COURTESY PHOTO: JUSTINE WALSH
At 8:00 AM, on Tuesday, February 5th, my friends and I headed down to Boston to watch the New England Patriots make their way across the city, celebrating their recent Super Bowl Championship. We arrived at the train station in Malden, Massachusetts around 10 AM. We were surrounded by hundreds of people waiting in line to buy T tickets. After waiting for a few minutes, a train station employee opened a door that led us up to the train, allowing us to get on for free. The train was crowded for most of the ride; so crowded that the closer we got to the city, the less room there was for people to get on at each stop. At the last two stops, there was no room for anyone at all to get on, leaving us to get to the parade route a little bit faster. Later that day, it was estimated that this parade drew in about 1.5 million people, many of them using the T to get into the city. Not many people seem to understand the hype of a championship parade in Boston, but what is there not to be hyped about?
This was the second championship parade I ever went to. It was all still pretty new to me, which made it even more exciting. It can be a little overwhelming at first, with all the people, and the commotion. But once I settled myself in, it was pretty awesome. I could feel the excitement in the air. There was so much going on all at once. People were running through the streets; some were playing catch with a football, others were enjoying the day with their friends. We got to see all of our favorite players go by on the duck boats, cheering along with crowd, holding the Lombardi Trophy. It was pretty amazing to be there in the moment with my friends, along with everyone else who was celebrating.
COURTESY PHOTO: JUSTINE WALSH
Even if you are not a fan of New England sports, you should still try to attend one of their championship parades if you ever get the chance. Sure, it might not be your favorite players riding down the street with the trophies, or it might not be held in the city that you root for, but, it is a good memory to make with your friends. You get to take the day off from school to roam the streets in the beautiful city of Boston, something you probably would not get to do if you went to school anywhere else. You are a part of something special by attending these championship parades. History is being made right before your very eyes! It could be something that the city of Boston never sees again, or at least, not for a while.
New England has been fortunate enough to win a handful of titles in the past few years, but, it is not always guaranteed to happen. So why not go while you have the chance to?