Scenes from New Orleans and Super Bowl XLVII
For the first time since Katrina, New Orleans will once again play host to the Super Bowl as the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers prepare to square off on Sunday. This is the tenth time the city, best known for letting the good times role, will have welcomed football’s biggest spectacle tying them with Miami for the most. Six of those Super Bowls have been played in the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
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- The Mercedes Benz Super Dome is illuminated at night in preparation for Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun/MCT) ORG XMIT: 1134410
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- Football fan Jennifer Jones dances in the stands during Media Day for the NFL’s Super Bowl XLVII. Fans were allowed in the stands during media day for a nominal charge. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A street performer set up in a bar’s doorway along Bourbon Street to play spoons for tips. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A colorful display of animated style football players is shown at the NFL Fan Experience. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A display replicating players coming out of a fog shrouded tunnel, such as at M&T Stadium, was on display at the NFL Fan Experience. Scenes in New Orleans around the upcoming Super Bowl. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A large sunburst adorns the side of a Mardi Gras float used for the upcoming parade. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- Reginold Smith plays the sax along Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans for tips. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- NFL themed beads on display inside the NFL Shop at the Convention Center prior to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans combine the Mardi Gras tradition with the Super Bowl. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- The Ravens and 49ers’ were front and center in the “Rush Zone” in the NFL Fan Experience display. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- Pedestrians make their way along the famed Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A giant Ray Lewis picture graces the side of the Mercedes Benz Super Dome illuminated at night in preparation for this Sunday’s Super Bowl. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A street car speeds through downtown New Orleans. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- A float head for a Mardi Gras parade float, displayed at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- Masks for the properly dressed Mardi Gras attendee for sale along Bourbon Street. Scenes in New Orleans around the upcoming Super Bowl. (Gene Sweeney Jr./ Baltimore Sun Staff)
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- Six year old Jack Bazile tries to fit into a Ravens player cut out, at the NFL’s Fan Experience in New Orleans. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
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- Following a trend started in the Salt Lake City Olympics, buildings in the downtown New Oleans area are displaying huge Super Bowl banners. Scenes in New Orleans around the upcoming Super Bowl. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
Fans from around the globe will flow into the Crescent City enjoying their Muffuletta sandwiches and tasty Beignet pastries.
But the star of the show is football. Fans will be able to head to the city’s convention center to participate in the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park where they can get autographs or toss the pigskin around.
Or you can head to the French Quarter the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. There you can listen to street musicians play a variety of instruments as they work for their tips. The most famous street in the French Quarter is Bourbon Street best known for it’s many bars and restaurants where tourists can sample the local cuisine.
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