City that never sleeps

Late last night i was a part of the 70+ thousand that flocked to the hallowed turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a classic clash between the Swans and the Hawks which ended in a close battle 10 point margin win to the Hawks on home soil. 

Sorry ill end my unoriginal sports editorial domineer and tell you why i wanted to share this seemingly normal and much loved event with you. 

Going to a AFL match is one of my most loved and prized memories going back as far as i can remember. Rugging up in too many layers that you begin to fall into the michelin man category of fashion statements, sitting in the nose bleed section (for those of you unfamiliar it is the upper most level of the ground where you become one with the circling birds looking for a chip that the annoying toddler 4 seats, 2 rows done has dropped), cheering till you are sore in the throat and the final siren signals the long march back to the car.

While on the long march to the car with my dad and brother i realised that no matter wether my team won or lost i could never remember the details of the game, and thats not from lack of trying. I remember the car ride into the city of Melbourne, 45-60 min drive from where i live, the jokes and the games that may have ensued along the way, the trouble finding a car park and either myself or my brother running down to find the parking sign to determine if the search was over, the walk to the ground where fellow support give the friendly nod of approval that tonight would be a good one, as if you needed it really when the car ride was that interesting, the frantic rush to find the best general admittance seating in the same vacinity as your teams cheer squad but away from the annoying pack of young adults who won't remember how they even got to the game the next day. Ive traveled and i plan on travelling more but I've never experienced anything like the roar of the mcg crowd. Period.

But my love of the game extends further then just the rules and the sculptured men in tiny shorts running around, it pours out into the city i love, Melbourne. Last night there was a man/women dressed in a Mario costume playing a ukulele for a few coins outside the train station, the pubs/clubs were overflowing and the music and glow of their enticing signs made each street we navigated to the car a little more interested, the pizza place on the corner with the graffiti art you could smell blocks away and the sense that the night was just beginning consumed me. I wanted to explore.. but i also wanted bed and to make jokes with my brother in the car ride home.
So as the city lights faded in the rear view mirror, i will always attend a Swans match in Melbourne, but more so, i will always discover something exciting in my city.

Proudly Melbourne.

GR xx