London was sunny this weekend, so Jon and I spent as much time as we could walking outside yesterday. Heading north, we walked to the old Arsenal Stadium, and while standing in front of the now-abandoned building, we heard the roar of fans and wondered if the stadium was haunted. There was even a lone burger stand in front of the stadium, manned by someone throwing burgers and hotdogs on the grill, as if expecting a spiritworld crowd.
Well, as everyone else in London (except us) knows, the new Arsenal stadium (aka Emirates Stadium) is just around the corner from the old Arsenal Stadium. And there was a game on yesterday. Which explains the loud disembodied cheers we heard.
The new Arsenal Stadium looks a lot splashier than the old one, for sure, but does it make you sad that the old stadium is being converted into – what else – luxury flats? I guess maybe it’s not as sad if all the buyers are fanatic Arsenal fans a la Colin Firth’s character in Fever Pitch (the original version, ahem).
The mood in the neighborhood was festive as fans streamed out of the stadium after the match, and Jon and I enjoyed melting into the crowd near the Arsenal tube station. We briefly considered buying Arsenal paraphernalia just to fit in, but decided against such extreme poseur behavior.
hey dude-
you were very close to our flat! some of the flats in the old highbury stadium have indeed been sold to hard core arsenal fans. i met one guy who bought his flat close to where his old seats were.
did you try any of the arsenal food offerings?
Hi Johanna, no we didn’t try any of the food offerings. What would those be, exactly? : )