Reflections On My Journeys to New Jersey

As I have become a loyal Real Salt Lake soccer fan over the last three years I look forward with great eagerness for their yearly road match up with the New York Red Bulls. I put on an RSL t-shirt, hat, and prepare to cheer for my team. Of course the New York team plays in New Jersey so the drive from Long Island has become a bit of a pilgrimage: Long Island Expressway, Cross Island Parkway, Throgs Neck Bridge ($4) , Cross Bronx Expressway, George Washington Bridge ($8), I-95 to the Jersey Turnpike ($1), and finally the bright lights of Giants Stadium. I know I have lived here too long because I do this all without consulting a map. Mapquest tells me that it takes less than an hour (link). They clearly don't include toll lines, random construction, and typical New York traffic in their equations.

The first year I took my two oldest children to the game. We actually made a trip of it by staying in a hotel with a swimming pool for the night (a reasonable splurge since my wife was with our youngest on a trip to New Zealand). As we approached the stadium for the game a fluorescent vested employee called us, somewhat gruffly, from behind the gate. "Do you have tickets?" I explained that we didn't but would gladly purchase some before trying to pass her sacred threshold. She continued, "the kids, do they have tickets?" Sheesh, take it easy lady we'll buy tickets. At this point she finally made herself more clear and stuck out her hand with some tickets. She gave us three free seats! I missed the best goal of the game when I had to go change Harry's diaper.

Year two. No free tickets but plenty of scalpers. I tried to simplify the evening by bringing only my oldest child. She begged for ice cream, popcorn, drinks, trips to the bathroom, and cheered for the Red Bulls with a smirk on her face.

Year three comes with a bit of nostalgia. This was my last trip as we will be moving back to Utah this summer. I didn't take any children; they didn't want to do the drive. It was the most beautiful day of spring yet. The pleasant weather was most evident on the Cross Island Parkway that runs along Little Neck Bay. I had never seen the bay side walkway so packed: roller-bladers, bikers, couples holding hands, rubber-booted fishermen, and lots of families. All of this tightly nestled between the quaint shore of the bay and 6 lanes of crowded parkway. The choppy Long Island sound and its smattering of boats looked beautiful from the bridge. Of course it's followed by the dark tunnels, worn cement, and sooty masonry of the Cross Bronx. New York certainly has some wonderful spots of nature (I would put the Hudson River view from the Cloisters on the top of my list), however I often wonder if its worth all the trouble it takes to live here. I feel the same way about grapefruit; a delicious treat but enough of task to eat that I haven't had one in years. I give my blessings to both New Yorkers and consumers of grapefruit but will gladly move back to my Utah mountains and eat apples.

I finally made it to the game ($10 for parking). The Red Bulls scored in the fourth minute. Real Salt Lake lost to NY. Again. It took me three hours to get home.

I can't wait to attend multiple home games at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy for the latter half of the season. A quick trip on I-15 and no tolls. I'll have plenty of friends wearing the same shirt, it will be a soccer specific stadium, and people won't look at me funny when I cheer for an opponents red card. I do wonder though, how I'll feel next year when the team heads for New York. A Salt Lake to Newark flight is only a little over 4 hours. Grapefruit anyone?