Seattle Mike and the World Cup: What the City was ACTUALLY Like
Plans that fell apart. Loud crowds. Jets and USA Chants. This adventure had it all.
Ari and I sat on the train ride home making fun of each other’s yawns, exhausted after a day in the Seattle sun.
“Mission success?” Ari asked warmly.
I smiled.
-The Mission-
The adventure was inevitable. Even before the U.S. Men’s National Team bested Bosnia and Herzegovina, I knew I needed to make it to Seattle for our city’s final game of this FIFA World Cup tournament. After the U.S. victory, the mission didn’t change. But the excitement sure did.
I spend a lot of evenings at The Office Bar and Grill (sports bar) in Tacoma, just outside of Seattle. It’s a great spot to eat some dinner, drink a beer, and watch a game. I’m affectionately known there as Heineken Mike in contrast to another regular who shares my name, but not my primary beverage choice.
The crowds pouring into The Office for FIFA World Cup matches have been similar to the ones we saw during the Seahawks Super Bowl run last January. The United States, and specifically the greater Seattle area, have embraced every game of this tournament, but especially our National Team.
“I really want to get to Seattle for the game next week!” Kris told me at the bar one evening.
Kris is supportive of the big sporting events, but I wouldn’t describe her as a sports fan. She’s more of a rave, comedy show, or camping kind of soul. She’s probably not going out of her way to find a place to watch the Mariners game if there’s something more interactive she can be doing. Her interest in being around this game speaks to the impact the World Cup has had.
“Oh, I’m going.” I assured her. “I can’t get into the game - way too expensive. But I’m going for the vibes. It’s going to be nuts if we win!”
Kris and I began forming plans then and there.
Figure out who wants to go.
Take the train to Seattle.
Move around until we find somewhere fun to watch the game.
Figure out a way home (Most likely train or bus).
The days leading up to the game had their own miniadventures. I stumbled into hosting a 4th of July party with my friends.
July 5th included a lot of research into the various Seattle watch parties so we could quickly make adjustments if we have to.
I also had a couple of more friends express interest in joining the Seattle adventure for Team USA.
-Game Day, July 6th-
Figure out who wants to go
Work began at 4 a.m. for me since I knew I was taking the afternoon off for the game.
I sent a reminder text in the morning to the group chat we created.
“(Reminder) 2:10 T-Line to Tacoma Dome Station, 2:40 S-Line (Sounder) to King Street Station, 3:42 Take in Hot Dog Alley Vibes on the way to Hatback, 5:00 Game Time”
That’s when a lot of my friends dropped out for various reasons. It looked like I was about to go on a solo adventure. That’s fine. Iron Man doesn’t always need the Avengers (Though it’s always better with them).
“Fuck it.” Ari texted in the chat. “Let me get ready super quick.”
Fuck it is one of my favorite things about Ari. She’s one of those people that’s down for the adventure.
Just a few months ago she caught wind that I was on my way to Seattle for a Mariners game. She called to tell me she was a block away from the stadium and asked if we could still get her a ticket. We snatched a last minute seat right next to us, and we all had a great time. Fuck it is what life is all about. If you take nothing else from this post, say Fuck it more often.
(Not literally. People swear too much. I’m people.)
We met at the usual spot - a Tacoma bar known to most as The Forum. Known to others as the exact same.
From the moment Ari walked in, I knew she understood the assignment. Sporting a white tank top with blue stripes, she was Team USA’d up without overdoing it. We’re going. And we’re gonna be a part of this thing! Fuck it!
Take the train to Seattle
This part is for the non-Seattle area readers. A couple of years ago I changed my Internet Handles from Mike Adams Football to Real Seattle Mike. Here’s my dirty confession. I don’t actually live in Seattle.
I live in a town called Tacoma, which is considered to be a part of the greater Seattle-Metropolitan Area by people who aren’t from here. People who are from here understand that Tacoma stands on its own and is very different from Seattle.
Downtown Tacoma is about 45 minutes from Lumen Field. So for Ari and I, travelling from Tacoma to Seattle meant taking the Sounder - a double deck passenger train, on a special event schedule for the day. Ari had never taken the Sounder before.
