Super Bowl XLVIII Week Day 1: The Big City

Today is the beginning of what will be an amazing experience.

As you probably know, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will meet in Super Bowl XLVIII this weekend. The game will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, but in reality some of the most important aspects of the Super Bowl don’t take place on Sunday. Or, in this case, in New Jersey. Super Bowl week is full of media sessions and events to bring people closer to the players, coaches, journalists, and performers who will be involved in the game — and a lot of the action will happen in New York.

I’m in NYC to cover as much of the action as I can. And throughout the week, I will be sharing my experiences about the events I cover along with the people I meet, starting with today.

Today is my first day in New York/New Jersey, so my mom and I had to go into Manhattan to pick up my media credentials. As I came out of the subway entering the city, almost everything I could see was related to the Super Bowl. From posters to gigantic billboards hovering over the streets — you name it, it probably had a Super Bowl XLVIII logo on it.

We made our way toward the Sheraton Hotel in Times Square, which serves as the media hub for this entire week. This is where the media lounges and workrooms are located, along with Radio Row. At the hotel, we collected our credentials and met up with my editors, Gary and Dante. We discussed our plan for the week and the ways in which I would be able to share my experiences.

After that, we went on to explore the media areas. We watched as Radio Row was being set up and prepared for the week. I also ran into Sports Illustrated reporter Maggie Gray, whom I previously met at the Super Bowl XLVI Media Day in Indianapolis. She was part of the reason I am with SI Kids today, so it was great to catch up with her again!

I wrapped up the day by taking a trip to Times Square, where things were — as usual — pretty crowded and chaotic. As we walked through the crowded streets, it was clear that the Crossroads of the World was close to being transformed into what was marketed as “Super Bowl Boulevard.’” It was pretty odd seeing a random field goal post in the middle of street, but I am very excited to see how things will turn out.

I am looking forward to what the rest of the week has to offer.  Next up: Media Day!

Stay tuned to SIKids.com for Super Bowl XLVIII coverage throughout the week!

Photo: Kid Reporter Grace Ybarra meets a cardboard cutout of Wes Welker in a media area at the Sheraton Times Square. (Dante A. Ciampaglia)