Attending the Super Bowl

[bpwallace49]

First off, I attend 3-5 Green Bay packer games every year. I am a die hard fan, and for ANY fan if your team makes it to the Super Bowl, making a trip happen should be very very seriously considered.

 

I drove down with a friend. I warned twiley that I would honk going through St Louis. I hope he heard us. Ended up staying overnight to rest becasue the tickets were 4 hours late in delivery due to the snowpocalypse. Drving through states that have no idea of how to deal with snow is incredibly dangerous. I strongly discourage anyone from doing so. Missouri was competent in snow removal for the most part, but near the southern end things got dicey. Then we entered Oklahoma. AKA- The land forsaken by God. It was a shock to see that Oklahome doesnt use salt to melt snow, or know how operate the 4 snowplows the entire state has to share. Instead they drop several inches of what I assume is snow mixed with elmers glue that makes creative shaped piles of sand on top of the snow. The result is like driving on ruble strips in the breakdown land for roughly a few hundred miles. The other entertaining part was that instead of having a 2 land highway, the 4 snowplow operators would randomly decide to only plow half of the right hand lane, at irregular intervals. The effect os while driving, your lane would suddenly disappear. There were so many abandoned cars in ditches, and on the side of the highway plowed in so they are covered up to the roof that I though it was the set of Stephen Kings "the Stand". How do you know Oklahoma doesnt know how to plow snow? We saw two snowplows on theor SIDES overturned in ditches. On the bright side, the snow and horrible roads enabled us to completely miss the crushing poverty and despair that pervaded every section of Oklahoma that my Garmin had us tour.

 

On to Texas. Instant black ice and pickup trucks in ditches everywhere. However texas actually had police and public works people out putting down warning signs and safe detours. That was very well done.

 

Went to downtown Dallas to go to the NFL experience area. The line was 2 1/2 hours long so we skipped it to walk around Dallas. That is where I got to literally run into John harbaugh coming around a blind corner in a store selling custom cowboy boots and hats and enormous belt buckles. he was there with an entourage and his broither, and seemed very nice. We then decided to head over to Fort Worth to see the ESPN broadcast area. The Sundance area was great, packed with fans, and the atmosphere was amazing. Had some good BBQ at a place called Riskeys and proceeded to bar hop until we had a drink at a hotel bar where we ran into Keyshawn Johnson, who actually was very nice.

 

gameday. Went to the stadium at 11AM, and walked around the whole facility, which seemed to be roughly 3 miles in diameter. Saw a ton of real "characters" from both teams, but everyone was incredibly respectful and good natured.

 

We get in line at 2Pm to get in early and walk the stadium. This is where things go downhill. The "maps" didnt have a "you are here" key, and there was NO ONE that knew where to go or was directing traffic. Then people are packed, and I mean PACKED into an area much much smaller than the amount of people that were there. Adding to the awesomness was a complete lack of cell phone coverage for everyone. Then a rumor comes out that they didnt open enough gates for whatever reason. Again, no communication about this at all to anyone in line directly, even though they have huge monitors showing HFL highlights and stating what you cant bring in the stadium. I ended up helping a guy carry one of his kids that was getting crushed by pushing fans. The big crowd gets herded like cattle to a switchback line. Some douchebags start jumping barriers to get in quicker (from both team bases) and just kept making the problem worse. the fact that this was all done in an inch of mud really helped the situation, plus the fact there was no way to go to the restroom AT ALL. Complete screwup by the NFL. Horribly, horribly, horribly mismanged.

 

then the rumor about tickets starts about sections being closed. Kids and people start getting pissed and kids start to cry. Again, no information from the NFL, just rumors. A lot of "Jerry sucks" were going around. But this was 100% NFL and nothing to do with Jerry Jones. In fact, the staff and facilities at the game were top notch. I tip my hat to Jerry from an operational standpoint (except for the extra seating crap). The staff was very very helpful and well mannered, and the concessions were extrenely efficient and friendly. Jerry Jones IMO did well. Finally get in with 20 minutes to spare, and have to run to our seats to get ready for the National anthem.

