Jaunted

World Cup NYC

World Cup NYC: Italy v France

July 10, 2006 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

In order to avoid taking sides, Jaunted divided its World Cup Championship spectatorship between Brooklyn's Jolie Restaurant for the first half and Manhattan's La Casalinga for the second half plus. As fate would have it, our timing was impeccable.

We arrived at Jolie just past kick-off. All tables were occupied, and we stood in front of a television in the front bar area. The crowd, much more American than French in the standing-room-only area, spilled out onto the street. Our Kronenbourg ran $6. The audience was buzzing, captivated, over the moon with Zidane's early goal.

At halftime we made the short journey on the F and by foot up 1st Street to a table at the much less energized La Casalinga. The crowd was clearly pro-Italy, though it included a handful of contrarian France fans. In place of the supercharged participatory spirit at Jolie, La Casalinga remained subdued until the penalty kicks ended with an Italian victory. Our Pizzetta Milano, americano, and San Pellegrino set us back $11.

Closing thoughts: [1] the World Cup should happen more often than once every four years; [2] La Casalinga should sell Italian beer; [3] A Kronenbourg should not cost $6.

[Image via wvs/Flickr]