LETS GO CAPS
I am Jamaican – so what do I know about hockey. (there is a funny joke about a famous Jamaican artist who did not know what Hockey is). I have been to one hockey game the entire time I have lived in the US. A dear friend who has since passed away loved hockey and provided a moral imperative for me to experience a hockey game live, and that was a Caps game.
I wanted to go to the Capitals parade but didn’t want to go on my own. While at a friends house over the weekend – in between lemon drops and long island iced teas someone mentioned going to the Capitals parade. I am Jamaican and we are all over any excuse to have a good time. It also gave me the opportunity to break in my new leather dual camera harness.
Not being an avid fan of the sport some would call me a wagonist, which would be an appropriate description – but I am a fan of a good time.
THE COMMUTE
Living in Ashburn VA, the commute to DC is at least an hour. Making it quite the excursion. Scott and his two kids picked me up at a Starbucks near my home and we headed to DC at around 8:00 am, certain we would get slammed by traffic. With that in mind – we started to strategize on how best to avoid traffic. One idea was to bail out in Rosslyn and take the metro, as all the other sensible parade goers were advised to do. By the time we made that plan we were already almost there.
Some of our friends staked out a spot at 15th and Constitutions. This spot was perfect if you wanted to be in it, but not in it. I walked up to about 10th to see the crowds emotions. It could not have been on a more perfect day. Blue skies with a small puffy cloud, the temperature just right. You know, the kind of day where you could wear just a blazer and be comfortable.
The crowd hummed as It moved up from Constitution Ave to main stage. every now and again a horn blew three times, crowd roaring “LET’S GO CAPS!” seeming to have forgotten all of the political structures that make DC, DC. Rooting for a different red white and blue.
The parade started and it was deafening cheer, after deafening cheer. I was stationed right at the barrier and thought i would be crushed as the crowds started to press in on me but no. People seemed to respect your space.
DC has not had a Championship parade since 1992 when the Redskins beat the Bills 37-24 in the Super Bowl XXVI. So for all the wagonists out there, I say “LET’S GO CAPS!”