 

the game was electric. The atmosphere was charged with such intensity it was almost a physical presence. Christine Aguliera screwed up the National Anthem, but the feeling was still there. watching your team play in the Super Bowl live was amazing. The crowd, the atmosphere, the fans of both teams, everything was surreal. being used to going to Packer games, the split in fan bases was very different to expereince for an NFL game. The Steeler fans were really very very classy and respectful. Hats off to them all the way around. I almost hated beating them, as you could see that they are as dedicated and insane as Packer fans can be.

 

the halftime show was great IMO. I saw the replay at home today )I DVRed the game and watched it again ) and the sound was HORRIBLE. It was not that way in the stadium. the full sound was blasting and it was a really really good concert. It stinks that FOX screwed up the sound for the broadcast. The second half was incredibly stressful. Seeing Woodson on the sidelines, Driver ina boot and feeling the momentum slide to the Steelers was very very difficult. I was gripping the guardrail ahead of me so hard It felt like I was leaving fingerprints in the metal. When the game finally ended with the 4th down incompletion (and I STILL cant beleive they didnt call a timeout , especially when Wallace had no idea what was going on the two plays prior) I was in shock. going nuts with all the Packer fans around us, celebrating and screaming myself hoarse.

 

When the clock ticked to zero and it sunk in that the Packers were the champs, I remembered I had a camera and started to take a ton of pictures. I was able to walk down closer to the field (like 8 rows away) and take pics of players celebrating. It was completely surreal and a moment i will never forget.

 

Celebrated a LOT that night . . but that story is best unsaid.

 

Driving back, 95% of the snow was gone. It was a lot easier going back. I really got to embrace the crushing depression and poverty of Oklahoma. It really was very sad. It was either broken down trailers, indian casinos or "antique stores" and flea markets. I think the flea markets were actually selling fleas. There were more closed boarded up businesses than open businesses. This was for a few hundred miles. We can blather about gubmnet policies all we want, but you get a sense that these people have no options, no hope, no ability to do anything more than where they are right now. There were no chain restaurants besides a local-ish place called Braum's. You KNOW there is no money in an area when you cant even see a McDonalds for 75 miles.

 

to anyone . . . I mean ANYONE that really loves football, you ahve to try and attend a Super Bowl, the atmosphere, the people, the game, everything is amazing. It was worth every single penny. Seeing my team win a Super Bowl was an experience I will never ever forget.

 

Dallas, Fort Worth and Jerry Jones all did a great job IMO across the board. the people were friendly as hell (except for the couple hundred religious fanatics accosting people outside the game and the legions of people selling garbage to people after the game, but I digress . .) and were very welcoming. the NFL screwed the pooch by messing up the secrity, poorly communicating . .well . .everything and really screwed up the whole ticket situation for a lot of fans. thank GOD I got good seats earlier in the week. 4

 

Congrats to the 2010 Super Bowl Champions . . .the GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!

[tazinib1]

First off, I attend 3-5 Green Bay packer games every year. I am a die hard fan, and for ANY fan if your team makes it to the Super Bowl, making a trip happen should be very very seriously considered.

 

I drove down with a friend. I warned twiley that I would honk going through St Louis. I hope he heard us. Ended up staying overnight to rest becasue the tickets were 4 hours late in delivery due to the snowpocalypse. Drving through states that have no idea of how to deal with snow is incredibly dangerous. I strongly discourage anyone from doing so. Missouri was competent in snow removal for the most part, but near the southern end things got dicey. Then we entered Oklahoma. AKA- The land forsaken by God. It was a shock to see that Oklahome doesnt use salt to melt snow, or know how operate the 4 snowplows the entire state has to share. Instead they drop several inches of what I assume is snow mixed with elmers glue that makes creative shaped piles of sand on top of the snow. The result is like driving on ruble strips in the breakdown land for roughly a few hundred miles. The other entertaining part was that instead of having a 2 land highway, the 4 snowplow operators would randomly decide to only plow half of the right hand lane, at irregular intervals. The effect os while driving, your lane would suddenly disappear. There were so many abandoned cars in ditches, and on the side of the highway plowed in so they are covered up to the roof that I though it was the set of Stephen Kings "the Stand". How do you know Oklahoma doesnt know how to plow snow? We saw two snowplows on theor SIDES overturned in ditches. On the bright side, the snow and horrible roads enabled us to completely miss the crushing poverty and despair that pervaded every section of Oklahoma that my Garmin had us tour.

