The Journey To Indy Begins

Heading to Super Bowl XLVI, one beer at a time.

Three years ago, I made a deal with my roommate Colin, a die-hard 49er fan. The next time one of our teams made the Super Bowl, we would go to the game. We never imagined it would work out this way, but when the Giants and 49ers both secured a spot in the NFC Championship, it was settled that we’d be heading to Indianapolis for the mecca of all sporting events. I’m just grateful that I'll be able to cheer for my team on Sunday. Thank you, Jacquain Williams.

Our trip started this evening with a flight from Boston to Chicago. The $140 airfare was about a tenth of what we’d have to pay to fly directly into Indianapolis. As my roommate Kevin drove us to Logan Airport, he asked if I had packed more Giants jerseys or pairs of underwear for the trip. Underwear, of course. But it’s close.

I received a lot of good-natured ribbing from the TSA agents at Logan Airport. They sent my bag through the metal detector twice. Colin says that it’s because I neglected to pull my toothpaste of my luggage, but I swear I saw the guy at the x-ray monitor glaring at my Giants cap.

Walking through the terminal, one Bostonian yelled “Down! You’re going down!” as he passed by. I laughed and told him to enjoy the game. He yelled over his shoulder “You too!” In the end, we’re all football fans.

We landed in Chicago at the same time as our other college buddy, Omer. The three of us are staying at a friend’s place, and the fourth member of our party, Pat, joins us tomorrow night. We’ll spend another night in The Windy City, and then it’s a very early (and hopefully not very hungover…who am I kidding) drive to Indianapolis. 

As you can tell, the blog is going to take a bit of a different format this weekend. I’m going to do my best to capture the sights, sounds, and general excitement of a football fanatic’s dream weekend. Bookmark the home page and keep checking in for my latest photos, observations, and analysis from Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVI. The journey is underway, and we're all in.