One Cardinal Made it To The Super Bowl

     Every sentence of this topic begins the same: This year’s Super Bowl was like no other. The game itself was definitely a historic moment like no other in Super Bowl history — a quarterback winning five Super Bowl’s in his career, leading his team from a 19 point deficit in the final quarter of the game, ending the game tied and forcing the first ever  Super Bowl overtime — but besides the pandemonium that erupted at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Februrary 5th, the experience was the same: like no other.

     Arriving Friday afternoon, at around 5 P.M., the last thing on my mind was enduring the horrendous  traffic the largest city in the second largest state in the U.S. But that was my first taste of Houston: gloomy, packed, and all highway.

     The glamour of Super Bowl weekend was all centralized in the downtown area of Houston. There, football legends like Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw filmed their predictions, speculations, and wardrobe decision in front of crowds chanting and barking their own teams as if they were commentators working pro-bono. Celebreties were getting drinks at hotel bars, and practically every major brand, from Coca-Cola to Snapchat, was there trying to shove free merchandise into your pockets. The end of a great season was upon Houston, and people were celebrating like it was the end of the world.

     Choosing a party to go to during Super Bowl weekend is like reaching into a bag of Jolly Ranchers, it doesn’t matter which one you pull out because they’re all great. This leads one to keep reaching into the bag for more. Instead of staying at one place the whole night, we decided to jump from venue to venue where headliners like Tiesto and DJ Snake were performing. Each venue kept the Super Bowl’s theme colors in mind, so basically anywhere you went in Houston, you were stained with pink and teal.

     After getting over the pink and teal, Saturday was a day surprisingly filled with bowling. Companies like Bud Light and Miller Brewing Company were promoting their brands by handing out free beer and sponsoring rounds of bowling. More people flowed into the shocking amount of bowling alleys sprinkled around Houston than NRG itself. We went to multiple that had the event — since we were kicked out of one after a private party arrived — and could barely breathe. Once our arms got sore and our heads got light from the countless promotions, we decided to leave and enjoy some of the great up-and- coming cuisine that is being established in Houston. The restaurant was authentic Italian, and gave off an intimate feel since, prior to being a restaurant, the establishment was just a house.

     So now that leaves us with Sunday, the big game, the rollercoaster of emotions. We arrived about 5 hours before game time, and were greeted with a line larger than the inauguration this year. After getting through the line and passing the nauseating amount of promotions, we were in. The stadium was thunderous. People were painted from head to toe, popcorn was being sold for twelve dollars, and bathroom lines could span a state’s borders. The Super Bowl was here and all we were waiting for was the game. And once kick off struck, well, you know the rest.