 

On to Texas. Instant black ice and pickup trucks in ditches everywhere. However texas actually had police and public works people out putting down warning signs and safe detours. That was very well done.

 

Went to downtown Dallas to go to the NFL experience area. The line was 2 1/2 hours long so we skipped it to walk around Dallas. That is where I got to literally run into John harbaugh coming around a blind corner in a store selling custom cowboy boots and hats and enormous belt buckles. he was there with an entourage and his broither, and seemed very nice. We then decided to head over to Fort Worth to see the ESPN broadcast area. The Sundance area was great, packed with fans, and the atmosphere was amazing. Had some good BBQ at a place called Riskeys and proceeded to bar hop until we had a drink at a hotel bar where we ran into Keyshawn Johnson, who actually was very nice.

 

gameday. Went to the stadium at 11AM, and walked around the whole facility, which seemed to be roughly 3 miles in diameter. Saw a ton of real "characters" from both teams, but everyone was incredibly respectful and good natured.

 

We get in line at 2Pm to get in early and walk the stadium. This is where things go downhill. The "maps" didnt have a "you are here" key, and there was NO ONE that knew where to go or was directing traffic. Then people are packed, and I mean PACKED into an area much much smaller than the amount of people that were there. Adding to the awesomness was a complete lack of cell phone coverage for everyone. Then a rumor comes out that they didnt open enough gates for whatever reason. Again, no communication about this at all to anyone in line directly, even though they have huge monitors showing HFL highlights and stating what you cant bring in the stadium. I ended up helping a guy carry one of his kids that was getting crushed by pushing fans. The big crowd gets herded like cattle to a switchback line. Some douchebags start jumping barriers to get in quicker (from both team bases) and just kept making the problem worse. the fact that this was all done in an inch of mud really helped the situation, plus the fact there was no way to go to the restroom AT ALL. Complete screwup by the NFL. Horribly, horribly, horribly mismanged.

 

then the rumor about tickets starts about sections being closed. Kids and people start getting pissed and kids start to cry. Again, no information from the NFL, just rumors. A lot of "Jerry sucks" were going around. But this was 100% NFL and nothing to do with Jerry Jones. In fact, the staff and facilities at the game were top notch. I tip my hat to Jerry from an operational standpoint (except for the extra seating crap). The staff was very very helpful and well mannered, and the concessions were extrenely efficient and friendly. Jerry Jones IMO did well. Finally get in with 20 minutes to spare, and have to run to our seats to get ready for the National anthem.

 

the game was electric. The atmosphere was charged with such intensity it was almost a physical presence. Christine Aguliera screwed up the National Anthem, but the feeling was still there. watching your team play in the Super Bowl live was amazing. The crowd, the atmosphere, the fans of both teams, everything was surreal. being used to going to Packer games, the split in fan bases was very different to expereince for an NFL game. The Steeler fans were really very very classy and respectful. Hats off to them all the way around. I almost hated beating them, as you could see that they are as dedicated and insane as Packer fans can be.

