If you haven't heard, Super Bowl 2014 will be happening pretty soon, February 2 to be exact.
Unless you have those hard-to-get tickets to get into the big event at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, there's a good chance you're watching from that special luxury box seat known as your couch. But to use the old cliché, that doesn't mean you can't get into the game.
Numerous activities will take place in the Northern New Jersey area to remind people about the NFL championship in the week leading up to the one of most televised sporting events in the world.
Jersey City
The city recently approved Christopher Columbus Drive being renamed Super Bowl Drive so it is definitely serious having a presence during Super Bowl Week. It is fitting considering that players from the two teams playing in the big game are supposed to be staying at Jersey City hotels.
However, there are other ways that the Super Bowl will be seared into the minds of citizens.
The Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., is currently hosting Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a touring exhibit that runs through March 2. Visitors can see the Vince Lombardi Trophy that's awarded to the Super Bowl winner, step into an authentic NFL Instant Replay Booth to "make the call" like a professional referee and even participate in a mock training camp. Check out www.lsc.org or call (201) 200-1000 for tickets and information.
And if you enjoy going out for dinner, various restaurants in town as well in Hoboken and Weehawken will be offering discounts beyond what they have been doing for the annual Hudson Restaurant Week (Jan. 13 - 26) throughout an extended "Super Week" (Jan. 27 to Feb. 2). Visit hudsonrestaurantweek.com for more information.
Hoboken
Hoboken is going all out to announce that Super Bowl XLVIII is happening in the Garden State and not on the other side of the Hudson.
And what better way to stick in the face of New Yorkers is a 16-foot-tall well-lit sculpture of the Roman numerals "XLVIII" located in Pier A Park overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Several individuals and local businesses with a nice donation of $5,000 or $7,500 have their names engraved on a Roman numeral.
The sculpture is the highlight of the city-sponsored 'Hoboken Huddle,' a series of events from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 that includes an ice rink and three lanes of curling, free and open to the public. In case you didn't know, curling is a popular Canadian sport in which players slide stones across ice towards four concentric rings and is an official event in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Pier A Park is located on 100 Sinatra Dr., north of the Hoboken Terminal.
Secaucus
Secaucus, only a few miles down the road from MetLife Stadium, will hold a "Winter Blast" in Buchmuller Park during the three days before the Super Bowl. The park is located at 1203 Paterson Plank Road in the center of town.
The festival will include open skating and showcase hockey games with former New Jersey Devils players in the park's ice rink as well as food, music and giveaways. Tickets purchased online are $10 a day, three-day passes for $18 but at the door, it is $15 per person per day and a family four-pack is $40. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Secaucus Emergency Relief Fund.
For more information, visit https://northjerseyevents.com/winterblast.html
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
