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The National Football League truly shines on Super Bowl weekend. Each year the NFL invades a different host city, as pro football culture infiltrates every facet of the region. This year South Florida played host to Super Bowl XLIV pitting the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints in what was an incredible Super Bowl matchup. I was on hand throughout Super Bowl Weekend to take in the sites and provide a full report on the goings on in both camps as pro tailgaters and die-hards from both Indianapolis and from the Big Easy took to the South Florida shores the first week of February to celebrate their team’s participation in a World Championship. My ticket to the Super Bowl was provided by the fine folks at TicketCity.com, an exceptional online resource NFL tickets. So with a ticket to attend the greatest of professional league championships, I prepared for the South Florida pregame by seeking out the biggest and best pregame parties for both the Indianapolis Colts fans and New Orleans Saints fans.

Arriving in Orlando on Friday afternoon, I had to rent a car and drive down the eastern coastline to Miami which took roughly three and a half hours. As I closed in on Miami, I got a call from NY Giants Supefan, Greg Scharfstein. Greg had scored an extra ticket to an exclusive Super Bowl XXV reunion party and asked me to come along. That was the Giants-Bills wide-right debacle that the Bills lost 20-19, the sting of that first missed opportunity still burns me to the core. As a Bills fan I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make an appearance and maybe even exercise some old demons. Either way it had begun. I was in South Florida on Super Bowl Weekend and what better way to celebrate my first trip to the Super Bowl than to revisit the glory years of my beloved Buffalo Bills.  Ex-players such as Leonard Marshall, Darryl Tally, Butch Rolle , and Otis Anderson made appearances with ESPN on the air perfroming live radio interviews and full coverage of the event.

After the reunion party, I headed over to the Shuck N Dive Cajun Cafe, a New Orleans themed bar and restaurant owned by LSU alum, Chef Dan “Staz” Stasi for the Who Nation Pep Rally and Crawfish Boil. The Shuck N Dive served as headquarters for Saints faithful throughout the weekend. By the time we arrived, the party was in full gear as black and gold dominated the parking lot with patrons spilling out of the restaurant. Chef Staz has assembled an impressive menu of Crescent City foodstuffs complete with imported boiled crawfish and Abita Beer on tap. Talking to many of the Louisiana natives gathered around the bar, they were very impressed by the quality of the food at Shuck N Dive, praising ownership for capturing the genuine flavor of the local cuisine that few can match outside of the New Orleans. Several beers later and after meeting several new friends, I was actually recognized by some as that “Quest for 31 Guy” … that was pretty cool.

Saturday morning I was up early and headed to South Beach, or Black and Gold Central as it appeared to me. Throughout the weekend, South Beach was dominated by folks dressed in Saints colors and the New Orleans Saints war cry, “Who Dat!”, could be heard all over the strip. The NFL had setup a series of public events throughout the weekend including free concerts, fireworks displays, and a celebrity beach bowl featuring a flag football contest with celebs and ex-NFL players, so there was plenty to do throughout the weekend. There were some NFL artifact and interactive displays, ESPN had setup their satellite studio, and merchandisers and sponsors setup giveaways throughout the day. Whether you were a Saints fan or a Colts fan, South Beach was the place to be. It certainly could not be beat for people-watching, sun bathing, or grabbing a bite to eat. The Fat Tuesdays restaurant on the beach seemed to be the gathering spot for Saints fans as the thundering base and brass of “Black & Gold (Who Dat!)” by K.Gates was played on a constant loop throughout the weekend. The number of people that mobbed the area was intimidating, but there were surprisingly very few incidents throughout the weekend.  I gotta believe this is a testament  to the southern hospitality of Saints fans and Midwestern laid back demeanor of the folks from Indianapolis. Fans were rowdy, they represented their respective teams, but there was a mutual respect that kept things from getting out of control and that was refreshing to see.

Saturday night I hit Café Iguana to hang with the Indy Blue Crew in Hollywood, Florida. Café Iguana is actually located in a strip mall.  For some reason, several bars down in South Florida are in strip malls (what’s up with that by the way?), but it was a massive complex boasting 4000 square feet of Indianapolis Colts Pre-Game Celebration. Café Iguana management setup an all you can eat roast beef tailgate buffet with drink specials throughout the night, as Colts fans from all over South Florida gathered at the largest fan party in the region. Three different DJ were spinning tunes throughout the night as fans collected around multiple bar areas, billiards tables, VIP sections, or the jam-packed dance floor. I spent most of the evening in the front portion of the bar reconnecting with Blue Crew members I had met during my visit to Lucas Oil Stadium earlier in the year. By the time I made my way to the back of the bar I was floored by how large the complex actually was. If the Colts had managed a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, Café Iguana was where you needed to be.

Ensuring I was completely sober before getting behind the wheel, so as not to ruin my Super Bowl experience by spending it behind bars, I left Café Iguana to get a couple hours of sleep in preparation for the main event.  All in all, heading down to South Florida in advance to allow for a couple days of pregame celebration during Super Bowl was well worth it.

Check out my Super Bowl review here.      
 

Click on the Official Super Bowl XLIV Visitor's Guide above for more information on Super Bowl
Weekend in Miami