San Antonio wasn't meant to be a vacation.
I had one thing on my mind; a National Championship. I had devoted the past five months to cheering on my UCLA Bruins. I saw every game. I read every news article. I wore blue at all times. For me and my friends Ry and J, Our trip to San Antonio was not a vacation. It was a mission.
Unfortunately, thousands of fans from three other universities felt the same way. Such was the scene on a pleasant Friday afternoon, sitting by the Riverwalk, sipping on sweet tea out of a Texas-sized glass. A mass of blue shirts and basketball jerseys, some bearing Kansas logos, some Memphis, some North Carolina, some UCLA, bustling down the San Antonio River. Everyone full of nervous energy. Everyone afraid to stare at their opponents in the eye. Everyone quick to spot fellow Jayhawks, Tigers, Tar Heels and Bruins. Everyone reluctant to talk trash, yet unhesitant to start trouble if provoked. Welcome to the Final Four.
Before going into the actual Gameday festivities, I must say something about San Antonio. This city loves Mariachi bands.
This was the site that welcomed me and Ry at the airport.
In fact, these musicians were so fond of me, that they followed me all day! Here I am trying to enjoy a beer at Cafe Ole, by the Riverwalk. At first it was kinda cool having a group of Mariachis trailing me, but then it got weird.
OK, they didn't really follow me around, but believe me, there were bands up and down the Riverwalk, doing their best to make city folk like me feel like they were getting an authentic Texas experience. It worked.
The rest of the evening was spent pounding down ribs and beers, crawling from one pub to next, making small talk with fellow Bruins, but all my friends and I could think about was the next day. The next day would either make us incredibly happy, or terribly depressed.
We were in for a wild ride.
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