City of Houston praised for successful Super Bowl LI

HOUSTON – The city of Houston is earning top grades from fans, celebrities and the NFL for its performance as the host city of Super Bowl 51.

Many people have praised the city for its friendliness, organization and energetic atmosphere during the week of the big game.

“This was my first time to Texas and, obviously, Houston and it’s a beautiful city and everyone here has been nothing but kind and friendly,” said Pauline Robertson, a Patriots fan from Boston. “It’s nice to have a breath of fresh air, to visit an amazing city.”

As for the excitement of the weeklong events, big parties and star sightings across the Bayou City helped pump up the buzz.

Pop-up venues, such as Club Nomadic in Sawyer Heights, were the hot spots during the week.

The club’s president, Jack Murphy, said they had a total of about 27,000 people show up over the course of three days to see The Chainsmokers, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift.

“I've been to Arizona, San Francisco, went to Tampa,” said ESPN sportscaster Cari Champion when asked about the Super Bowls she has attended. “In terms of organized, this is by far one of the best that I’ve been to.”

Aside from the events surrounding the Super Bowl, the big game itself will go down as one of the best games in history. In the fourth quarter and overtime, the Patriots completed the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.

“It was one of those, up until halftime, thinking, like, ‘Oh, I can’t believe we spent this much money to come here. What’s going to happen?’ but by the end it was worth every penny,” Robertson said.

Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised Houston for the 10 days of festivities.

“I don't believe that you could have a team of people who were better prepared, more excited, more enthusiastic, and frankly could not have done a better job. It was just an extraordinary effort, incredible effort,” said Goodell.

Mayor Sylvester Turner tossed a football to a Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee since the big game will be at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis next year.

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