Lost Soccer Fan Finds Way Home After 6 Hours in Hanover

[Astronuc]

I was going to post this in the World Cup forum, but there isn't an appropriate thread. It is more of general interest than the WC, and applies to anyone traveling to some place unfamiliar.

Soccer Fan Spends Six Hours Hunting for Hotel
Reuters

BERLIN (June 23) - German police rescued an American soccer fan lost in Hanover and unable to find his hotel again after helplessly wandering around the city for more than six hours after a match, federal police said Friday.

The 25-year-old Boston man had checked into his hotel in the afternoon before going to see a match between Poland and Costa Rica but could not remember his hotel's name, its address or anything else about it, police spokesman Holger Jureczko said.

"He came into the police station at 3 a.m. and asked for help," Jureczko said.

Know where you are, and know where you are going. If in a strange place, minimize consumption of alcohol, which impairs judgement.

 

[Pengwuino]

soccer fans...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

A foreign country? Heck, my first trip to New York was a nightmare.

I once lost my hotel in St. Louis. The stupid place was recently bought by DoubleTree but still hadn't changed the main sign showing the place as a Hilton when approaching from the East. I had first driven to the Hotel from the West. I drove around for over an hour, well after midnight, and not even the local hotel workers could tell me where the Double Tree was. The number was still listed as a Hilton, so when I called information they told me that there was no Double Tree in St. Louis! I had left all of the information with the address in my room.

 

[Danger]

One must remember Simpson's First Law of Location: no matter where you go, there you are.

 

[Monique]

The last trip I went on I had the bright idea to look up the hotel I was staying at, a moment before I left.
Sometimes you've got too much on your mind.

I also remember my trip to NYC, where I just hopped on a random bus that was going in the right direction from the airport, didn't know where to get off and was thrown out by the driver when it reached its endpoint (he was supposed to alert us). I don't know where we were at that time, the neighbourhood didn't look too nice. Luckily there were some friendly NYers who walked us to the neirest subway station (somehow we looked obviously lost, or out of place)

 

[wolram]

One time on a visit to Holland with my boss we droped our luggage off and checked into this hotel in a tiny village, and were off on our way to visit a factory when he got a phone call, this changed his plans and he met up with a client en rout, so he tells me he is going off with the client and i can take the car back to the hotel, i did not have a clue how to get to the hotel, we had driven about 40 miles, i just thought sod it and set off and drove straight to the hotel

 

[marlon]

Know where you are, and know where you are going. If in a strange place, minimize consumption of alcohol, which impairs judgement.

Err, couldn't this guy just ask for the way to someone, or read a streetmap, take a cab ? Also, i doubt it wether this guy was all alone. I mean, no friends staying in the same hotel ?

My point is : don't believe any story in the newspaper. If you think about it, this story is presented in a very "one-dimensional way", focussing only on the alcohol abuse...

I think it is sad that people actually think such articles will ever have any influence on the general behaviour of people that are partying and enjoying a great event.

marlon

 

[mattmns]

What a wuss! I can't believe he finally broke down and asked for help. He can no longer call himself an American Man!

 

[Danger]

I wonder how long he yelled at them in German-accented English before he realized that someone could understand him without it.