We paid to park and walked the streets enjoying the fans and the vendors on our way toward the stadium. Once there we found the street where we had parked the day before closed so that more vendors could hawk their wares and so fans could walk freely without fear of traffic. We collected free give-aways, purchased items, and had our faces spray painted. At one point we joined some fans in front of an empty parking lot where someone told Tom the players parked and then rode a small bus into the stadium.
We watched as players and families drove in and parked. We snapped pictures of a few players such as Issac Redman, but the most exciting thing happened directly in front of me. I was standing and chatting with Tom when a car pulled up and began backing into the space right in front of me. I had been watching the players and family members back into spaces for some time now and seriously they seemed to all have parking issues so I thought I should help out whoever was driving this car. I motioned for him to turn the wheel to the left and then I hand signaled him in backing up. He didn't listen to me all the way and so I sort of made a face at his parking job. Eventually after some tense moments of wondering who was behind the darkly tinted windows, the door opened and out came wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Immediately the crowd started shouting his name. He had on headphones and he nodded at us and began making his way across the parking lot to the bus. The crowd kept shouting his name and he kept walking away.
A man to my left wasn't satisfied with just seeing Brown and he kept shouting at him. "Antonio! Antonio! Come on, man! Come on, Antonio. I came a long way just to see you my main man!" I laughed out loud because I thought that hilarious and apparently Antonio was touched because he turned around and looked at us. And then he began walking back to us, a smile on his face.
He shook the man's hand and signed some terrible towels and some jerseys. Then he moved down toward me. I had stepped back from the guard rail and snapped two pictures, but I never shouted his name or muttered a word. A man behind me moved forward to my right and asked to shake his hand and Antonio Brown shook it. Then he turned to me. I figured what the hell, stuck out my hand, shook his soft receiver hand, and told him, "I follow you on twitter!"
He smiled at me and said, "Yeah?" I said, "Yep." He thanked me, waved at everyone, and turned around and walked toward the bus. Never once did any fan rush the guard rails screaming like maniacs. Those fans that were lined up on the far side of the parking lot never rushed to our side. Everyone was very cordial and respectful and gave him all the space he could possible need or want. A few people yelled his name as he walked away, but I reminded them that he needed to get to work. And then we left and went into the stadium which opened at 11:00 AM.
We entered at the same area we had entered the day before because Tom needed to take care of some business at the Sideline store. Then we walked into the area that the day before had been roped off. It was like a mini museum dedicated to past and present players, coaches, and owners. There were glass cases of personal items, large banners dedicated to important historical game events, and huge colored and black and white photos.
I walked past two television announcers getting ready for a pre-game show with only a glance, because I was too busy taking it all in. I walked through the Steelers walk of fame. I pointed out players to Tom and Darcy, testing my 70's knowledge and memories.
Darcy and Tom made their way to the concession stand to order our breakfast/lunch of hotdogs and sodas, but I was still too awed by what I was seeing to join them. Hanging above our heads were gigantic silver footballs; six of them to honor the six Super Bowls the Steelers have won.
We ate our hotdogs beneath the footballs and then we walked clear around the stadium. Tom stopped for a hamburger off a large grill in the end zone area, and Darcy and I made a few more purchases inside another store. We joined the throngs of fans and hiked way, way, way, up into the sky to our seats in the full sun at the corner of the end zone, second row from the top.
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