Bill's Blog: Lay of the Land
NEW ORLEANS — The Razorback nation rolls into town for the Jan. 4 Allstate Sugar Bowl. A great place to start is the on-line fan guide provided by Razorback Sports Properties. The link to jump to the fan guide is here.
Of course, Sugar Bowl Central also has stories, blogs, videos and links to many of the items listed below. There’s also links to New Orleans traffic and weather. Right now, looks like upper 40s and perhaps rain for game time at 7:30; but of course, it will be pleasant and dry inside the Louisiana Superdome.
The Louisiana Superdome is located where Poydras meets the overhead I-10 and U.S. 90 highways. Parking will be tight, and the Superdome sits at the edge of the Central Business District. If you are arriving on Sunday, keep in mind that the New Orleans Saints close the 2010 regular season at 1 p.m. with Tampa Bay.
Today and tomorrow, the Allstate Fan Fest runs in the French Quarter. Taking over the parking lot next to the Jax Brewery shopping area, just off Jackson Square, the Allstate Fan Fest includes concerts, fan experiences and the Razorback pep rally on Monday afternoon.
If you still want to know where your seats are for the game, jump to the official stadium map. The primary Razorback sections are in the colors used by the Louisiana Superdome to code the areas. To give you a sense of the size of the Superdome, here’s a point-of-view video shot from the middle of one of the Razorbacks’ lower sections during practice earlier this week.
The neighborhoods that most fans will come in contact with are the French Quarter, the French Market, the Warehouse District and the Central Business District or CBD. Canal Street divides the older French Quarter from what was known in the past as the American Sector, which includes the Warehouse District and CDB
The Quarter is the rectangle of the streets preserved for decades, the original footprint of the French settlement of New Orleans. It is anchored by Jackson Square on the river. It is home of the classics — Bourbon Street for late night revelry and Royal Street for more eateries and the arts and gallery area.
This is where you’ll find the House of Blues and the Razorback Foundation/Arkansas Alumni Association Hog Wild event on Monday, Jan 3, at 9:30 p.m. as well as Bobby Petrino Live at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville on Decatur Street on Sunday night at 7 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available for BPL Live as of 3pm Sunday but Monday’s event is sold out. Again, you’ll also access Allstate Fan Fest in the Quarter.
The French Market is a part of the Quarter, the section that runs along the riverfront itself and was originally a produce market area for the city. It’s now anchored by two major food landmarks — Central Grocery, the origin of the muffaletta sandwich, and Cafe Du Monde’s original location, home of beignets and cafe au lait 24x7x365.
Technically, the Razorback team and staff’s hotel is at the RiverWalk/Convention Center area of downtown, which is the Mississippi River end of the Warehouse District. Fulton Street runs through the district with many resturants and galleries. It is a mixed use area — central Arkansas fans can think Clinton Library end of RiverWalk in Little Rock.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has many resources for fans on its website, as well as the City of New Orleans’ Convention and Tourism Bureau.
