Super Bowl XLVIII in NYC

I've never been lucky enough to live in a city that hosted the Super Bowl. And while the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers both were eliminated before the Big Game, that doesn't mean that we couldn't enjoy all of the Super Bowl festivities that were popping up all over the city last week.

Evidence of SBXLVIII started last Monday, when Herald Square, my work hood, was transformed into Super Bowl headquarters.  In the history of New York, Broadway had only been shut down for 9 hours total...until this week...when 20 or so blocks of Broadway were shut down for an entire WEEK!  Talk about a logistical traffic nightmare!

Broadway was completely transformed into a Super Bowl Wonderland from Herald Square all the way up to Times Square.  Every storefront on the entire street was converted into a Super Bowl theme, the street signs were re-named on Broadway to read "Super Bowl Boulevard" and over the course of the week, several different booths opened up with exciting SBXLVIII experiences open to the public.  There was even a 60 foot toboggan in the middle of Herald Square! And I'm pretty sure I'm in the background of some ESPN correspondence during my morning commute to the office as the ESPN broadcast was transported to Herald Square for the week.

As soon as I received an agenda of events, and found out that my man Matt Forte was making an appearance at the GMC autograph tent to sign goodies for Bears fans for free....I found it imperative that I take an extended lunch so that I could meet one of my favorite Chicago Bears.  It was 18 degrees, my eyes were watering, my toes and my face were purple and numb, I stood out in the cold for 43 minutes, and I did not have the benefit of any media connections to jump the line, but I returned back to the office with a beautiful John Hancock from Matt Forte that I proudly waved in the air.  What's even better is that my new treasure turned into an early birthday present for my pops - how can you beat that!  An autograph from the one, the only, Matt Forte, obtained through love and dedication....like a TRUE Bear's fan.

If that wasn't invaluable enough, Super Bowl weekend hosted a smorgasbord of parties featuring some of the best in music.  From Jay Z at the Direct TV party to the Foo Fighters and Zach Brown Band.  And what good is it working in media, if you can't flex your connections to get into the hottest party in town during the ONLY time I've lived in a Super Bowl host city?  So that means that Mike and I spent the entire weekend at the Bud Light Hotel.  Not only did Bud Light rent out an enormous cruise ship docked next to the Intrepid on the Hudson, but they rented out an entire space across the West Side Highway to showcase a pretty incredible lineup for the entire weekend.

The two night extravaganza was pretty incredible.  From the random run ins on night #1 with some older team members from work, to the front row view of Zac Brown Band we had on night #2, to fraternizing with some of the funniest people in Hollywood in a special VIP section, and an epic first ever time for the Mobleys to see the Foo Fighters TOGETHER (Dave Grohl is a GOD!).  It was a truly exhilarating and exhausting weekend all at the same time and one that was special in so many ways and so representative of New York.

By the time the actual game took place, we were ready for a quiet night in with friends rather than the New York spectacles we'd been wrapped up in over the course of the week.  And after the somewhat under-whelming game, after the Empire State Building had reflected it's last lights in support of the winning team, and after all of the confetti had
settled, the city was completely back to normal. Broadway is now fully open, and the traffic has resumed it's normal pace (regardless of the fact that we are now getting POUNDED with more snow, just hours after a perfectly clear night for the Super Bowl).  And as fun as it was hosting, I'm glad to have my commute officially cleared of all the Seahawks fans!


I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to partake in the Super Bowl festivities over the past week.  I think that the events of the week were executed as flawlessly as possible in the city that never sleeps, and New York was a fantastic host city.  Even though we didn't get out to the game, and even though the Bears and the Niners were not Super Bowl participants OR victors, it felt like we were fully immersed in all things Super Bowl.  What a special opportunity for us to be able to enjoy all of this fun right in our own backyard.  While we are sad to say goodbye to our favorite sport for the next 7 months - we are looking forward to having some productive Sundays now.  We hope everyone had a wonderful & safe Super Bowl, and here is to the 2014 Football Season!  GO BEARS!