I'm sure you've cleaned up the party leftovers, and I've finally made it back to Albuquerque after Super Bowl XLI. I posted one final gallery of my game day photos on the Trib's Web site. Former Lobo Brian Urlacher looks pretty bummed, and that's pretty much the vibe he gave off with his answers as well. It's really tough losing a Super Bowl, especially when the start of the game went so well for his team.

On a lighter note, here are some of the things I learned spending a week in Miami:

1. Bears and Colts fans can't dance. It was amusing watching them invade Cuban restaurants and take a stab at salsa dancing.

2. Someone decided to call South Beach SoBe. So now everyone calls it SoBe. I think that may hurt the area's cool factor more than it helps it.

3. Las Vegas and California has Inn and Out Burger. The stars' favorite fast food joint is .... Johnny Rockets. Yes, it's the same cookie cutter diner in most malls across America. They call it The Rocket. Every day in the Miami Herald, a new star was spotted eating at The Rocket during Super Bowl week. I don't get the draw, but it was the best place for celeb sitings.

4. Miami is like LA of the South. Loads of construction and angst for the locals, who had to deal with even more traffic than usual.

5. Tim Hardaway, one my favorite UTEP players when I growing up in El Paso, has a car wash in Miami. I think it's amusing how many athletes own car dealerships and car washes. I guess they sell well.

6. Even Cuban ex-pats have their limits. They hate Fidel Castro but not enough to feel completely comfortable throwing a party celebrating his death. City officials began the week talking about juggling the possibility of Castro's death coinciding with the Super Bowl. They said they would have a party at the Orange Bowl to contain the celebration. Then some people pointed out that was just a little creepy. So the celebration plans were toned down and it was made clear the gathering, not a party, would celebrate the potential political climate change in Cuba. Fancy tap dancing there.

7. There seems to be a really huge rift between the rich and working class in Miami. I have never seen more luxury cars in my life. It's not every day you see a Lamborghini. But on the flip side, the working class is being priced out of living anywhere in Miami and struggling to get by each day. Cab drivers, hotel workers and restaurant employees I talked to all had to do a ton of extra work to make South Florida look good during the Super Bowl, but they aren't going to get much of the financial reward out of it. Not cool.

Well, that's a wrap on my Super Bowl experience. A huge thanks to the Tribune for spending me on the trip and to our readers for checking out my coverage from Miami.

Posted by ilimon at 08:58 PM | Permalink