so the World Cup has started....

[ratcreature]

...and it's incredible how much of the street noise is gone because everybody is watching football. Also this afternoon public transportation was insane, and it's not even as if the opening match was here. I've never seen so many people wearing jerseys, colors, and even ridiculous hats and carrying flags around. And on my way home, when the game

Comments

[brown_betty]

I feel for you. I'm in Edmonton duringy the Stanley cup playoffs. It's probably not on the same scale, but it's rather mad.

[ratcreature]

The bad thing is that it goes on for a *month* (I actually have no idea how long those playoffs you mention take, so that could be equally bad). Also the security is crazy. Like somewhat unfortunately the US team is staying in a hotel right in my city, because they apparently wanted to have the benefits of being in a large city rather than being tucked away in the countryside for security reasons like they were for example for the World Cup in France, IIRC

[brown_betty]

Oh, how awful! Driving small businesses out of business is just not kosher.

Yes, the playoffs here could be over in as little as two more games, so six days.

[ratcreature]

I don't think they care about that. They don't let the locals around the hotel park near their homes anymore either and didn't coordinate with the people. Like I've read this interview with this guy and his pregnant wife about to give birth soon (the obvious interview partner choice for sympathy *g*), and he complained that now he couldn't take her with their car, since everything is blocked for security reasons. And in the neighborhood where the US team trains there's a ton of complaints that now helicopters are patrolling overhead constantly, making lots of noise. These things don't endear the team to the public...