire like building, sleep, land and now here I am. I'm hoping the next flight goes just as smoothly :) I've got my vintage Robin-Logo scarf on we'll see if theres any other City fans on the flight :)

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lukejones2

lukejones2

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Cracking story X3 - makes my direct O Hare to Heathrow flight seem like nothing ;) Will drop you a PM with a phone number as it would be good to get a beer before the game.

Oh by the way, you never had chips for brekkie - they were crisps ;)

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