Tales from the Superbowl

I know the Superbowl was a month ago and I am just now blogging about it, oh well it's my blog.  Even though I am a month overdue, I wanted to record this event for my kids and myself, because it was a helluva experience I tell ya! 

We arrived in Miami on Saturday before the game at approximately 4pm.  We took an overpriced taxi to our resort that was located 7 miles from Sun Stadium.  We didn't rent a car, lesson learned, always rent a freaking car people.  We figured this would be the easiest place to stay in regards to getting to and from the game as opposed to South Beach which was a helluva lot further.  Always rent a car and stay in South Beach.

So we get to Miami, and hang out Superbowl style....price gouging at it's best.  Our plan to get to the game, which was 7 miles away, was a taxi, but the nice people at our hotel informed us that may not be the best way since they couldn't promise a taxi would be there to pick us up.  Lucky for us though, the hotel was offering a shuttle service and they would try to squeeze us on if we wanted....I was like hell yeah.  Then I heard the catch....it was a mere 7 miles we needed to travel by shuttle and was it a complimentary shuttle......hell no!  Only $150 per trip......PER PERSON!  That's $300 round trip....PER PERSON.   I shit you not.  That's $25 dollars a mile PER PERSON.  Against my better wishes, we decided to sign up for the shuttle, I mean what else were we to do.  Always rent a car!

The next morning I woke up and came to my senses and told my husband to cancel the shuttle and that my pregnant butt would walk.  Luckily him being of more sane mind., decided walking 7 miles in unfamiliar areas might not be the best idea....thank goodness because we would have only had to cross 2 major interstates to get there.  Over Interstate overpasses that did not allow for pedestrians. 

So at 11am the morning of the game, dressed in our jerseys and all geared up, we were in the hotel lounge checking out the NFL store when I told Josh that I wanted to buy a Superbowl football and catch a cab quickly before the game to the Saints hotel and get it signed.  He didn't think that was the best idea.  I explained that the round trip cab fare was sure to be cheaper than the $300 shuttle service 7 miles to the stadium.  Luckily for us a wonderful New Orleanian wearing her "who dat" shirt overheard me.  Well being from home she would have none of that.  Bonnie, our new friend and life saver, promptly told us to cancel our ridiculously priced shuttle and ride to the game with her and her husband Bob.  And knowing that you can always trust someone wearing a who dat shirt we did just that.

So a half hour later we were headed to the stadium with Bob and Bonnie, who were awesome.  They came from nola without tickets.  They were going to get a deal that day and get their tickets on the way to the game.  Not sure if I would book a hotel and airfare to get there without tickets, but hey it worked for them, well at least Bob, Bonnie was more of a nervous wreck.

On the way to the stadium we stopped and looked at several ticket scalpers, we compared their tickets with ours, feared for our life and even heard a "Josh tell Bonnie to shut up" out of Bob's mouth.  We listened as Bob tried to sell Bonnie on 2 tickets he really wanted.  It was a "great deal" he told her "one ticket (his) was on the 50 yard line row 15 and the other ticket (hers) was in the end zone, row 17....."a really great deal."  Bonnie told Bob she didn't really think she liked those tickets and Josh and I chuckled silently as this went back and forth.  Bob and Bonnie have been married a great many years and I imagine this is the way they work.  We continued on our 7 mile journey, we held on tight and prayed that we would make it the entire 7 miles intact.  Upon arriving to the stadium, we gladly offered to pay for parking and when they would have nothing of it, we insisted on handing over our half of the $75 parking.  We then wished Bob and Bonnie well on their ticket searching endeavor.  They did get tickets......together.   We also made plans and hoped to meet back up with them to catch a ride home, but figured worse come to worse we would get a taxi....hey I saved $600 bucks, a ride home was not high on my priority list....I was there to see the Saints play.

