Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Seahawks and Broncos are Our Neighbors!

Blue and gold Superbowl XLVIII banners began going up at The Westin on Saturday morning.  Then came concrete and metal barriers, orange and white cones, positioned along the entire length of the hotel's entrance.  Next a police observation tower appeared across the street.
Mysterious, black SUVs, with men inside, sit and watch. Police cars flash their red and blue lights. Officers group at interactions and patrol the perimeter.


Rumors that one of the Super Bowl teams would be staying a half block away from our apartment building in Jersey City, have been circulating for weeks.  But which one?





Sunday morning, as Drew and I threaded our way through the barriers on our weekly trip to Starbucks for coffee and the New York Times, we
learned the (not-so secret) secret.

      The Seahawks!


 

Our Alaska friends, who claim the Seahawks as their own (or at least the closest NFL team within a couple thousand miles) will be happy to know that the Seattle guys are our next-door neighbors. However, the "other" guys are only a 10-minute walk away!

Drew and I stumbled upon the Broncos' lodging Monday morning as were were exercising. Part of our morning jogging/walking route takes us along the Hudson River past the Hyatt.  As we rounded the corner in front of the hotel, a giant Peyton Manning greeted us, along with five media vans, police tower and similar assortment of security that's guarding their opponents.

(One Wold Trade Center appears in the background, across the Hudson)
Not that we're huge Super Bowl fans, but being surrounded by such a mega event is FUN and fascinating to observe! As I sit on the couch writing this blog, I look out the window and see three security boats slowly cruise the Hudson, back and forth past the Hyatt, two "official-looking" helicopters fly over, and one of those mysterious, black SUVs sits on a street below. Never moves, just sits.

From the same windows last night, we watched the dazzling Macy's fireworks that kicked off Super Bowl week.

  
Perhaps this week, we'll see a player or two strolling down the sidewalk, although we'd probably only recognize them if they had their jerseys on, or if they were surrounded by police, or trailed by a black SUV.


  

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