Can't Get There From Here

Apologies for the almost complete lack of football related content in this article! 


I live in the UK, have a job, am not ridiculously rich and do not have a pilot's licence.  As such, it seems unlikely I'll be travelling to watch my NFL team play very often.  But I do intend to watch them at least once in my lifetime, and seeing as I can't guarantee they will be playing in the International Series, I would need to hop on a plane to fulfil my desire.

Misery

Travelling to sports events can be a fraught process.  Traffic jams, delayed trains, missed connections, discomfort and sky high prices are all part of going to modern sporting events.  I can lay claim to some truly horrendous experiences when travelling to and from fixtures.  Just this season, I spent 8 hours on the M25 in a failed bid to attend Gillingham first home game of the season.  An experience that still brings me out in a shiver whenever I drive round the godforsaken road.

In 2004, a friend and I decided that the best way to get to Portugal for the Euros was by Inter-railing.  We were wrong.  Sleepless nights, encounters with lunatics, bad hygiene, too much time stuck in Paris (the worlds most overrated city!) and malnutrition ensued.  Capped off by a delightful night near the Spanish border with a group of Croatian alcoholics, who rounded off an all night session with some Stella at 7am in Marseilles train station and my friend being written a love poem by a transsexual.  We spent the final night of the trip, watching a bloke abseil off the Eiffel Tower with the Olympic flame and a load of disgruntled French fans beat up some Greeks because their team had the audacity to beat France.  Although, it has to be said that Portugal was wonderful and I can highly recommend a trip to Porto, Lisbon and Braga.  Beautiful cities and fantastic stadiums.  Just don't inter-rail your way there!
Needless to say, we got the plane for the 2006 World Cup.

Therefore I don't want days of misery when I get round to watching my NFL team play live.  A nice easy flight will do me just fine.  So, for this elimination I will be looking at how quickly I can get to each of my remaining teams stadiums and getting rid of the one that takes the longest.  In the interests of fairness I will driving to the UK airport that takes me to the relevant city and getting a hire car when I arrive at the destination.  I will be travelling to watch Week 1 of the 2012 season. I am assuming that my time spent at each airport will be equal.  And I will be drinking a bottle of Rjoca while I carry out the exercise!

I do realise that in reality, I will be making my visit more of a holiday than just jumping off the plane and going straight to the game, but I'll cover off that part of the process in the next elimination.  Time to open the wine and plan my journeys...

1. Atlanta - I can get a direct flight from Manchester airport (89 Minutes away) that takes 9 hours 10 minutes.  Upon arrival it takes 15 minutes to drive to the Georgia Dome.  Total time = 10hrs 56mins


2. Buffalo - A flight from Heathrow (111 mins) to Buffalo Niagara Airport takes a whopping 10 hours 58 Minutes (including a stop), then it's 19 minutes to drive to the stadium.  Total Time = 13 hours 8 minutes.


3. Carolina - Again I can go from Manchester (89 mins) but this time it requires a change at Philly meaning the journey takes 11 hours 10 minutes plus another 14 mins by car.  Total Time = 12hrs 54mins


4. Detroit - I can fly direct from Heathrow (1hr 51 mins) to Detroit in 8hrs 25mins. Add 28 mins to get to the stadium and it's 10hrs 54mins in total.


5. Houston - Heathrow again, this time for a 10 hr flight and a 22min drive.  Total Time - 12hrs 11mins


6. Minnesota - 111 minutes to Heathrow. 9 hr flight to Minneapolis then just 17 mins of driving. Total Time -  11hrs 8mins


7. New York Jets - Direct flight from Birmingham to Newark is 7hrs 55 mins and then it's 22 mins by car.  Total Time - 8hrs 34mins


8. Philadelphia - Back to Manchester (89 mins) for a direct flight taking 7hrs 50mins followed by a mere 11 mins by car.  Total Time - 9hrs 30mins


9. Tennessee - Again it's Manchester for my flight (89 mins), this time stopping in Chicago, making it a trip of 11hours 45mins plus a 14 minute drive. Total Time - 13hrs 28mins.

Chris Johnson 2011 - the poor
man's Chris Johnson 2010

Anybody still awake?  If so you may have noticed that I'm saying goodbye to the Tennessee Titans!  It was a close run thing and only a last minute double check for London flights saved the Bills.  Perhaps another sign that Buffalo have their name on the trophy, so to speak.

Just one round after claiming their first victory, the Titans are sent packing.  Finishing 9th seems about right for them - a bit better than average but never really threatening.

Down to 8 and just Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, New York Jets, Buffalo, Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia remain.

Next up, I'll be employing my girlfriend for the 3rd and final time.  This time to pick the destination she would least like to spend a few days in....