First time I was going to NYC.
Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz were slated to fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, March 3, 2018.
It was March 1st, and I was dejected because I had basically resigned myself to the expectation that I was not going to go to that fight. I knew the fight held great implications for the future of the heavyweight division, so it was an event I did not want to miss. I just couldn't shake the feeling that it would be a great spectacle.
On a whim, I had started checking ticket prices just to see how much they were going for. Mind you, this was two days before the fight, and I had no fight or flight tickets, nor a room booked for a potential trip. I was fully expecting to see exorbitant ticket prices for flights from SFO 2 NYC that would effectively bury any hopes that I could see the fight in person.
March 1, 2018 @ 4:18 PM, I booked a flight to NYC. At $65.20, I had found a flight leaving SFO on March 2, with a scheduled landing at LGA at 7:29PM. It was nearly a miracle I found something so cheap, a price too low to pass up, but there was indeed a catch:
The flight I booked was for SFO 2 Pittsburgh, with layovers in Chicago and New York City. No biggie, I just had a backpack and would miss my flight to Pittsburgh when I landed in NYC.
I was juiced, booked my Airbnb and also my return flight for Monday, March 5, which meant I'd spend Friday - Sunday in NYC, a city I had never been to prior.
I was already planning my time in NYC when I boarded my flight that morning on March 2, 2018. First stop was Chicago, and while the snacks and beverages were being passed out by the attendants, I got an email from American Airlines which had me in disbelief.
Anyone from NYC will remember that "Nor'Easter" storm was making headlines in 2018, but never did it strike my mind that it would affect my flight.
So there I was, processing the cancellation, sipping from my miniscule cup of water in between two middle age cacettes trying not to lose my composure in basic economy. The worst part was that American Airlines rescheduled my flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh, almost like karma for thinking that I was smart enough to game the system into booking a flight from SFO 2 NYC for $65.
I was trying to think quick. Could I get on another flight? All the flights from ORD 2 NYC were $500+, too steep, and by the time I landed in Chicago, they were getting cancelled. Maybe a bus? Wouldn't get me to NYC in time for the fight.
I was quickly running out of ideas, and started to think of what my weekend in Chicago was looking like. My plane landed, but I was sitting at the terminal, still in disbelief, and wanting to force my way to NYC. I had my fight ticket and Airbnb booked, just no flight.
The Coli came through though. @patscorpio suggested trying to take a train to NYC, and that's how I made it to NYC. There was a small window where I could catch a train from Chicago to NYC, and still make it on time for the fight. I'd estimate it took about 19-21 hours on the train, but I did end up making it to NYC at around 5 PM, March 3, day of the fight.
That trip was amazing. Even with the fukkd up flight delay/cancellation. Passed Through Gary, Cleveland, and funnily enough, I had to actually transfer in Pittsburgh. Met a few memorable faces on that train ride, noticed a lot of students were either going home or back to school, can't remember which. Still remember seeing the snow as we passed through Pennsylvania, and I really took in how desolate the smaller towns looked as we made our way around the outskirts of each locale.
Oh yeah, and Wilder knocked out Ortiz.
Hell of a ride. Hell of a fight.
My sister was starting college and had to get back in time for her first day of school.
Had to wait hours for another one to come. EVENTUALLY we made it back home. 
