INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Wayne computer specialist Raul Rubalcada remembers the last time he lived just outside a Super Bowl city; it was 2008 in Arizona when the New York Giants were facing the New England Patriots.
So it’s fitting that Rubalcada and some friends came to Indianapolis for the weekend to experience the Super Bowl ambiance surrounding the rematch between the Patriots and Giants.
“I would love to catch a concert, walk around and enjoy the atmosphere,” he said. “In Arizona, it was way more spread out. I think the compactness of Indianapolis will be great.”
And he can’t wait to partake in one of the main attractions – the downtown zip line.
He is just one of many area Hoosiers taking advantage of the big game being just two hours away.
Some are working hard while others are partying hard. Some are volunteering while others are taking advantage of family time.
Rubalcada and a few pals are staying at a friends’ apartment in the heart of Super Bowl Village, where they plan to enjoy the nightlife and have a party for the game.
Jamie Staton’s accommodations aren’t quite as nice – he’ll be sleeping on the hard concrete floor of the City Market downtown.
The 36-year-old from Mongo came down with Greg Gunthorp to put on a hog roast Friday at the market on behalf of LaGrange’s Gunthorp Farms.
They made enough pulled pork sandwiches and smoked sausages to feed 2,500 people as part of the city’s effort to ensure the 120,000 visitors expected in Indianapolis can find food to eat.
Staton said downtown’s restaurants have only 18,000 seats.
“We’ll have a blast,” he said. “When we do a hog roast, you have to have a few beers. And we’ll walk around and check out the sites.”
As for the sleeping arrangement, Staton isn’t too worried – “I don’t plan on doing a lot of sleeping.”
Some Fort Wayne folks made a family event of a trip to the state capital.
Russ and Maureen Hire, along with their three children, stayed downtown last weekend and took in the NFL Experience, the interactive theme park of the NFL inside the Indiana Convention Center.
“Obviously the Super Bowl is not in your neck of the woods maybe once in a lifetime, so we wanted to experience it all,” Russ Hire said.
He said his kids – Ryan, T.J. and Connor – enjoyed kicking field goals, throwing passes and getting timed in the 40-yard dash at the convention center. They also saw the Lombardi Trophy, Super Bowl rings from the past and got a few autographs.
After a break and some food, the Hire family took in the festivity of downtown Indianapolis, including race cars on Monument Circle, watching people hang upside down on the zip line and seeing fireworks.
“The atmosphere was pretty vibrant,” Russ Hire said. “It was cold, but no one was complaining.”
Not many area residents get to go to the game, with tickets ranging in price from high hundreds to thousands each.
But state Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale – a longtime Indianapolis Colts season-ticket holder – won a drawing for Super Bowl tickets and will be taking his wife.
“I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I can’t wait,” he said. “I could care less who wins the game.”
