The Definitive Guide to Doing the Super Bowl Right in New Orleans
How to Make the Big Game, Big Easy
Hi friend.
I enjoy writing for friends and especially football friends so consider me that.
If you don’t know me, I am what the Nu People call A Media Personality.
One of my passions, generally and with football specifically, is to make things easier and cooler for people. The best use cases for the internet let you do that with your mind.
If you are reading this, it is a representation of many human dreams. If you want a normal basic NOLA guide, ask a chatb0t.
Anyway, I have already far surpassed every great dream I ever had as a kid, and really, the only thing I want is my family and friends to be uplifted and thrive.
In particular, I want to experience Houston in the Super Bowl.
I have many Texas football friends, and I love a Houston Football Show.
A Current Working Theory Relating to Ws is This:
The more a football team aligns with the best of football at all levels in Texas, the more it wins.
Is this bragging?
Do we have to label our thoughts shared with friends? No, we do not.
This is one of 234,834,958,794,857 football conversations I enjoy having with Real Ones. Conversations about competitive edges of all sorts.
How can we, as individuals and as a group, use our limited resources to make the biggest wins, where everyone truly wins, people are uplifted, and everyone is friends?
That is the feeling I crave, seek out.
If you enjoy football people wins, you need to go where they live.
Super Bowl is football fun heaven, if you do it well.
We Are Talking About Practice. Controlling What We Can Control.
I have covered sports, and more specifically, the Houston Texans in a public capacity since 2006. Just looking for niches to help make things easier and cooler for everybody.
When I was a kid, I used to think it was weird when people talked about “staying present” as a “practice.”
And really, it is basic. The more you practice things well, it becomes easier, more like breathing than thinking.
So, I am practicing having extremely enjoyable times at Super Bowls, seeing various cool and easy ways to do them.
Here’s how I practice Super Bowling:
1. What Experience do you Want?
For the last Super Bowl in New Orleans, I wrote a feature for Chron.com about trying to go to as many cool parties as I could. Like an absurd, exhausting amount.
After doing that, I will say, you do not need to do that to have a good time. In fact, if you do that, by the time the Super Bowl happens, you might need a nap if the power goes out during the game.
It’s an all-night city! You have no idea how much alcohol is in a Hurricane or other mystery drink! There are way too many things to do and see and eat and eat.
Maybe pick a few people or things you really want to focus on. Or try to do everything, it is your trip.
New Orleans wants to fill your cup, and uplift you with the spirit of Everything is Art. And It’s your responsibility to not have your cup has overrunneth, spilleth, definitely not puketh.
Or just go where your feet go and enjoy it. Let New Orleans entertain you because that’s what they enjoy doing.
2. Football People
Best Super Bowling is hanging out with different kinds of football people.
So much NFL is there. In New Orleans, it can be hard not to run into people you know because most of the cool stuff is in a compact area.
It’s nice to find a crew of people to hang out with.
I have plenty of friends with both the Eagles and Kansas City, and don’t have much of a rooting interest other than the usual good game, no injuries.
Will say that I am always rooting for is hanging out with fun fans. Usually, it is evenly split between which fanbase is the most fun.
The only Super Bowl with a big difference between party fun was the Prince Super Bowl in Miami.
I can unequivocally say that Bears fans were more fun than Colts fans, which may track your assumptions unless you are an NFC North rival fan.
I’m fine with KC people, as they are generally affable unless they are overly insistent about their kind of BBQ and want to rank it. I am against all ranking of arts, particularly the cooking arts, unless there are good reasons.
Like Andy Reid, I am all about the food.
Eagles folks are usually good with me because they are happy I am from Houston and not a Cowboys fan.
Some of my favorite times at Super Bowls were finding a dive bar with some fast friends, listening to music, and playing darts.
3. Logistics is a Form of Happiness – Things I’ve Learned
Lots of people in a compact place can mean traffic delays.
If you are going to a specific event, try to get to that area of town very early. The compact Super Bowls where you can walk are very fun, but you do not want to be in a hurry in a car to get anywhere.
Some events are over-subscribed. If you are very much interested in an event, get there early.
The NFL Experience has so many events, you cannot see them all, but you will definitely find things that interest you. There’s an app for it of course.
Also there are apps to show you when parades are happening.
Many charities host events during this time because sports people often want to use their celebrity in philanthropic ways. Love having fun and do good at the same time.
So. Many. Podcasts.
Check out the remotes. Met some amazing people at pod events.
The Big Easy. How can you create an experience for yourself that is just pure joy? Do you find yourself rushing to do things. Maybe just don’t.
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4. The Culture
Our public discourse a lot of times focuses on complaint.
The other day I was looking on a hotel site with reviews, and one of the funniest was someone complaining that the room was “too big.” Okay then.
For any culture—football, a fan base, a city, any culture—you can find objections to it.
We are people, we ain’t perfect.
But if you are a Professional Appreciator like myself, the beauty is taking the best of a culture, consider it, and let the parts you dig live in your heart.
New Orleans is a great city for that. And the best of football culture is pristine. New Orleans, like Houston, is good at putting on a great Football Show. Hope it is a great one, no injuries.
Anyway, if you are there, I hope to see you unless I don’t. Please say hi.
Cheers,
Steph
Stephanie Stradley has covered the Texans for the Houston Chronicle online since 2006. She has written about sports and other topics for various outlets, including at AOL Sports' FanHouse from 2006-11. You can find her on Twitter @StephStradley.
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