Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix/Glendale Thread

[Evo5Boise]

This has to be one of the lamest Superbowls I can remember in a long time.

[HX_Guy]

Huh? The Superbowl hasn't started yet.

How about this weather though? People from the NE were probably expecting to come to sunny Arizona and here it is raining inches...plus it's supposed to rain next Sunday too, so much for having the stadium roof open huh?

[Tfom]

There's no way they can tell if it going to be raining seven days from now, so I wouldn't worry.

[tempedude]

Originally Posted by Evo5Boise

This has to be one of the lamest Superbowls I can remember in a long time.

Define lamest super bowl....in what terms?

[PHX NATIVE 929]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7...tting-the-road

[PHX31]

Lame article. The worst part about the Super Bowl are all of the so-called experts out there giving Phoenix a bad name.

"Let's start with that dateline. OK, the media has been shepherded into downtown Phoenix and the game will be contested in the western suburb of Glendale. Glendale, a truly ambitious town, is home to the University of Phoenix Stadium, which looks something like a load of Jiffy Pop just moments before the payoff.

Anyway, although Glendale is giving its all, you don't want to spend much time there unless you're staying with someone who lives in Glendale and is refusing to charge rent. And if you don't have Suns tickets, downtown Phoenix can be as slow as a refund check."

I just don't get it... it's not even true, it's not even funny, so how does this guy have a job?

Anyway, has anyone else realized that First Friday will occur this Friday right before the Super Bowl? Some out of towners are bound to stumble upon First Friday, so, that's one good thing for downtown.

[tempedude]

Originally Posted by PHX NATIVE 929

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7...tting-the-road

the guy who wrote that article is a tool....i want to stuff a fresh hot steaming bag of jiffy pop up his....uh never mind

[Buckeye Native 001]

Went to the NFL Experience yesterday (Sunday) with my dad.

First things first, obviously it never crossed minds of the people who set up the exhibit that there could be rain (I don't necessarily fault them, that was one hell of a freak rain shower yesterday), so other than the tents already set up, there wasn't much protection from the rain, and it was pretty damn muddy.

It may be due to the rain, but granted there's "Superbowl XLII" logos plastered all over the Westgate Complex, I didn't really get the feeling, outside of the NFL Experience, that the site will be hosting the biggest event in major sports in less than a week. Maybe its the way UofP Stadium is designed, but they could do some things to spice up the exterior of the building a little bit more with some color (floodlights?), Super Bowl/Giants/Pats banners and whatnot (maybe there's plans to, its just too early?). They could look to the Louisiana Superdome for reference/inspiration (the things they do with floodlights there at night are amazing). There's a large "XLII" marquee outside the main entrance, but other than that, there's not much else going on.

I realize, however, that Westgate still has some more development in the works, and maybe there weren't as many decorations as I thought there'd be because of the rain? If so, my judgement is heavily skewed for that reason.

Anyway, unless you love playing football games on Xbox and Playstation, there's not much else to the NFL Experience. My dad and I went hoping to see some memorabilia and exhibits pertaining to the history of the NFL and the Super Bowl, and what they had was neat, but for those of you who plan on going for that reason alone, its not worth the $17.50 admission. Save up and go visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio if you're looking for a history lesson.

[PhxSprawler]

Originally Posted by PHX31

Lame article. The worst part about the Super Bowl are all of the so-called experts out there giving Phoenix a bad name.

Anyway, has anyone else realized that First Friday will occur this Friday right before the Super Bowl? Some out of towners are bound to stumble upon First Friday, so, that's one good thing for downtown.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was a local. As much as the truth hurts, would you recommend Glendale as a must-see destination for out-of-towners visiting for their first time? I know my out-of-town guests are going to be in Scottsdale for nightlife.

Having said that, the downtown Phoenix comment was certainly off. I am sure there will be lines to get in every club and bar downtown during the event. It would be nice if there were more hotels open downtown (like the Sheraton). It sucks that visitors have to stay as far away as Gilbert and Apache Junction just to find a room, especially with the craziness of the FBR Open going on at the same time.

[CANUC]

This guy if a f@#king tool. Just what we need another reporter rehashing washed out stereotypes on such a large public forum (MSN) in order to pander to his New York and New England cronies. How pathetic, going to lowest common denominator for what purpose? To make idiots coming to Phoenix feel better about the piece of crap towns their leaving behind? Sorry for going on a tangent but we got this crap from the media when Diamond Backs played in the World Series, we got this crap when Phoenix passed Philadelphia in population and now we’re getting this garbage because we are hosting the Super Bowl. My question to this “reporter” would be if it’s so hot, so bad, so dangerous and the wild life continues to eat the populous why do this keep coming?

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by PhxSprawler

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was a local. As much as the truth hurts, would you recommend Glendale as a must-see destination for out-of-towners visiting for their first time? I know my out-of-town guests are going to be in Scottsdale for nightlife.

I would also steer people clear of Glendale.

