IT’S MIDNIGHT, I SHOULD BE SLEEPING BUT I’M IN VEGAS

My Delta flight from JFK just left the gate at almost 9pm.

I’m on my way to New York City on steroids , better known as Las Vegas .

I know what some of you are thinking .

Sports Diva weren’t you just there in February?

That would be a big fat yes.

June is when I normally come to the city for the NHL Awards and Red Carpet and this is no exception .

I get into Vegas around midnight Vegas time, which is 3am New York time.

I know it’s Vegas, but I really wanna go to sleep, not party like a rockstar.

I’m here for 5 days, I can do that partying like a rockstar thingy later.

The documentary on actress Jane Fonda isn’t even putting me to sleep cause it’s really interesting .

Yes, I should be sleeping but I’m in Vegas and I’ll have plenty of time to sleep when I get back to New York City .

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300 FOLLOWERS

It might not seem like much, but I have hit another milestone in my blogging journey.

300 FOLLOWERS!

All I can say is thank you and God Bless all of you for going on this blogging journey with me.

When I started my blog I really didn’t think that ANYONE would be interested in what to do in a city after you’ve gone to that baseball , hockey , football , and basketball game .

They wanted to know what to see in a city but I didn’t think anybody would care about my trips to a sporting event, what goes in my suitcase when I travel, why my blog is called 30 Plus Teams 30 Plus Dreams and definately why I call myself the Sports Diva.

Boy was I wrong.

Some of you do care and you follow every post that I put on my blog .

300 plus followers to be exact.

For that, I thank you and hope that you continue to follow me and enjoy reading my posts.

I will try to give the best that I can as long as the good Lord allows me to continue writing, travelling, attending sporting events, giving you monthly travel quotes, and yeah, telling you what’s in my suitcase.

Thank you all again .

A VISIT TO BYWARD MARKET

If you happen to visit Canada’s capital, Ottawa, besides seeing the Parliament Building , take a visit to Byward Market .

It’s been around since 1928 but refurbished in 1978.

It reminded my friend and I of two places that we both have seen a lot .

Chelsea Market in New York City and Faneuil Hall in Boston .

There’s stores, bars, restaurants and the area surrounding the market is the home of the Prime Minister and the United States embassy.

Yes it’s that close to Parliament Hill .

Byward Market is in Downtown Ottawa and the area around it has all sorts of stalls.

Even though the weather wasn’t great, there were snow showers, my friend and I explored the area.

The smell of Christmas trees and wreaths, as well as the bakery where my friend brought some gluten free cupcakes smelled so heavenly.

There was even a small store in the neighborhood that was like the store Big Lots here in the United States.

Of course we had to check it out and shop again .

Don’t judge me,okay?

We didn’t eat that other Canadian delicacy , Beaver Tails, which is pastry in the shape of a beaver’s tail.

We did check out a chocolate and candy shop and my friend just had to buy 2 candy apples, one of which she had wrapped so that she could bring it back to the United States.

After we left Byward Market , it was time to go back to the hotel and rest up a little but.

After all, this was a 30 Plus Teams Tour we were on.

We had a hockey game at the Canadian Tire Centre to go to that night.

RIDING ON THAT MIDNIGHT BUS TO OTTAWA

With apologies to the singing group, Gladys Knight and The Pips, no I’m not taking a midnight train to Georgia.

I’m taking a midnight Greyhound bus to Canada’s capital , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada .

Yes, my 30 Plus Teams Tour is taking me up to The True North.

My final destination is Ottawa, but I have to change buses in Montreal .

I’m hoping in Ottawa to cross off two more things from my bucket list.

Whether I do it, not sure, but you’ll know because the Sports Diva is going to share it with you.

I haven’t been to Ottawa in years so I know it has changed a lot.

The last time I was in Ottawa , they didn’t have a professional hockey team.

I am very excited to see this city.

Because this is a 30 Plus Teams Tour and it is Canada , you know that a hockey game is going to break out, and God willing , the Sports Diva is gonna be there repping her team, the New York Rangers who are playing the hometown team, the Senators.

Unlike my trip to Baltimore, there will be no surprises when the bus makes a stop.

It’s hello Albany, Saratoga Springs , and Plattsburgh , New York before we cross over to the Canadian border and we go through Canadian customs , which believe me, I like a lot better than going through United States customs .

(When going through United States customs, I feel like I’m in school, answering 50 million questions. Not so much with Canadian customs. And they’re wicked polite too.)

After this, it’s on to Montreal, then my final destination , Ottawa.

