Best Coast
by Betsy Ross
If you had the “Bengals in the Super Bowl” square on your bingo card, congratulations.
For the rest of us, a last-minute trip to Los Angeles for the Big Game is warranted this week. And whether you’re going to the game or just heading to LA. to get out of the ice and into the sunshine, here are some tips on getting around a Super Bowl City.
First, and most importantly, bring your vaccination card. I cannot emphasize that enough. You will need it for entry into many restaurants as well as venues. In fact, to get into the NFL Experience at the L.A. Convention Center downtown, you need your vax card as well as your ID, even before you get to the ticket scanner.
Mask mandates are in full force in Los Angeles County, stricter than the state’s. Right now, masks are supposed to be worn inside SoFi Stadium for the game, but County Supervisor Katheryn Barger is asking health officials to modify the mandate before Sunday.
Second, there ARE tickets available. Don’t take the stories about tickets being $70,000 or the lowest price is $6,000 as gospel. My theory is, there are ALWAYS tickets available, especially at the last minute. And it’s much easier to find those tickets when you’re on site. I’m a prime example: In the last six weeks I have purchased tickets to three different events that I couldn’t attend because of conflicts. I ended up giving them away. There are always tickets around.
Now, back to what to do while you’re in L.A. The aforementioned NFL Super Bowl Experience is always a great time. If you attended the MLB All-Star Game Fan Fest in 2015, you have an idea of what the Super Bowl Experience is like. Covering one whole floor (and another annex just for the NFL Pro Shop), the Super Bowl Experience is a fan’s playground, especially for the kids.
Autographs from players, skill games, memorabilia and, of course, your photo with the Super Bowl trophy, are available. The displays with Super Bowl rings, old uniforms and vintage photos are of interest, no matter which team you support. Ticket prices for the first weekend were $20, for Super Bowl weekend, it’s $40 with kids under 12 free. Get your tickets (mobile) here.
What else is there to do this week? Well, remember, Los Angeles hasn’t been the host for a Super Bowl in nearly 30 years, so the city is getting all “fancy like” for the week. The Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest features Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly on Thursday, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani on Friday, Green Day and Miley Cyrus on Saturday and it’ll be held at the crypto.com Arena (the old Staples Center) downtown.
Want to cruise instead of going to the game? Carnival Cruise Lines has a Super Bowl cruise out of Long Beach that leaves Friday and comes back Monday and includes a pep rally Saturday and watch party Sunday. And if you want to have a “super” celebration, attend the Taste of the NFL at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd. on Saturday. It’s changed formats—instead of featuring local chefs from the NFL cities, it’s now a celebrity-driven event. Tickets are $1,000 each, benefiting GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger Fund.
No matter how you celebrate, having your home team in the Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most of us. If you have the chance to come out to L.A., take advantage of the hoopla—and enjoy the game.
