World Cup's vastness reveals two different North American realities

What strikes us most is that the biggest thing about this World Cup may be how different the host nations make you feel. At least the two we’ve been to so far.

New York-New Jersey Stadium is a soul-crushing expanse of grey and dust on reclaimed swamplands. Pic: Adam Gray/Getty Images

It was heading towards 9pm and the pace of this relentless World Cup had finally slowed. The Peace Arch Point of Entry might make for a mouthful but it’s a feast for the eyes. There may not be a more picturesque border crossing between Canada and the USA and, given that the dividing line runs for 9,000 unbroken kilometres, that's saying plenty.

To the west, the sun had settled down below Semiahmoo Bay but left some baked salmon pink and peachy yellows behind it to fade up into the creeping navy of the night to come. It would have been serene if we weren’t the next car up.