Super Bowl XXXI
Having the opportunity to attend Super Bowl XXXI in New Orlean,
LA, was one of the most exciting activities I ever did. It cost a lot,
but the memories are lasting forever.The Opportunity
While at American Digital Cartography, we talked about going, but it
never became serious. I was not a season ticket holder at the time and
thought it would be impossible to go. One day Andy Bader and I heard
about someone selling packages for the game (tickets, hotel, airfare)
for $2,000. We both proceeded to ask our wives and unbelievably got
permission to go.The Trip
I remember going to the airport and seeing the 747's there, all there to take people to the Super Bowl. Our plane was owned by Kalitta Air and by the time we got on we sat in the very last row, in the middle section. We the pilot started to take off, he revved the engines like I never heard before and just kept the brakes on. We went down the runway with the back wheels on the ground for a long time. I remember seeing snow out the side windows, which I assumed to be the grass and our wheels were still on the ground (the runway must not have been long enough). We did take off and the only other thing I remember was that the pilot informed us we would be flying in Louisianna just after a storm cell with torndoes just passed through. I could imagine how bumpy that flilght could have been on a smaller jet.New Orleans and Bourbon Street
We took the package that gave us extras days before the game and could
fly out the day after. We got put up at the Settle Inn on the outside
of New Orleans. It was the worst hotel I ever saw. The lobby and
hallways smelled like rotting corpes and I sprayed hairspray on our
walls in the room. We heard others gripe about water, bugs and even
mice. Once we got back and everyone started to complain about the
hotel, the tour company gave us all a $100 rebate.Bourbon Street was interesting to say the least. Crowded is an understatement. At night when it really filled up, you could get swept away in the river of people when you had to cross an interesecting street. We had some good, authentic cajun food and enjoyed watching the people. We were lucky to be able to get a table on a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street and see the girls as they "asked" for beads. Funny how alcohol can make girls do funny things to get a cheap set of plastic beads.
The Big Game
The day of the game I bought a leather Super Bowl XXXI jackets for
$150, when it was $300 just the day before. I met my brother who flew
down that day and he took it to the game and brought it home for me.On to the game we went, of course showing up early to take everything in. I don't really remember all that when on, pre-show and other stuff, however, I remember the game itself quite well. The opening score and subsequent interception and field goal, to feeling horrible as they caught up and went ahead. Seeing an excited Brett Favre and watching Reggie White take the game into his hands in the fourth quarter and going bonkers when Desmond Howard ran back the kick-off for a touchdown.
Since Then
I still have a lot of the momentos from the trip and to this day
consider it the best $2000 I ever spent.I purchased an autographed photos of Brett Favre running off the field after he threw the first touchdown of the game. On it I put my ticket stub and a gold-plated replica of the flip coin.