We then headed into Sun Stadium with the 80,000 other people.  We stood in lines like at Disney, but instead of mouse ears people donned black and gold or an awful bright blue.  We entered the gate and it was surreal.  Such a neat experience.  I remember thinking, win or lose there was no place I'd rather have been on that day.  Hours later, we entered the stadium and took our seats, we won the coin toss,  and then the game began.  I have to admit I was very doubtful we would pull out a win, maybe the only Saints fan in the entire stadium who was doubtful, because honestly most of the others weren't.  I watched the first quarter and my doubt increased,  but at some point early in the second quarter right after hearing "Stand up and get crunk" there was no doubt that we could and would pull this off.  Something magical happened on that field and you could feel it throughout the stadium.  Not only did the players know they were going to win, but all at once the fans knew too.  I can't describe it in words, but it was amazing to be there.

When I got home lots of friends wanted to know about our experience, the one thing that really sticks out were the fans.  The Colts fans, dressed in their bright blue, had money. They were just a different class of people, showed up like they owned the place, like they'd been there before and were going to go home champions again.  Carrying their Louis Vuitton's, wearing loads of make up and wearing stilettos for  God's sake. They had Peyton Manning and we were just their road to the championship.  They looked at us with pity because they knew we didn't have a chance, but they also felt that even though they knew we would lose, we should feel like we were winners anyway, because we had made it to the big dance.  The Colts fans were arrogant, that's how I would describe them.

The Saints fans were alive, enthusiastic, there to have a good time and win the damn game.  You saw a  lot of fans there with elder parents or grandparents who waited their entire life for this moment.  Most were your hard working middle class there to witness history in the making.  They took the obnoxious Colts fans comments in stride and were a great representation of our city.  They brought their carefree spirit from Nola with them.  There were several who looked like they probably took out a second mortgage on their trailer to get there.  They were the heart and soul of the team and they were in dat number.

You all know the outcome at this point.  I probably don't need to tell you WE KICKED THE COLTS' ASSES!  As we won the game, tears were shed and if you had on black and gold you hugged your neighbor, even if you didn't know them.  Tears of joy, tears for the many years of heartache, tears for the city that not only needed this win, but wanted this win.  Tears for the players and coaches that brought it to us.

After the trophy presentation, Josh and I headed out with the 1,000s of other who dats, singing and dancing while looking for a cab.  There were none to be had.  There were loads of FREE buses to South Beach, but no shuttle or cab to take us freaking 7 miles. **rent a car or stay in south beach** So after mulling over what to do, we decided to head to the parking lot that we last saw our friends Bob and Bonnie and pray they hadn't left yet.  As our good fortune was clearly flowing that night, we ran into them right as they were about to pull out of the lot.  Bob and Bonnie were as thrilled to see us as we were to see them.  Bonnie was a little scared of being the navigator back to the hotel and was glad Josh was there to do the job.  Their sense of direction was not the best, trust me.  We were just glad they hadn't left us, we had no backup plan at that moment.

We headed back to our hotel that was also the hotel the Colts owner was staying at.  Yes, the owner with all of his nearest and dearest family and friends.  Upon arriving, the staff told us that the hotel was about 90% Colts fans, 8% who dats and 2% of "there's a football game going on? really? who's playing?"  But the few Who Dats that were there continued with an after party in the bar.  We shared a celebratory drink, or water in my case since I was pregnant, with our new friends and  more friends we had just met.  Around 1am  we headed to bed to wake up at 4am to catch our flight home.

It was a short and exhausting weekend, but I cannot tell you how worth it, it was.  I missed my babies, I'm glad I went and witnessed history and made some very new interesting friends Bob and Bonnie....and that I was in dat number when the Saints went marching in!

My kids are still talking about how "dare momma went to da super bowl", they are still singing "Black and Gold in the Superbowl...singing who dat!"  or "Who dat say dey gonna beat dem saints...who dat!"  We are preparing early for next year and still celebrating this one.  Either way it shows I am raising them right!  Who Dat!