I was mostly talking about the DT Phoenix reference, and even sort of the Scottsdale references. He obviously knows jack shit about Scottsdale and its nightlife (just based on the clubs/restaurants he mentioned). And he knows even less about Phoenix. I mentioned First Friday because I think that (and the fact there will be a couple Suns games) and several of the new bars/clubs in DT may actually surprise some out-of-towners, especially those given a heavy dose of the "Phoenix sucks and there is nothing to do downtown" pill that people like that writer are spewing. I think all of the media types and people staying downtown might actually leave with a favorable view of downtown.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by tempedude

the guy who wrote that article is a tool....i want to stuff a fresh hot steaming bag of jiffy pop up his....uh never mind

columnist = journalist - (balance + responsibility + editorial oversight)

There are exceptions, but for the most part I've found this to be true in all media.

Regrettably, he is local. From the Fox site:

"Not only is Randy Hill a FOXSports.com contributor, he calls Phoenix home."

Maybe we can make him repaint the Sheraton as penance for his Phoenix-bashing?

[Evo5Boise]

Originally Posted by tempedude

Define lamest super bowl....in what terms?

The teams. Not a big Pats supporter and I hate the Giants.

[PHX31]

http://www.nfl.com/photo/photo-galle...000d5d8064d8ad

Maybe this link will work, maybe not, but there are some cool pictures of the downtown phoenix are (related to super bowl stuff) on nfl.com.

[andrewkfromaz]

Meanwhile, for those of us Phoenicians who aren't huge football fans, who are rooting for both teams to lose or who would rather do something different for a change, there's this from the Arizona Republic, containing a few suggestions. Somewhat ironically, none of them are completely incompatible with watching the big game, so we can arrange our schedules accordingly. Or something like that.

[Tfom]

I read the msn article earlier today and I too found it idiotic. He operated under the assumption all people wanted was to go to nightlife (which scottsdale clearly has). But did he ever think people might be actually be interested in doing anything else. Maybe shopping, Art, Antiques, Hiking, Going to a show? Anything!!? The article should be rewritten and tell the truth. The guy doesnt call Phoenix home, he calls scottsdale home and it was a shameless plug for the city.

[HX_Guy]

Looks like more and more people are being taken by surprise by how quiet downtown Phoenix is. I know, I know...we do have some bars and restaurants but image people coming from back east where in downtown you have countless shopping, restaurants, and people...and then coming to what we have here, they're probably all scratching theirs heads a bit.

"Phoenix has a sleepy feel on Monday

It kind of feels like the calm before the storm here. We hope, anyway, otherwise it'll be the most subdued Super Bowl in history. Although the volunteers are smiling, helpful and more than adequately prepared, the media center is buzzing and the teams are here in person and already spilling the cliches, things appear a little sleepy still in Phoenix.

I know, I know, it is just Monday. In other words, it's like saying a marathon isn't all that bad after the fourth mile. But downtown Phoenix feels a bit like a ghost town, something straight out of the Wild West, when the bad guys ride down the street looking for trouble but only find dust and tumbleweeds.

All that will change in time, as I'm sure other nearby areas like Tempe and Scottsdale will be peaking soon enough, but I honestly could've heard a pin drop in the streets today. Just thought it odd, even for a Monday."

http://nflblogs.profootballweekly.co...feel_on_m.html

[HooverDam]

^Meh, it'll be a lot better next time the Super Bowl comes to town. Light Rail Phase 1 will be open and some extensions may be open as well. JSED will hopefully be booming, CityScape will be open, ASU Downtown will be bumping, et cetera. I was kind of surprised to find they put so much stuff in downtown anyway, but I guess its the only place w/ enough convention type space.

EDIT: VV I kinda disagree. Sure the stadium seems like its out in the middle of nowhere right now, but the NW Valley is growing fast. Phoenix is already a multi-hubbed city in the way its developed, so its not like there's no way that area can't develop into another hub. I hope the stretch of Glendale Ave from Downtown Glendale out to the Westgate area can develop and hopefully densify. Eventually light rail will run out to the stadium area, the area will be built up and it'll seem like its right in the middle of everything.

[sundevilgrad]

All of these opinions just reinforce the fact that Phoenix screwed up big time with the whole stadium thing. The stadium should've been built DT or Tempe, where the infrastructure was already in place and people wouldn't have to drive an hour to get to the damn place.

[Downtown_resident]

Get ready for it, guys- there should be a fair amount of the "Phoenix isn't a real city" stuff once the Boston and NYC media roll into town.

When the Pats played in Jacksonville three or four years ago the Boston media pummeled J'ville as a city. While Phoenix has a lot more going on than Jacksonville, the east coasters won't be impressed by the horrendous sprawl and a quiet downtown. I'd expect some of the Jacksonville treatment this week, quite frankly.

On that point, I put together a downtown-related tourist guide on my blog and linked to it on the Boston Globe's web site. First Fridays is at the top of the list. Hopefully we can show off downtown's nascent resurgence to at least a few visitors.

http://downtownphoenix.blogspot.com