IT IS NOT JUST THE GAME

I just returned from the Super Bowl held in New Orleans. That trip was amazing, but the ride to and from Huston is another blog for another time! The Super Bowl is not just a game, it is an experience. I don’t care how much you love or hate sports or football specifically, this is an event not to be missed.

I stayed at the Raven’s designated headquarters hotel. As I walked into the hotel I saw a sea of purple. No reds, no whites – just purple. The Ravens shirts were adorned with the traditional beads that you acquire in New Orleans. There were buttons, there were pins, there were names on the shirts that did not identify the wearer but the sports hero they were here to see. These people that were Ravens fans came from all over the world. But mostly from Baltimore. The adrenaline rush lasted from Friday to Monday – the whole time I was there. The Forty Niners were just up the street at their headquarter hotel and walking past the hotel  I could feel  the energy that was just as palpable there. Once on the street there was a major blending of red and purple and laughter. There were people in red laughing with the people in purple. I saw a couple hand in hand but wearing Niners and Ravens shirts. It was explained to me that the woman was from Baltimore and the husband gradated UC Berkley. An intrafamily rivalry. Much like the Harbaughs! As you walk Super Bowl Boulevard along the river and the streets of the French Quarter you saw fans in all shapes and sizes, you saw fans of all ages and color, you saw a common bond between them all, they loved their team and the sport. And they all loved being there!

Walking is a great way to get around in New Orleans. Get your “one for the road” drink in a plastic cup and you are on your way to see some fascinating bars, art shops, antique stores and people! You can eat as you go or stop at an eatery and enjoy the flavors of Cajun food – some of it quite exotic. Alligator tastes like chicken, I have been told – so why not just eat chicken? If your legs are tired and it is late you can get a ride in a police car with lights flashing right to your hotel, as I did, after the game. Hey, there were no trolley cars in sight! However, I do not recommend this approach to travel.

As you walk down Bourbon Street you will see things that you never dreamed of seeing on the street. I saw two such things – large things - on the same person. One was painted with a Niner emblem and the other was a Raven emblem. (Photo on rquest).

New Orleans is a city that is truly alive! What the NFL did to adorn the city is no less than amazing. You got an adrenaline rush just being there. In the hotel bar I met so many people. I met doctors – crazy surgeons and an ER doc that was just as nuts. I met a retailer with strange first name – she was there without ticket – after all the game is just the anticlimax of the weekend. So many players walked through the bar and restaurant. There was an uproar each time one was spotted. Being a Niner fan (really a Patriot fan) I had no idea who they were.

There was the Fan Fest at the convention center. Also, amazing. You can try running, throwing  and kicking. That is when you find out how hard those things that pros make look easy is. At the north end of the convention center is the NFL Shop. You will be parted with your hard earned money very quickly. You will buy shirts with names on them that you have no idea who they are – unless it is Kaepernick.

The press and TV crews were everywhere. You could not hide from the cameras. Talking heads were setting up locations to report from the scene even though the scene was over. Monday morning was very busy reporting what had happened and that stuff was reported all over the world earlier. Now that is when a power outage may have been a good idea.

Then there was the Tailgate Party in a multilevel parking garage converted just for this party. Free drinks and free food everywhere. Gospel singers, jazz bands, clowns and people getting dressed for the Mardi Gras. That was a mad house but a great time was had by all.

Fortified by drink we entered the arena to see two different rock bands. I must say I enjoyed them both. Great entertainment and an amazing festival of light and sound. Oh, I almost forgot, the game!

We had great seats in the end zone but low enough to see the whole field clearly. Field goals and points after were going right at me. I sw the 108 yard return  - every single yard. But it was the pregame that was also fascinating. Players on the field warming up. Quarterbacks throwing all over the place and way down field. WOW! But the real WOW was Jennifer Hudson with the kids from the Sandy Hook school. That brought tears to 140 thousand eyes. The stadium was faklempt. When the anthem was sung it was not so good. I wanted Beyonce back. Then we got her back for the Half Time Show. In the stadium most of us watched as the people did at home – on the televisions that were around the stadium.

The game was over – it was kind of late as the power went out for 35 minutes till someone went and paid the bill. There were two distinct games. The first half which was abysmal  and the second half which was so much better – but not quite good enough. The game was over, Super Bowl, again in another year. So much to look forward to. I understand that the location is New Jersey and New York. In February???? Are they nuts????

That was my experience – you decide if it was worth the time and the costs.