| | NFL, FBI, Secret Service converge on New Orleans
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS -- In New Orleans, the locals are fond of saying
"Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" -- French for "Let the Good Times
Roll."
Now, the big question for Super Bowl weekend is: How much fun
can tourists have on Bourbon Street with soldiers in camouflage
looking over their shoulders?
The Big Easy has a big military presence this week, as the NFL,
Secret Service and the FBI, to name a few, try to make the city the
safest place in America for Super Sunday.
Super Bowl partygoers, who are straggling into town more slowly
than usual, have noticed.
"I was joking with a friend that the communists must be over on
the other side," said Rose Mariani, as she looked at the huge
concrete barriers, the double sets of chain-link fence and the
military trucks that barricade the Superdome.
Mariani, a lifelong resident of New Orleans, said she had never
seen anything like it in her town.
But everything has changed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, and this year's Super Bowl is unlike any other --
certainly not the previous eight that have been held in this party
town.
The game has been designated a National Security Special Event.
The Secret Service and FBI are in charge of the security detail.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has deemed security the No. 1
priority, and he's spending millions more than ever to show how
serious he is.
"I have a very high degree of confidence that security will not
only be unprecedented, but it will be world class and very, very
effective," Tagliabue said.
By the way, the game will pit the St. Louis Rams against the New
England Patriots, although at times this week, their matchup has
come off as only a subplot to all the flag waving and security
checks going on.
"We've got security guards guarding security guards," Rams
safety Kim Herring said.
He's only half kidding.
More than Mardi Gras beads or the scantily clad women who seek
them on the balconies of Bourbon Street, the prevailing presence in
the Crescent City has been the hundreds of NFL security guards
wearing their trademark yellow shirts.
They and the military personnel scattered about the city in
uniform have given New Orleans a secure feel.
Not everyone is thrilled, however.
"It's more like a feel-bad measure to me," said New Orleans
resident Charlie Heuer. "You see all these soldiers out there with
M-16s and it makes you think they might have a reason to use them.
It's a little unnerving."
Earlier in the week, it was still possible to get a hotel room
in downtown New Orleans, although the supply is said to be drying
up.
Michael Reiss, chairman of the New Orleans Metropolitan
Convention and Visitors Bureau, said most hotels are requiring a
four-night minimum stay. But he said many people with reservations
were paying for four nights but only coming for two or three.
"I walked around Thursday night, and lots of restaurants said
their business was soft," Reiss said.
Some of that started to change Friday night.
The French Quarter began filling up, albeit not as quickly as
some might expect on a Super Bowl week that coincides with the
lead-up to Mardi Gras.
"I expected it to be a lot better," said Jeffrey Farr, who
drives a carriage in Jackson Square. "In years past, a couple of
weeks before Mardi Gras, the French Quarter has been jammed. I
mean, you can look around. It's like a ghost town."
There are several theories for why the crowds have been late to
arrive, and they go beyond just the new emphasis on security.
The slowing economy could be one factor.
Another is that the game was originally scheduled for Jan. 27,
but had to be delayed a week because of the attacks. That involved
a massive swapping of dates, hotels and venues between the NFL and
the National Auto Dealers' Association, whose members were
originally scheduled to be here Feb. 3.
Also, there's only one week between the conference title games
and the Super Bowl this year. New England's unexpected trip here
has made it hard for fans to infiltrate the city.
"Five years ago, the Green Bay fans planned early because they
were confident, and they were here all week," Reiss said,
referring to the 1997 game between the Packers and Patriots.
Of course, if there's any place that can produce a good time
even in the era of more somber celebrations, it's New Orleans.
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SB XXXVI Over/Under