“Upstairs or downstairs?” She asked when we got onto the train.
“Upstairs is more fun.” I said.
Moments into the train departing Tacoma Dome Station, full of Washingtonians in Team USA apparel, Ari found out what I meant. Every turn makes the upper deck feel like the beginning of riding a roller coaster. We might not reach the speed of Space Mountain, but you feel the little nudges this way or that way.
–
I couldn’t possibly count the amount of times I’ve been to downtown Seattle. I had never seen it like this!
–
As soon as we got off the train, Ari and I were greeted by a large crowd, slowly forcing their way up the stairs at the station. I’m pretty sure if I just stood still, I could have been pushed to the top. I wasn’t willing to test that theory, but I had the thought.
Once we reached the top of the stairs, the direct path to Hot Dog Alley was blocked off by Security, forcing us out the other side of the station, where our path to Lumen Field was a much longer trek.
The closer we got to Lumen Field, the more we could feel the excitement. Loud crowd noise. American flags draped around people. Red, white, and blue facepaint. Drums, megaphones, soccer balls. The only way I can describe turning onto 2nd Street, approaching Lumen Field, is Disney World.
From the moment you walk through the gates at Magic Kingdom, you’re on streets that cars aren’t driving. You’re surrounded by loud noises, music from various directions, large crowds. The space in front of Lumen Field felt similar. Heck, I was even given a free brochure - just like the front of Magic Kingdom! All we needed was a Mickey Mouse walking around. We had plenty of Goofys.
Move around until we find somewhere fun to watch the game
Looking back on it, my plan had a few obvious holes in it. The first bar I suggested was Hatback Bar and Grille, directly across from T-Mobile Park. The bar features a large outdoor section with various drink stations. Inside is Victory Hall, an open area with various televisions and one very large screen - like IMAX, but for sports. That’s the kind of place you want to be when you’re out watching sporting events. Which probably makes it less than ideal in the host city on USA Game Day.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a longer line in person, than the one from the gates leading into Hatback. The line was so long that Ari and I took multiple breaks to discuss our options before we reached the back of the unmoving line.
“Do we see where this line ends, or do we just abort?” I asked.
“I mean, I don’t think we’re getting in.” Ari said, smiling.
She was right. I probably could have saved us a little time if I didn’t say “Let’s just get to the back of the line, and then look at our options once we’re there.”
By the time we even found the back of the line, there was about half an hour until the game was going to start.
“We’re only allowing 500 more people in!” an employee of Hatback yelled to the line. “There’s 600 people in this line!”
I found the estimation funny. Can you seriously eyeball a line and go “Yeah, that’s 600 people. Not 500. Not 700. That’s 600. I know what 600 people looks like and that’s it!”
Having said that, Ari and I had a very obvious issue. According to this guy, we’re numbers 601 and 602. Even if he’s 100 off, we still weren’t getting in. My guess is it would have taken us an hour to even try.
“For an outrageous price, we can Lyft to Pier 62.” I said.
Pier 62 was one of my backup plans. I had heard about an insane watch party there for the last World Cup Games in Seattle.
It was worth a try. Anywhere we’re better than 601 and 602 would be an upgrade.
So we took the Lyft. Something Ari and I should have thought about; Instead of paying nearly $40 to take us a mile and a half in 25 minutes, just grab a Lime. Those ugly, lime green bikes and scooters thrown all over the place? Yeah - jump on one of those!
From inside of our Lyft we saw people zooming by on the two wheeled vehicles. It was fine. By Lyft’s estimate we were going to make it 15 minutes before game time.
Refresh - 13 minutes before the game.
Refresh - 9 minutes before the game.
Refresh - 7 minutes!
It reached a point where we were close enough for our driver to let us out, with minutes to spare.
As we approached Pier 62, just outside of the Seattle Aquarium, it was clear that this was the area for us. It was packed! By my eyeballs there were 5,003 people. But there were spaces we could watch from, and we’d get all the vibes we were looking for.