I can’t wait and y’all are coming on the 30 Plus Teams Tour with me.

Jesus, take the wheel and get us to Canada safely .

WHAT ‘ S IN MY SUITCASE

Here we go again.

It’s almost the end of November and the Sports Diva is traveling again.

This time, it’s not to a funeral.

Let the 30 Plus Teams Tour continue.

Where am I going this time?

I’m not going to tell you yet, so you have to wait.

All I can say is, it’s gonna be cold and the sports diva is bundling up.

I’m hoping to cross a couple of things off my bucket list with this tour.

Yes, a sporting event will be happening where I’m going to be, because after all, that’s the purpose of a 30 Plus Teams Tour .

You’re going to see two suitcases not because I’m staying a long time, just 4 days, but because I can’t decide which one to bring.

Enjoy while you try to figure out where the Sports Diva is going this time.

One suitcase with two hats on them. Pink hat from Rainbow Shops and New York Rangers hat from a late co worker of mine.

My backpack from my last trip to Virginia with two hats on them. Both hats are from the NHL Store in New York City .

It’s gonna be cold so gotta wear this coat and scarf which belonged to my late cousin Charlene.

My pajamas which were from my auntie in Boston, and since I’m travelling by bus, I gotta have my New England Patriots blanket from Modells Sporting Goods Store. Making her first appearance travelling with me is my teddy bear, Serena W, from the Build A Bear Store in Baltimore .

Boots from Macy’s and Rainbow Shops cause it’s gonna be cold. I’m wearing one pair and the other goes into the suitcase.

Socks and stockings from H&M Store and Rainbow Shops . Blue and black leggings also from Rainbow Shops as is the fur hoodie. Gloves a gift from one of my Circle of Sisters , Lisa.

I’m not carrying any purses, just drawstring bags which are from the NHL Store and the Sketchers Store. The bag that says Market Basket is actually a shopping bag from a supermarket in Chelsea, Massachusetts . The shirt is from the NHL Store .

New York shirt is from the NHL Store and red sweater is from a vendor in Queens.

No matter where you are, you gotta represent your team, no matter the sport. Blue and red rally towels are from a game at Madison Square Garden . New York scarf was a gift from the coworker who died ( it’s very special to me. He was a Rangers fan too. R.I.P. Alfonso Diaz) The shirt from the NHL Store and it’s the name of my favorite Rangers player. You just know I’m going to be rocking this shirt! Black sweater, which is so long that I wear it as a dress ,is from Rainbow Shops .

MY 30 PLUS TEAMS TOUR BUCKET LIST UPDATE – 144 NOW

Last year I did a post about my bucket list.

At that time, I had 150 of them.

Now I’m down to 144 of them.

That’s right, I’ve done six of them .

So in no particular order, here’s my updated bucket list.

1. Visiting Halifax , Nova Scotia

2. Trying Ice Wines in Canada

3. Going to Banff , Alberta because the name sounds so wicked cool .

4. Walking through Stanley Park in Vancouver , Canada

5. Walking down Broadway in Nashville , Tennessee

6. Visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville , Tennessee

7. Visiting the home of President Andrew Jackson , The Hermitage in Nashville .

8. Visiting Graceland in Memphis , Tennessee

9. Visiting the home of Molly Brown in Denver . She was one of the survivors of the Titanic

10. Riding on the Atlanta Observation Wheel , called The Atlanta Eye.

11. Visiting the Mob Museum in Las Vegas , Nevada

12. Riding the High Roller Observation Wheel in Las Vegas

13. Walking down the Las Vegas Strip in winter when there’s a few tourists.

14. Visiting the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream plant in Burlington , Vermont

15. Attending a Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game. Should be wicked easy to get tickets now that Lebron has taken his talents to Los Angeles

