My Trip to the Orange Bowl: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Is it easy to get to the Orange Bowl? Of course not, it takes athleticism, determination, perseverance, drive and dedication – and I’m just talking about getting a flight down to Miami.

I’ve been going to UC football games since I was about nine years old. Both my parents went to the University of Cincinnati, and I grew up wearing red and black. I even got a job in the athletics marketing department at the university. Naturally, when the UC football team made it to their biggest bowl game in history, I had to find my way down to the game. I had to work on December 30th, so I couldn’t leave until News Years Eve. And since I’m an intern at UC, and therefore poor, I decided to fly stand-by down to Florida to save some money.

So here was my plan. Fly out of Cincinnati at 9:30 a.m. on December 31st to Sarasota, Florida. I would hang out with my family down there and ride over with them to the game on the first. Watch the Bearcats beat up on the Hokies. Then ride back to Sarasota before flying back to Cincinnati at 4:10 p.m. on January 2nd in order to be at work on January 3rd by 11 a.m. Needless to say, this didn’t happen exactly as advertised.

I got to the Cincinnati airport around 8:30 a.m. on December 31st, eager to get down to Florida. If you’ve never flown stand-by before, basically you have to wait to see if there’s extra room for you on the plane. As I watched other people board the plane, it became apparent that seats were going to come at a premium. I couldn’t help but feel rejected, like a fat kid being picked last for dodge ball. Of the four remaining people, two seats were given out, and I wasn’t either of them.

So, I needed a new plan. I got booked for the 12:45 p.m. flight out of Cincinnati. First the flight was in Concourse A, and it was moved to Concourse B, and then it was moved back to Concourse A. If walking back and forth wasn’t bad enough, the plane was delayed to 1:15 p.m. The flight continued to be delayed in 10 minute increments until after 2:00 p.m., when I was told there was little chance I’d make the flight. Luckily, two people missed a connecting flight in Indianapolis, so I had a seat.

I arrive in Florida and jump into a cab, driven by a woman, which seemed odd. Turns out, she was odd. She pointed out the best spot to pick up hookers. She talked about how plants were people. She laughed and talked to herself. I decided to tip her four bucks just so I’d never see her again.

Going to the game was easy enough because I slept the entire three-and-a-half hour ride. I guess I should thank my dad for driving. Thanks dad. Dolphin Stadium was incredible. I had great lower level seats, and it was thrilling to see the Bearcats take the field in the 75th Fed Ex Orange Bowl.

The first possession for the Bearcats went according to my plan. They drove down the field and scored with ease. Sadly, that was the only scoring they did that game as Virginia Tech beat Cincinnati 20 to 7. Not at all what I wanted, but I’m glad I got to experience the BCS.

I arrive back at the Sarasota airport around 3:15 p.m. on January 2 for my 4:10 p.m. flight. I go talk to the gate agent only to be told that it doesn’t look good for my stand-by flight. I hang out for awhile and things start to improve. The plane is waiting for a dad and daughter to get through security, but there’s only one seat, which means the two would have to take separate flights. And there’s no way the dad would fly without his daughter. I’m told that if they pass on the seat it’s all mine. But just my luck, this nine-year-old daughter is brave enough to fly alone and have her grandma pick her up in Cincinnati. Damn it.
So, I needed a new plan. I got a 6:45 p.m. flight to Atlanta in the hopes of catching a 9:50 p.m. flight to Cincinnati. I’m the very last person allowed onto the flight to Atlanta. I knew there was a good chance I might get stranded in Atlanta, but I wanted to try to get to work on January 3 by 11:00 a.m.

Atlanta was crazy. So many flights and all of them seemed over booked. It became quickly apparent I wasn’t going to make my flight, which was delayed past 11:00 p.m. I have a friend from college who lives in Atlanta. Thanks for the place to crash Chris, I really appreciate it. I also had my first Manhattan, which I liked, mainly because I like whiskey.

I wake up at 4:15 a.m. on January 3 in order to make the 6:35 a.m. flight to Cincinnati. That means I got exactly one-and-a-half hours of sleep. I get to the airport, and it doesn’t look good. There are six people in front of me on the stand-by list. Somehow my initials make it onto the screen, and I get in line to board. Apparently that wasn’t my initials but someone else. I go back and sit down to hear the best words of the trip, “All stand-by passengers have been cleared.” Yes, I’m getting home.
Luckily, I slept on plane. I got home, showered, changed and went to work. My dad asked me later that day if it was all worth it. The hell if I know. At least I got home. The Orange Bowl turned out to be the dull point of my travels.

By: Jonathan Hartman