Chicago Road Trip - College Ball

I wasn't being obscure here (sorry Cousin John!) - I really did go to Chicago for the Labour Day long weekend. I would not ever want to drive any further for a weekend away - with petrol stops and rush hour delays, the trip was ten hours each way. My only option was to leave Toronto at rush hour on Friday afternoon, which accounted for at least an extra hour on the road. Once we crossed the border, the many miracles of confection available at American gas stations made the journey more bearable for me: Krispy Kreme donut holes! Swedish Fish! Chocolate-covered Nutter Butters! Orbit gum! Spicy chili Doritos! Chocolate-covered macadamias! Wow.

First thing on Saturday morning, we were presented with the opportunity to attend a college Big Ten football game, Northwestern versus Syracuse. We accepted the invitation - why not? First things first, we made a(n apparently necessary) trip to Mustard's Last Stand for a college ball breakfast.





We walked into Ryan Field and I was struck by how intimate the stadium is. The players on the field seemed so close!





I was overwhelmed with the energy and the American-ness of the college football experience. Of course, I was also transfixed by the cheerleaders.



I guess what most impressed me was how the spectators were so into the action. Do alumnae of Canadian universities have such passion for their old schools?