 

the halftime show was great IMO. I saw the replay at home today )I DVRed the game and watched it again ) and the sound was HORRIBLE. It was not that way in the stadium. the full sound was blasting and it was a really really good concert. It stinks that FOX screwed up the sound for the broadcast. The second half was incredibly stressful. Seeing Woodson on the sidelines, Driver ina boot and feeling the momentum slide to the Steelers was very very difficult. I was gripping the guardrail ahead of me so hard It felt like I was leaving fingerprints in the metal. When the game finally ended with the 4th down incompletion (and I STILL cant beleive they didnt call a timeout , especially when Wallace had no idea what was going on the two plays prior) I was in shock. going nuts with all the Packer fans around us, celebrating and screaming myself hoarse.

 

When the clock ticked to zero and it sunk in that the Packers were the champs, I remembered I had a camera and started to take a ton of pictures. I was able to walk down closer to the field (like 8 rows away) and take pics of players celebrating. It was completely surreal and a moment i will never forget.

 

Celebrated a LOT that night . . but that story is best unsaid.

 

Driving back, 95% of the snow was gone. It was a lot easier going back. I really got to embrace the crushing depression and poverty of Oklahoma. It really was very sad. It was either broken down trailers, indian casinos or "antique stores" and flea markets. I think the flea markets were actually selling fleas. There were more closed boarded up businesses than open businesses. This was for a few hundred miles. We can blather about gubmnet policies all we want, but you get a sense that these people have no options, no hope, no ability to do anything more than where they are right now. There were no chain restaurants besides a local-ish place called Braum's. You KNOW there is no money in an area when you cant even see a McDonalds for 75 miles.

 

to anyone . . . I mean ANYONE that really loves football, you ahve to try and attend a Super Bowl, the atmosphere, the people, the game, everything is amazing. It was worth every single penny. Seeing my team win a Super Bowl was an experience I will never ever forget.

 

Dallas, Fort Worth and Jerry Jones all did a great job IMO across the board. the people were friendly as hell (except for the couple hundred religious fanatics accosting people outside the game and the legions of people selling garbage to people after the game, but I digress . .) and were very welcoming. the NFL screwed the pooch by messing up the secrity, poorly communicating . .well . .everything and really screwed up the whole ticket situation for a lot of fans. thank GOD I got good seats earlier in the week. 4

 

Congrats to the 2010 Super Bowl Champions . . .the GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!

 

 

So your saying this was better than attending the SB party at my bar last year????

[bpwallace49]

So your saying this was better than attending the SB party at my bar last year????

 

Yes.

 

Yes it was. Sorry buddy . . . .

[tazinib1]

Yes.

 

Yes it was. Sorry buddy . . . .

 

Well I would surely hope so!!

 

And BTW: Those trailers you saw in Oklahoma were more than likely FEMA trailers left over from Katrina. Seriously.

[gbpfan1231]

First off, I attend 3-5 Green Bay packer games every year. I am a die hard fan, and for ANY fan if your team makes it to the Super Bowl, making a trip happen should be very very seriously considered.

 

I drove down with a friend. I warned twiley that I would honk going through St Louis. I hope he heard us. Ended up staying overnight to rest becasue the tickets were 4 hours late in delivery due to the snowpocalypse. Drving through states that have no idea of how to deal with snow is incredibly dangerous. I strongly discourage anyone from doing so. Missouri was competent in snow removal for the most part, but near the southern end things got dicey. Then we entered Oklahoma. AKA- The land forsaken by God. It was a shock to see that Oklahome doesnt use salt to melt snow, or know how operate the 4 snowplows the entire state has to share. Instead they drop several inches of what I assume is snow mixed with elmers glue that makes creative shaped piles of sand on top of the snow. The result is like driving on ruble strips in the breakdown land for roughly a few hundred miles. The other entertaining part was that instead of having a 2 land highway, the 4 snowplow operators would randomly decide to only plow half of the right hand lane, at irregular intervals. The effect os while driving, your lane would suddenly disappear. There were so many abandoned cars in ditches, and on the side of the highway plowed in so they are covered up to the roof that I though it was the set of Stephen Kings "the Stand". How do you know Oklahoma doesnt know how to plow snow? We saw two snowplows on theor SIDES overturned in ditches. On the bright side, the snow and horrible roads enabled us to completely miss the crushing poverty and despair that pervaded every section of Oklahoma that my Garmin had us tour.