Basically the setup had a large screen on the end of the pier. To reach the cordoned off viewing section, there was a security checkpoint in front of a line that was just barely shorter than the one at Hatback. Probably 599 people.
Ari and I were briefly separated on the stairs as we made our way down to the pier. I didn’t realize how far back she had fallen until I reached the bottom. She later explained to me that she was pretty much pushed through the crowd. We also noticed a bruise on her ankle (or an upper foot hickey, as the ancient Greeks called it).
As we regrouped at the bottom of the stairs, the National Anthem was being sung. THAT was loud. And then, the jets flew overhead. Between the noise of those epic flying, destruction machines and the crowd cheering for them, The noise was deafening. Ari and I looked at each other and smiled.
The moment just felt warm. Not only because the sun was beating on my un-sunscreened, Casper the Seattle Ghost complexion, but the unity of that moment was special. Thousands and thousands of people passionately cheering for the same thing. We could feel the energy from everyone around us. That energy felt so tangible and real it was as if we could pull it out of the air and throw it around like a baseball. This is what we came for!
We moved further down the street, away from Pier 62, opting for the slightly less crowded area by the ferris wheel (Pier 58).
Pier 58 and Pier 62 are less than a quarter of a mile apart. So the actual game had a few interesting moments when we could hear the reaction from Pier 62 a second or two ahead of the feed being shown on Pier 58. Which doesn’t make sense because we were technically closer to the stadium! I know it doesn’t work that way. (It’s all aliens and magic).
Sports analyst Ari made the prediction of the game when she called our one and only goal.
“What happens here, Ari? Do we make it?” I asked her ahead of Mallik Tilman’s penalty kick for the U.S. Men’s team.
“Oh, we definitely make it!” Ari said confidently.
I heard cheers roughly .2 miles away. And then, GOOOOOOAAAAAAL! USA! USA! USA!
That goal made the score 1-2, and gave some hope that the U.S. could come back.
Ari and I moved around a few times after that.
We went back down one street where we could see people watching from the staircase overlooking the ferris wheel.
We hung out on top of the staircase for a while. I had a fun conversation with a New Orleans man.
Me: “Where you from, man?”
Him: “New Orleans, where we play real football.”
Me: “We play real football around here too, buddy. We’re the World Champions!”
Him: “Oh yeah.”
Ask Ernest Jones what two words we say to people who talk about our city, our team, or our quarterback!
The best spot was one Ari discovered. It was an open parking garage directly across from the viewing party. We were able to watch the second half of the game from under a shaded area where people watching became more enjoyable than the match itself. (1-3 early in the 2nd half).
We saw some young people climbing on top of a shipping container for a better view. We saw Captain America give rides back and forth on a passenger bike (He really can do this all day). We saw more scooters and bicycles going up and down the street than we could have possibly kept count of.
We eventually migrated to The Wing Dome for some beer and food for the end of the game. The wings were fantastic! The end of the game…well, you know how that went.
Figure out a way home
After a difficult loss, we walked back to the train. Rode home on a packed Sounder with disheartened, but exhausted fans. Looking around the train everyone looked wiped. Ari and I were too, but we couldn’t help ourselves but to smile and laugh about the things we saw.
Sports analyst: U.S. Men’s Team looked out of position. Several kicks were to empty areas where, presumably, somebody was supposed to be. Goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed a fluke goal early in the second half. The U.S. Men’s Team didn’t play their best soccer. If they played Belgium ten times, I think the U.S. Men win six or seven of them. But in this tournament, you get one game. That’s it. We didn’t play our best. Now we’re done.
There’s your football analysis from someone you should only listen to about the other kind of football.
Despite the disappointing match, this trip was a success for Ari and I. We wanted the vibes, and we got them. We got the angst of rushing to make it to a watch party on time. We got the passion from a city embracing our Nation’s Soccer Club. We got a super hero making rounds. Massive watch parties cheering. An angry pioneer yelling at her friends. Oh yeah, there was a young woman dressed as a pioneer that yelled at her friends.
It was a fun opportunity and Ari and I took advantage of it.
“Mission success?” Ari asked, offering a high five.
“Mission success”
-Written by Seattle Mike, saying Fuck it