Jun 14 2010
Jonah and the Stanley Cup
OK, not quite. But we gave it a good try.
Yes, Jonah and I went downtown to witness history. The Tribune said there was a crowd of about two million down there to see the Stanley Cup, and we were included in the number. It was really humid and over 90 degrees, so it was a little sticky, but I’m glad we went, even though we basically saw nothing.
We actually got there reasonably early, like at 9:30am. They were not due to be by where we were standing (at the corner of Michigan and South Water) untill about 11 or 11:30am, but I knew it was going to be tough to stand in one place for over two hours with a three-year-old. Also, the crowd was not, shall we say, family friendly. Lots of drinking and smoking going on, plus of course people insist on moving around, so people were constantly pushing into us. Did I mention it was hot? After awhile, I knew our position was untenable, so I backed us out to where we had some breathing room (literally). I knew it would decrease our chances of seeing anything, but for safety’s sake, it was the smart move. Had I been by myself, I would have gladly pushed ahead, personal safety be damned, but these are the sacrifices you make as a father.
Here’s a short video I shot about an hour before the Hawks came through:
Before the parade from Chris Diehl on Vimeo.
At about 11:15am, the crowd really started to get loud. By this point we had been pushed back to entrance of the Hard Rock Hotel, so we were pretty far from the edge of the street where we would have had a view of the parade. I was able to see a couple of the Hawks on the doubledecker buses, but with people putting kids and their girlfriends on their shoulders, plus the general clamor, I’m surprised I even saw that. Didn’t get even a glimpse of the Cup.
Below is a video of the Hawks coming by. Just so you know, the video is terrible. You can barely see anything, plus I think the strap to the camera got in front of the lens. But I had Jonah on my shoulders, who was simultaneously choking me and trying to get down, so in a way, I’m lucky I even got the crappy footage you see here. What’s important is that we were there!
Untitled from Chris Diehl on Vimeo.
Still can’t believe the Blackhawks are Stanley Cup champions. Now if only we could attend the Cubs parade…
