One of the wildest things happened on my most recent trip to America, and it’s all in my latest YouTube vlog…
I haven’t sent an email through this newsletter for a while (shaunvlog - one of two newsletters I run, the other being Project Dreamland). As a subscriber, I’m going to start sending my new YouTube videos to your inbox 30 minutes before they go public on YouTube. So here’s the next episode:
I was invited to visit and stay in the Buckhead neighbourhood of Atlanta by my friend Andy, who showed us some of the best nightlife and food spots I’d ever seen.
Casamigos gave me a few tickets to the England v Argentina semi final. A true Classic. England is, in footballing terms, a massive rival of Scotland.
I drove out of Atlanta in the largest truck I’ve ever seen.
We stayed in the SpringHill Suites in Buckhead. It’s a pretty great location and provides guests with easy access to all of the great stuff in Buckhead, but also the city of Atlanta.
The World Cup Semi Final was an absolutely bonkers experience. I say gatecrashed, but what i meant is, I gatecrashed England’s party.
I was actually invited by tequila brand Casamigos. I never imagined I’d ever get to a semi final in my life, so to be invited based on my social media content was a real honour and surreal moment.
Truth be told, we did not know who would be playing in the semi final when we accepted, so when it got closer and it seemed likely it would be England v Argentina, it became an absolutely delicious prospect.
We ended up in the Argentinian fans’ end of the pitch, and they didn’t stop bouncing and screaming for a single moment. It was intense.
And the final 20 minutes of the game, Lionel Messi came alive, clawed back the years to his prime, and tore England’s defence to shreds - and right in front of where we were sat. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. It seemed inevitable Argentina would turn the game around and thanks to Messi, they did, eventually winning 2-1.
I was wearing my Scotland shirt along with two friends who had joined me from Scotland. The Argentinians treated us like heroes. They know our footballing rivalry with England, and to be honest, they have the same. The whole thing was surreal, and I am just glad we got to experience it first hand.
While much of this rivalry with England is jesting on my part, there is some truth. Another interesting twist is that my Brazilian wife feels the same way about the Argentinian team as we Scots do about England, and she was standing next to me, supporting England.
Safe to say, we were all pretty stunned by the scenes at the end of the game. Meanwhile, Atlanta was a great host city, and I’m so glad we got to visit and stay in Buckhead.
Cheers for now, and wishing you a great week.
Shaun