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| The heart of the Super Bowl activity will take place in San Francisco, about an hour’s drive from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where the game will be held on Feb. 7. |
Attending the Super Bowl in person is a bucket-list item for
sports fans that seems to get more out of reach every year.
Last season, game tickets on the secondary market at one
point reached an astounding average of $10,000 per seat, according to TiqIQ,
which tracks ticket trends. Because there are only so many radio contests to go
around, many fans who want to be a part of Super Bowl 50 in the San Francisco
Bay Area will need other options.
Luckily for them, the N.F.L. has turned the Super Bowl into
a weeklong affair, organizing happenings in and around the host city that
appeal directly to football fans, as well as the nonfans who are tagging along,
including dining events and free concerts.
The heart of the official Super Bowl activity will take
place in downtown San Francisco, about an hour’s drive from Levi’s Stadium in
Santa Clara, home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50.
If you’re planning to be in the Bay Area in the days leading
up to the game on Feb. 7, it also helps to seek the advice of an insider.
Benjamin Hoffman is one: He is a Brooklynite who grew up in
the East Bay and is preparing to cover his seventh Super Bowl for The New York
Times.
“It’s always interesting, every year, to see what the N.F.L.
puts together in each city,” Mr. Hoffman said. “They always have some kind of
hook. Sometimes it’s effective, sometimes not.”
This year, Super Bowl organizers are playing up the region’s
reputation as a center for technology and innovation, with Keith Bruce, chief
executive of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, promising the “the most
interactive fan experience ever.”
Super Bowl City, which will offer free activities to the
general public, will be set up at the base of Market Street, near the
waterfront, and will run Jan. 30 through Feb. 7. The centerpiece is what
organizers are calling the Fan Energy Zone, which will include the 40-foot-tall
Fan Dome, which allows those interested to play interactive games as digital
avatars that display on giant screens.
Those seeking more football-focused fun can check out the
annual N.F.L. Experience, which is an N.F.L.-themed playland, with games,
autograph sessions with players, youth football clinics and memorabilia
displays. It will be open Jan. 30 through Feb. 7 and will be held at Moscone
Center North and South in San Francisco. Tickets are $25 for children 12 and
under, and $35 for adults.
“If I lived in the Bay Area and this came to town, I’d go to
it,” Mr. Hoffman said. “It’s silly, and ridiculous, but also pretty fun.”
If you’re not that into the football, there’s always the
food.
Mr. Hoffman said that he is looking forward to one thing in
particular.
“I haven’t had a good burrito in 12 years,” he said.
There very well may be one at the Taste of the N.F.L., which
provides attendees the opportunity to sample food of notable chefs from around
the country and to mingle with current and former N.F.L. players. The 25th
edition takes place on Feb. 6 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
This experience does come at a price ($700), but all
proceeds go to food banks located in the 32 cities that are home to N.F.L.
teams, and you will also be treated to a concert by the rock group Third Eye
Blind.
“They get the best local chefs from the big restaurants to
do their signature thing,” Mr. Hoffman said. “The problem for us vegetarians is
that almost every chef’s signature dish is a meat dish.”
Thankfully, vegetarians will have no trouble finding other,
and much more affordable, options in the Bay Area. For a lower-key and classic
San Francisco dining experience, Mr. Hoffman recommends El Farolito in the
Mission District.
“It’s almost clichéd to say it’s ‘the burrito place,’ but it
really is ‘the burrito place’ for a reason,” Mr. Hoffman said, but also added,
“if you find any taqueria in the Mission you’re doing well.”
If you’ve never been to the area and want to hit several of
the key tourist destinations, consider buying a Go San Francisco Card, which is
a customizable, all-inclusive pass to some the area’s top museums and tours,
including a cruise around the Golden Gate Bridge.
And infrequent visitors should take care to pack appropriate
clothing. Just because it’s California does not mean it’s always warm and
sunny.
“There’s a certain rite of passage of going to San Francisco
as a tourist, or even a local who lives outside of the city, of every time you
go, you have to buy something to keep you warmer,” Mr. Hoffman said. “There’s a
whole thriving tourist economy based on hooded sweatshirts.”
Article and images sourced from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/travel/san-francisco-super-bowl-50.html?_r=3
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