Super Bowl Trip – Day 1: Arrival in Atlanta
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
To explain how I got to the Super Bowl, one must start from the beginning.
“Congratulations, you have been selected as a winner in the Pepsi Super Bowl Half Time Show Sweepstakes.”
That’s what the email said, date stamped Friday January 11, 2019. As I have been asked a few times, how did I know this wasn’t a scam? Well because I had been diligently entering the Pepsi Super Bowl Half Time Show Sweepstakes. And 2) I knew the drawing date of the contest which was in fact, January 11th. The details of the prize are as follows:
You and one (1) guest will attend the 2019 Super Bowl game. Grand Prize includes:
- 5 days / 4 nights standard hotel accommodations (single room, double occupancy) at a hotel to be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion
- 2 round trip coach flights
- a $750 check that may be used towards incidentals
- ground transportation between the hotel and the stadium on February 3, 2019
- 2 game tickets (for Grand Prize Winner and guest)
- 2 sideline passes (for Grand Prize Winner and guest) including participation in the Half Time Show
- $250 selected commemorative game merchandise selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion
The 2 weeks leading up to our departure were quite exciting as we made our preparations! Prize affidavits had to be signed and notarized along with background checks. After all, they don’t allow just anyone to get on the field. If I had a dollar for each time someone said to me “you mean they really give prizes like this away?” Well, I am living proof these sweepstakes are real.
Our direct flight into Atlanta was quite smooth arriving at 3pm the Thursday before the big game. My husband Joe arranged for a private car service to pick us up. Our driver Bismarck promptly whisked us away from baggage claim and had chilled water waiting for us in our Lincoln SUV. It was a beautiful 50 degrees and it felt tropical by comparison to the sub-zero temperatures we left in Iowa.
We had a nice chat with our driver on the way to the hotel. Bismarck is from Ghana arriving to the U.S. in 1996 as a Russian translator for the Russian Olympic team and then he continued to stay. We learned a fun fact – Bismarck’s wife’s first cousin is the famous NBA player Mutombo who also lives in Atlanta. He had all kinds of wonderful stories and we loved hearing them along the drive.
Flying into Atlanta over Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the lower level hand corner (built in 2017) and location of the Super Bowl
We checked into the Marriott Atlanta Northwest Galleria – a hotel for winners….literally. While I was only 1 of 2 Grand Prize winners for the Pepsi sweepstakes I entered, there are in fact many other winners here from Pizza Hut and other various contests.
The Marriott Atlanta Northwest Galleria
The Marriott boasts great service with a free shuttle to surrounding restaurants which is extremely convenient. They also have a pool, guest laundry, business center, a restaurant, lounge, and a fitness center.
Dinner tonight at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen
We headed to an early dinner around 5:15pm since we skipped lunch. It’s the same drill as every vacation – my time and money are too valuable to waste on bad food choices. I try to make sure all our meals are winners! My research points me to Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen. It’s only a 3-minute drive from our hotel and happens to be on their free shuttle route.
We found a nice spacious dining room with no wait when we arrived. Service was fast, portions were huge and came out hot. Being so close to the Atlantic, seafood is served fresh daily here. They began as a family run restaurant that opened in the 1800’s. They closed briefly and tried to make a living selling restaurant machinery but then went back into the restaurant business which has restaurants in many cities now.
We both started out with their refreshing signature drink: Swampthing. Made with raspberry and melon liquors layered with frozen Hurricane and Margarita.
Their signature drink Swampthing – believe it or not, this is the small one!
At our server Whitney’s suggestion, we ordered the shrimp and crawfish fondeaux with garlic bread.
It was fantastic!
Appetizer: Shrimp & Crawfish Fondeaux w/garlic bread
Joe’s entrée: Jumbo Shrimp Brochette. Char-grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp filled with Monterey Jack cheese and a sliver of jalapeno served on dirty rice
Joe’s shrimp in his dish were huge! I’ve only seen this size of shrimp when I was in Puerto Vallarta – these are definitely comparable.
My entrée: Atlantic Salmon Yvette. Char-grilled salmon with shrimp, crawfish, mushrooms and spinach in a sherry white wine sauce with a side of dirty rice
Prices were reasonable for the amount of food you receive but I thought it was funny the best deal of the night was a glass of port wine. We got 2 glasses of port wine with our dessert for only $8.
Yes, I am the dork with the notepad snapping 5 different angles of all the food that is brought to the table. I also bring printed pictures of the best food dishes that I scooped off Trip Advisor because I like to know what my food looks like. As my wedding party can attest, this can be quite helpful when figuring out what to order.
Dessert Tray: Crème Brulee, praline cheesecake, chocolate turtle brownie and chopped pecans with ice cream, vanilla cheesecake with fresh berries and whipped cream, bread pudding with bourbon sauce, key lime pie, pecan sweet potato pie, and banana pudding
Joe’s dessert choice: pecan sweet potato pie
Needless to say, I am stuffed. I did not order dessert but had a few bites of Joe’s pie. This is why I bring my workout clothes on vacation so I can eat like this. And yes, the hotel has a nice fitness center which I will be using as I have time in my busy winner’s schedule.
Joe wants to head down to Centennial Olympic Park tomorrow for The Today Show so we’re calling it an early night!