 

On to Texas. Instant black ice and pickup trucks in ditches everywhere. However texas actually had police and public works people out putting down warning signs and safe detours. That was very well done.

 

Went to downtown Dallas to go to the NFL experience area. The line was 2 1/2 hours long so we skipped it to walk around Dallas. That is where I got to literally run into John harbaugh coming around a blind corner in a store selling custom cowboy boots and hats and enormous belt buckles. he was there with an entourage and his broither, and seemed very nice. We then decided to head over to Fort Worth to see the ESPN broadcast area. The Sundance area was great, packed with fans, and the atmosphere was amazing. Had some good BBQ at a place called Riskeys and proceeded to bar hop until we had a drink at a hotel bar where we ran into Keyshawn Johnson, who actually was very nice.

 

gameday. Went to the stadium at 11AM, and walked around the whole facility, which seemed to be roughly 3 miles in diameter. Saw a ton of real "characters" from both teams, but everyone was incredibly respectful and good natured.

 

We get in line at 2Pm to get in early and walk the stadium. This is where things go downhill. The "maps" didnt have a "you are here" key, and there was NO ONE that knew where to go or was directing traffic. Then people are packed, and I mean PACKED into an area much much smaller than the amount of people that were there. Adding to the awesomness was a complete lack of cell phone coverage for everyone. Then a rumor comes out that they didnt open enough gates for whatever reason. Again, no communication about this at all to anyone in line directly, even though they have huge monitors showing HFL highlights and stating what you cant bring in the stadium. I ended up helping a guy carry one of his kids that was getting crushed by pushing fans. The big crowd gets herded like cattle to a switchback line. Some douchebags start jumping barriers to get in quicker (from both team bases) and just kept making the problem worse. the fact that this was all done in an inch of mud really helped the situation, plus the fact there was no way to go to the restroom AT ALL. Complete screwup by the NFL. Horribly, horribly, horribly mismanged.

 

then the rumor about tickets starts about sections being closed. Kids and people start getting pissed and kids start to cry. Again, no information from the NFL, just rumors. A lot of "Jerry sucks" were going around. But this was 100% NFL and nothing to do with Jerry Jones. In fact, the staff and facilities at the game were top notch. I tip my hat to Jerry from an operational standpoint (except for the extra seating crap). The staff was very very helpful and well mannered, and the concessions were extrenely efficient and friendly. Jerry Jones IMO did well. Finally get in with 20 minutes to spare, and have to run to our seats to get ready for the National anthem.

 

the game was electric. The atmosphere was charged with such intensity it was almost a physical presence. Christine Aguliera screwed up the National Anthem, but the feeling was still there. watching your team play in the Super Bowl live was amazing. The crowd, the atmosphere, the fans of both teams, everything was surreal. being used to going to Packer games, the split in fan bases was very different to expereince for an NFL game. The Steeler fans were really very very classy and respectful. Hats off to them all the way around. I almost hated beating them, as you could see that they are as dedicated and insane as Packer fans can be.

 

the halftime show was great IMO. I saw the replay at home today )I DVRed the game and watched it again ) and the sound was HORRIBLE. It was not that way in the stadium. the full sound was blasting and it was a really really good concert. It stinks that FOX screwed up the sound for the broadcast. The second half was incredibly stressful. Seeing Woodson on the sidelines, Driver ina boot and feeling the momentum slide to the Steelers was very very difficult. I was gripping the guardrail ahead of me so hard It felt like I was leaving fingerprints in the metal. When the game finally ended with the 4th down incompletion (and I STILL cant beleive they didnt call a timeout , especially when Wallace had no idea what was going on the two plays prior) I was in shock. going nuts with all the Packer fans around us, celebrating and screaming myself hoarse.