16. Visiting Salem , Massachusetts

17. Riding through the Detroit to Windsor , Ontario , Canada tunnel

18. Attending an Atlanta Falcons football game

19. Attending a Detroit Red Wings game at the Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan

20. Seeing the Grand Canyon

21. Visiting Lake Louise in Canada

22. Attending a Toronto Raptors basketball game

23. Eating a bagel in New York City and Montreal and seeing the differences

24. Seeing the Hoover Dam

25. Visiting the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham , Alabama

26. Visiting Newport, Rhode Island and seeing how the other half lived back in the day

27. Walking down Beale Street in Memphis

28. Visiting the Museum of Human Rights in Winnepeg, Canada

29. Visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland

30. Visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown , New York

31. Seeing Pearl Harbor

32. Seeing the Civil War monuments in Vicksburg , Mississippi

33. Taking a ride on the Montreal Subway , the Metro

34. Riding on all the streetcars in New Orleans

35. Visiting the “Rose City”, aka Portland , Oregon

36. Attending an Indianapolis Colts football game

37. Drinking Mint Juleps and wearing my fancy hat at the Kentucky Derby

38. Visiting Mackinac Island, Michigan where no cars are allowed

39. Attending the Calgary Stampede

40. Going on a cruise to Alaska, even though I’m not really a ship person

41. Spending a day at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland

42. Visiting Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada

43. Visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming and getting my cowgirl on

44. Attending a New England Patriots game in Foxboro , Massachusetts

45. Visiting Yellowstone National Park

46. Looking elegant at the Casino Du Montreal

47. Spending time in Albuquerque , New Mexico

48. Visiting Catalina Island in California

49. Taking a tour of Alcatraz

50. Spending time in Santa Barbara , California

51. Visiting the gravesite of Doctor Martin Luther King in Atlanta

52. Spending a day with the animals at the Washington National Zoo.

53. Seeing where JFK was shot in Dallas

54. Seeing the home of Robert E. Lee at Arlington , Virginia

55. Reliving history at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia

56. Going to the John Heinz History Museum in Pittsburgh

57. Attending a Montreal Canadiens hockey game in Montreal

58. Getting a history lesson at The Alamo in San Antonio

59. Visiting some of the lighthouses in Maine

60. Walking through the Kennedy Center in Washington DC

61. Attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah

62. Going to Aspen , Colorado in the winter

63. Having some barbecue in either Kansas City , Texas, North Carolina , Memphis or St Louis

64. Going to visit Fort Sumter where the Civil War started

65. Eating at Paula Deen’s restaurant in Savanah , Georgia

66. Going to Chase Field and attending a Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game in Phoenix

67. Going to Quebec City and soaking up French Canadian culture

68. Tasting Maple Syrup in Vermont

69. Understanding Civil War history in Gettysburg

70. Visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City

71. Attending an authentic luau in Hawaii.

72. Riding on the Monongahela and Duquesne inclines in Pittsburgh

73. Spending the day at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana

74. Taking a sightseeing tour of Chicago riding on the Chicago River

75. Paying my respect at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

76. Attending the Iditarod Dog Race in Alaska

77. Seeing all the neighborhoods in New Orleans not just the French Quarter

78. Visiting the Butchard Gardens in Victoria, Canada

79. Eating a hot dog at The Varsity in Atlanta and a Half Smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington DC

80. Visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art but not running up the stairs like Rocky did in the movies. That’s not an option.

81. Visiting Little Havana in Miami

82. Getting my sexy on at South Beach, Florida

83. Attending a Winnepeg Jets hockey game

84. Visiting Louisville , Kentucky

85. Visiting the Supreme Court in Washington DC

86. Going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio

87. Attending a Fourth of July concert in either Washington DC , Philadelphia or Boston .

88. Going to Miller Park in Milwaukee and attending a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game

89. Attending a US Open tennis match here in New York

90. Spending the day in Richmond , Virginia

91. Taking a tour of Lambeau Field and attending a Green Bay Packers football game

92. Spending the day at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York

93. Seeing the Civil War monuments at Stone Mountain , Georgia

94. Taking a ride on The Maid of The Mist and seeing Niagara Falls close up

95. Visiting Cincinnati and seeing the Underground Railroad Museum

96. As I am part Cherokee Indian on my mother’s side, I want to see some of “The Trail of Tears”, where the Cherokee Nation was forcibly moved from North Carolina to what became the state of Oklahoma .

