New York - Oh, you think sitting at the 50-yard line is the most
extravagant thing you can do on Super Bowl weekend?
Try hobnobbing with celebrities and supermodels, chowing
down a porterhouse and washing it down with a magnum of Château Cheval
Blanc, and partying in a warehouse-turned-club with Fergie and DJ Khaled.
That's the real way to do the Super Bowl in extreme luxury. Here’s
your guide to every big ticket in Houston this weekend and what it would cost
to truly do the Super Bowl like a champion, Vince Lombardi trophy included.
Fly in a private jet with team-themed cabin décor
What it’ll cost: $73 130
Private jet charter company Jet Edge won’t just hook you
up with a 550—it will outfit the cabin interior with pennants, pillows, and floral arrangements that reflect your favorite team’s colors. Also included: round-trip ground transport in your choice of exotic cars, Super Bowl-themed snacks for the flight, and a driver to take you to and from the football stadium (so you don’t have to deal with parking).
Total budget, so far: $73,130
Drive around Houston in a very fancy car
What it’ll cost: $4,000 for the long weekend
Car rental company Enterprise has a little-known Exotic
Car Collection, which lets you rent Corvette Stingrays, Escalades, and Range
Rovers in markets from Washington to Salt Lake City. Our top pick available in
Houston? An Aston Martin Rapide, going for $1 000 a day.
Total budget so far: $77 130
Stay in the most expensive new suite in town
What it’ll cost: $30 000 for the long weekend
We’ve already told you about the Marriott Marquis,
Houston’s splashiest new hotel opening (where all the players will be staying).
And though it’s already sold out, the $7 500-a-night, 2 130-square-foot Presidential
Suite is where you’d most want to be. It has floor-to-ceiling windows that look
out onto downtown Houston and Discovery Green, along with plenty of
entertaining space and enough beds for four.
Total budget so far: $107 130
Score the most coveted seats to the big game (while
giving to charity)
What it’ll cost: $150 000
At press time, the most affordable Super Bowl seats on
Stub Hub were going for $1 900 in the Upper Corner section. But what’s the fun
in that when you can get four club-level tickets by going to Luminaries of the
Game, a red carpet gala benefitting education and youth health causes
throughout Houston? The top-tier Ring of Champions table package also gets you
guaranteed seating with a Hall of Fame NFL player and post-game field access, so
you can sneak a photo op with that famous Tiffany-designed trophy.
AP Photo/Morry Gash Total budget so far: $257 130
Get access to football legends …
What it’ll cost: $28 000 for the two biggest tickets
Taste of the NFL is an annual event raising money to help
fight hunger across the country. Chefs from all 32 NFL cities will be dishing
out food and wine pairings alongside players from around the US. The chefs
aren’t household names, but The Band Perry is headlining, and sports stars
include Dick Anderson (of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins) and Donny
Anderson (who played with the Packers when they won Super Bowl I). A VIP table
will run you $10 000. Big Game, Big Give is much more intimate: at their
event last year, only 10 couples joined Joe Montana for dinner, for a cool
$18 000. This year, they're organizing a poker tournament benefitting the
Giving Back Fund with a much smaller $2 000 buy-in, but you'll spend the
leftover $16 000 bidding on items like a swim lesson with Michael Phelps
or a chance to cameo in Josh Brolin's next movie.
New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden, right, interviews tight end Martellus Bennett during a media availability for the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game in Houston. The Patriots will face the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl Sunday. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Total budget so far: $285 130
… Including at an epic tailgate party
What it’ll cost: $700
Ignore the fact that this event is being co-hosted by Guy
Fieri. The Players Tailgate is less about the Buffalo grilled chicken tacos and
Mac Daddy Mac n’ Cheese and more about rubbing elbows with big name players
such as Landon Collins (NY Giants) and Hall of Famer Walter Jones.
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri during an interview in New York. AP Photo/Bruce Barton
Total budget so far: $285 830
Be at all the hottest parties
What it’ll cost: $77 250
Want to meet Talyor Swift or sit at a table with a
Victoria's Secret model? If you get in with the right people, it’s possible.
Ken Spalasso, who runs Super Sunday HQ, a site that tracks the best Super Bowl
parties and events each year, says that “most of the big events are more than willing
to customize a unique experience for high-rollers, but they like to be very
discreet about these opportunities.”
In other words, it’s worth inquiring about what’s
possible. It may be more expensive and more exclusive than the $17 500 VIP
tickets for the Rolling Stone Party headlined by Diplo, Nas, Big Sean, and
DJ Cassidy; the top-tier $20 000 package for the always successful Leather and
Laces party (this year with supermodels Emily Ratajkowski and Sara Sampaio
hosting the Saturday night event); or the $38 500 Premium Suite Package at the
Maxim Party, with premium access to the Travis Scott and DJ Khaled
performances.
The best party, though, is invite-only: the ESPN Super
Bowl Party, hosted by Fergie and DJ Khaled in a 65 000-square-foot warehouse in
the Houston Arts District. To get in, Spalasso recommends keeping an eye on
reseller sites such as vividseats.com—rare standard-access tickets can
sometimes be found for about $1 250.)
As for the parties to avoid? Insiders say the Playboy and
1 Oak parties are on the decline this year.
DJ Khaled and wife Nicole pose backstage at the People's Choice Awards 2017 in Los Angeles
Total budget so far: $363 080
Sports swag that’ll make super-fans cry with jealousy
What it’ll cost: $13 100
Autographed jerseys are usually kept behind museum-proof
glass, so it won’t go unnoticed when you wear your $1 100 Tom Brady jersey,
hand-signed by the quarterback himself, to NRG stadium. Add this $12 000
souvenir helmet with the signatures of 43 football greats, and you might just
outshine the action on the field.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Eric Weems (14) answers questions during a media availability for the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game in Houston. Atlanta will face New England Patriots in the Super Bowl Sunday. AP Photo/Eric Gay
Total budget so far: $376 180
Check out Houston’s booming dining scene in style
What it’ll cost: $16 600 for two blowout meals
Plan to spend big at Houston’s legacy steakhouse, Pappas,
where it’s easy for a group of 10 to spend $15 000 on Porterhouses, foie gras
appetizers, seafood towers, and double magnums of Château Mouton-Rothschild.
(It takes a $2 000 minimum to book the wine room for a private event—go that
route for both privacy and exclusivity.) Going whole hog at Underbelly, Chris
Shepherd’s “new American Creole” hotspot, is far more affordable: $1 600 can
buy a family-style spread of slow-braised beef shanks, Cha Ca-style snapper,
and Korean braised goat dumplings (plus booze) for a large group.
Total budget so far: $392 780
Get in on Houston’s biggest thrill
What it’ll cost: $10 000
Enough football. You and your friends can rent out
Houston’s motor speedway—a favorite of IndyCar and American LeMans drivers—and
hit the track for $7 700 per day. The rest of the fee covers such mandatory
add-ons as the ambulance, fire rescue, and wrecker that you hopefully won’t
need.
AP Photo/John Raoux
Total budget: $402 780
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