 

When the clock ticked to zero and it sunk in that the Packers were the champs, I remembered I had a camera and started to take a ton of pictures. I was able to walk down closer to the field (like 8 rows away) and take pics of players celebrating. It was completely surreal and a moment i will never forget.

 

Celebrated a LOT that night . . but that story is best unsaid.

 

Driving back, 95% of the snow was gone. It was a lot easier going back. I really got to embrace the crushing depression and poverty of Oklahoma. It really was very sad. It was either broken down trailers, indian casinos or "antique stores" and flea markets. I think the flea markets were actually selling fleas. There were more closed boarded up businesses than open businesses. This was for a few hundred miles. We can blather about gubmnet policies all we want, but you get a sense that these people have no options, no hope, no ability to do anything more than where they are right now. There were no chain restaurants besides a local-ish place called Braum's. You KNOW there is no money in an area when you cant even see a McDonalds for 75 miles.

 

to anyone . . . I mean ANYONE that really loves football, you ahve to try and attend a Super Bowl, the atmosphere, the people, the game, everything is amazing. It was worth every single penny. Seeing my team win a Super Bowl was an experience I will never ever forget.

 

Dallas, Fort Worth and Jerry Jones all did a great job IMO across the board. the people were friendly as hell (except for the couple hundred religious fanatics accosting people outside the game and the legions of people selling garbage to people after the game, but I digress . .) and were very welcoming. the NFL screwed the pooch by messing up the secrity, poorly communicating . .well . .everything and really screwed up the whole ticket situation for a lot of fans. thank GOD I got good seats earlier in the week. 4

 

Congrats to the 2010 Super Bowl Champions . . .the GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!

That was me - why didn't you say hello?

Edited February 9, 2011 by gbpfan1231

[SEC=UGA]

When the Super Bowl was here in Atlanta I went to Buckhead after the game. Some huge dude named Ray punched me in the face and then I heard an hours or so later that he shanked someone out on the street in front of the bar. Super Bowl festivities can get kinda outta hand sometimes.

[The Holy Roller]

First off, I attend 3-5 Green Bay packer games every year. I am a die hard fan, and for ANY fan if your team makes it to the Super Bowl, making a trip happen should be very very seriously considered.

 

I drove down with a friend. I warned twiley that I would honk going through St Louis. I hope he heard us. Ended up staying overnight to rest becasue the tickets were 4 hours late in delivery due to the snowpocalypse. Drving through states that have no idea of how to deal with snow is incredibly dangerous. I strongly discourage anyone from doing so. Missouri was competent in snow removal for the most part, but near the southern end things got dicey. Then we entered Oklahoma. AKA- The land forsaken by God....

 

So I take it you went down I-44 from St. Louis to Oklahoma. Then that means you drove through my little home town of St. James Missouri (we're right on the interstate). Everything west of us becomes the Land That Time Forgot (Oklahoma basically). Glad you had a great Super Bowl experience and thanks for sharing it with us.

Edited February 9, 2011 by The Holy Roller

[wiegie]

So BP went to the Super Bowl? I didn't know that.

 

 

[bpwallace49]

So I take it you went down I-44 from St. Louis to Oklahoma. Then that means you drove through my little home town of St. James Missouri (we're right on the interstate). Everything west of us becomes the Land That Time Forgot (Oklahoma basically). Glad you had a great Super Bowl experience and thanks for sharing it with us.

 

Yes. that is the route we took.

[chester]

the halftime show was great IMO. I saw the replay at home today )I DVRed the game and watched it again ) and the sound was HORRIBLE. It was not that way in the stadium. the full sound was blasting and it was a really really good concert. It stinks that FOX screwed up the sound for the broadcast.

 

My friend was there and siad that the sound was so bad that he actually couldn't hear most of it. He asid it was cool to watch but didn't even know what they were singing half of the time. He was sitting very high up.

[bpwallace49]

My friend was there and siad that the sound was so bad that he actually couldn't hear most of it. He asid it was cool to watch but didn't even know what they were singing half of the time. He was sitting very high up.

 

Maybe that was the problem?