97. Visiting the Great Blacks In Wax Museum in Baltimore

98. Seeing the “Bean Sculpture ” in Chicago

99. Getting up close and personal with “Sue” the T Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago

100. Attending the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City

101. Seeing the Space Needle in Seattle

102. Seeing the Riverwalk in San Antonio

103. Going to the Indianapolis 500 car race

104. Living the glamorous life for a day or two in Palm Springs , California

105. Eating some real Tex- Mex food in San Antonio

106. Going to a Chicago Cubs baseball game and tour Wrigley Field

107. Visiting the Johnson Space Center in Houston

108. Seeing the Charles Wright Museum in Detroit

109. Eating some seafood and watching the fish “fly” at Pike Place Market in Seattle

110. Catching some “rays” in Fort Lauderdale , Florida

111. Visiting “The U”, the University of Miami

112. Attending a Seattle Seahawks football game

113. Learn Colonial history in Williamsburg , Virginia

114. Going to University of Pittsburg and visiting “The Nationality Rooms”.

115. Going on a Hurricane Katrina Tour in New Orleans

116. Visiting the Ohio State University campus in Columbus

117. Going on a caleche ride in Old Montreal

118. Seeing Mount Rushmore close up

119. Visting the unfinished but still majestic statue of Crazy Horse in South Dakota

120. Attending a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game in Las Vegas

121. Walking around Lower Downtown Denver, known as LoDo.

122. Taking a carriage ride in Charleston , South Carolina

123. Visiting Myrtle Beach , South Carolina

124. Visiting any city in the state of Montana just to admire the beauty of the state.

125. Taking an Amtrak train from Northern California all the way to San Diego in Southern California

126. Going to an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game

127. Looking at as many stars as I can while walking on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

128. Going to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena , California

129. Visiting the George W. Bush Museum and Library in Dallas

130. Taking a trolley from San Diego to Tijuana, Mexico

131. Walking down Lombard Street in San Francisco

132. Eating all kinds of food in New Orleans

133. Visiting the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs , Colorado

134. Try to visit some of the plantations in the South

135. Looking at the colorful houses in San Francisco known as “pink ladies”.

136. Visiting Prince Edward Island in Canada

137. Shopping like crazy at the West Edmonton Mall

138. Can’t forget shopping at the Mall of America in Bloomington , Minnesota

139. Visiting Mount Vernon , the home of George Washington

140. Visiting the Library of Congress in Washington DC

141. Visiting Monticello , the home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia

142. Going to a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game just to see and hear that humongous cannon at the Nationwide Arena.

143. Taking a tour of the United States Capitol Building

144. Attending a Ohio State and University of Michigan football game. It doesn’t matter whether it’s at the “Big House” in Ann Arbor or ” The Horseshoe ” in Columbus, the Sports Diva wants to be there.

These are the things left on my bucket list .

What are some of the things left on your bucket list?

Drop me a line in the comments section and as usual thank you so much for liking and supporting my blog .

SPORTS DIVA’S GUIDE TO GETTING CHEAP SPORTS TICKETS

Many thanks to blogger Itinerary Planner for suggesting a post like this.

(Check out her blog, Travel Itinerary for tips even if you aren’t doing a 30 Plus Teams Tour . )

You’re going to either Dallas, Houston , Los Angeles , Miami, or even Tampa – St. Pete for a little rest and relaxation , right?

ABSOLUTELY!

But this is a 30 Plus Teams Tour , remember, so you’ll be going to a sporting event whether it be a baseball , hockey, football or basketball game .

It might be your favorite team that you’re going to see, or a team that you really don’t like, but you want to see a game anyway .

Or it could be a team or sport that you know nothing about , but you want to take in everything in the city.

Besides, all the travel guidebooks about the United States and Canada all say that this is something you should do when visiting both countries, so why not?

Set some money aside and join in the fun at a game.

This is where the Sports Diva comes in.

I’m going to give you some tips for getting to a game on “the cheap”.

I should tell you that as much as I love to watch football and some of the stadiums are on my bucket list , attending an American football game, aka the NFL , can be VERY expensive , depending on the team.

A lot of fans either get their tickets from other fans who don’t go to the game or the majority of them are seasons ticket holders and there’s no way in hell they’re giving up those seats, unless the team is really bad or moves to another city, which seems to happen a lot in the National Football League.

I rarely go to the football games, because as much as I love football, the Sports Diva isn’t mortgaging the house for the most popular sport in the United States .

Instead, I’m going to tell you about the three sports whose games I attend the most, baseball, basketball and hockey.

Let’s say you’re in New York City , and you want to attend a New York Knicks basketball game.

Sounds good, but don’t even think that you’re going to get a cheap seat right on the basketball court so that you can yell and scream at Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, along with the rest of the Golden State Warriors .

That’s not going to happen in any basketball arena no matter if you’re in New York City to see the Knicks or if you’re in Memphis to watch the Grizzlies .

We’re talking cheap tickets, not blow your budget on your trip.

You have other things to do while on your 30 Plus Teams Tour .

You want tickets at a reasonable price .

Depending on the team, you can get tickets from the team’s own website, from NBA tickets.com, or a third seller .

I happen to use a site called VividSeats.com, but there are others.

I use VividSeats.com for hockey and baseball tickets also.

Don’t worry if you think these tickets are fake, they’re very legitimate and they’re the seats that ticket holders don’t want .

If you’re from another country, keep in mind that you might not be able to use some of the websites that I mention, so your best bet is to just go onto the team’s own website.

You want to attend a hockey game while you’re in town?

Depending on the city or team, tickets are fairly inexpensive.

If you happen to be in a city like Toronto , Montreal , or New York City , hockey tickets are some of the most expensive due to corporations buying up tickets and giving them to clients, who spend most of the game on their phones and not watching the game.

They hardly have a clue who any of the players are.

If you happen to go to a game, you can spot these “fugazy fans” a mile away .

They’re the ones in the suits or the team apparel that they just bought from the team’s store a few hours before the game started and they and the person they brought to the game with them , are taking selfies like they’re the newest hot model.

But I digress , and I’ll talk more about these posers passing as fans in another blog post.

When I go to a hockey game, I get my tickets in a couple of different ways.

You can go on the NHL ticket exchange, the team’s own website or have a friend that’s a season ticket holder.

That last option only works if you know someone in the city that you’re going to visit.

As with basketball , don’t get it twisted.

For some unknown reason, people who go to a hockey game either want to sit directly behind the glass or next to or behind the benches of either team.

These aren’t cheap seats, no matter how good or bad the team is.

The whole purpose of going to a game is to do it as cheaply as possible .

Sitting right behind the glass just isn’t it.

While I’m throwing out tips, let me give you a real important tip on seeing a hockey game on the cheap.

The higher up you sit, the more action you’ll be able to see, and believe me, this is a sport where you don’t want to miss ANY action.

If it’s too expensive to see a NewYork Rangers hockey game at Madison Square Garden , you’re in luck.

The New York and New Jersey area have two other hockey teams.

One plays in Brooklyn at the Barclay’s Center and the other one plays at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey .

Tickets for both of these teams are very inexpensive and the good news is that you can get to both of these arenas by public transportation if you happen to be anywhere in the New York City area.

The last sport, baseball, is the cheapest of all, no matter what stadium you watch it in.

You can sit in the bleachers, behind home plate, behind the dugouts, where the teams come out of, and the nosebleed seats.

You can even do standing room, which isn’t as bad as its sounds, and you’ll be able to see EVERYTHING.

For baseball, there are several different ways to get cheap seats if you want to see a game.

You can go to the team’s own website of course, a third party, and MLB.com.

(That stands for Major League Baseball . )

There’s another way as well.

Depending on the team, you can walk right up to the window at the stadium either the day of the game, or on a “do nothing in town” day and buy your tickets.

It’s hard to do this with any other sport but baseball, and who knows, you might be at a game where it’s “giveaway day”.

You might leave the game with a team scarf, hat, jacket or a bobblehead of the team mascot or a current or former player .

One word of warning though, and this applies to all three sports.

Beware of people approaching you and asking if you either need or are selling tickets.

Just say no and keep it moving.

These people are scalpers and by and large the tickets they’re trying to sell you are bogus.

You want cheap but don’t take it to the point where you’ll get embarrassed or in jail.

Scalping is illegal in most of the United States .

Do your homework before you leave.

Check the team’s schedule to make sure that they’re going to be in town.

If you have friends that live in the city that you’re going to, ask them if they want to go to the game too.

If so, send the money or give it to them at the game.

I dont need to tell you how many times I’ve done this.

Another thing you could do if you happen to have friends in the city is get a big group together and get a suite at the arena or stadium.

That might sound great, but do you really want to see the game in a place where you have unlimited food and drinks or do you want to be where the action is , near the other fans?

I can see many of you saying , “I’ll take unlimited food and drink for 1,000, Alex.”

Also in some of these cases, you won’t get a paper ticket.

It’s all mobile now so have your phone ready because it’s going to be scanned by ushers as you enter the building .

Don’t worry if the name on the ticket isn’t yours.

It’s the name of the person who sold the ticket.

Here are some of the websites to use:

MLB.Com

Ticketmaster.com

VividSeats.com

NBA tickets.com

SeatGeek.com

NFL.com – Good luck finding an inexpensive football ticket. If you find a seat for less than $100, depending on the team, go for it.

NHL Ticket Exchange is part of Ticketmaster, so let’s say you’re doing a 30 Plus Teams Tour of Vancouver , Canada and you want to see a game up there .

Go on your mobile device and plug in NHL Ticket Exchange Vancouver Canucks and it will bring you right there.

Whew!

Sorry that this post was so long and I want to thank Itinerary Planner for suggesting it.

Leave me a comment in the comment section if you want more ideas about seeing a game cheaply.

As usual , thank you so much for liking and supporting my blog .