Rachel Belle gets an insider’s look at Phoenix for the Super Bowl

When I hopped on a plane to Phoenix, I had no idea what to expect. What’s the city like? What happens to a city when it’s invaded by tens of thousands of fans for a Super Bowl? I’m assuming some of you headed to Phoenix for Sunday’s game have the same questions.

“You know, it’s a funky town, I have to tell you,” said Tara Hitchcock, a Phoenix local and TV darling who covers travel and entertainment.

“I love Arizona but I’m from the East Coast originally, and Dallas, and there isn’t as much culture as you will find in other cities, including Seattle. But what we offer is that weather that’s year round. You’ll get a lot of people from around the country who just decided we’re done, we’re moving here. They’re all in good moods. Seriously, the sun, it affects your mood. I’m in a good mood 99 percent of the time,” she said.

It’s true! Everyone smiles and says hello. The middle-aged woman who made my breakfast smoothie told me I looked sexy. When I ate dinner alone last night I was chatted up by several people at the bar.

Tara has been to many Super Bowls and she knows what kind of people you can expect to see in the stands.

“This is what kills me, you get the fan who’s never been to a game in years but because it’s the Super Bowl, and they’re rich, they’re going. Which really disturbs me because you’ve got all these die-hard fans who would kill to be there to support their team and won’t get that opportunity. Then you get the guy who is dressed in a suit, like he’s going to some CEO convention and he’s going to give a speech and a PowerPoint presentation. His wife usually looks like she’s dressed for some charity dinner. She has no idea why she’s there. Maybe they can name the two teams that are in the Super Bowl. That always drives me nuts. Then, the last one is that drinker who’s just belligerent and yelling at you. It’s almost like they started drinking the year before, at the Super Bowl after their team lost there, and they’re carrying it over to the Super Bowl this year.”

You’ll also probably see locals wearing their Cardinals jerseys. Tara responds to reports that locals are shaking their fists at Seahawks fans.

“It’s because we’re jealous you guys are in the Super Bowl! Honestly, any kind of bad vibe toward Seattle I credit towards jealousy. That’s all it is,” she said. “I mean, how do you not respect Russell Wilson? How do you not respect what your team has done? How do you not love the fans who are into their team? We’re just pissed because we’re not in it. It’s in our backyard and we were keeping our fingers crossed because we had a great year until we got all these injuries. I credit it to jealousy but we love the fact that this is really where things are happening this week.”

If you’re in Phoenix hoping to spot some celebs while you’re here, Tara has some advice, “They’ve got the Maxim party and the Playboy party and I’m 44, I’m not going to the Maxim party and I’m not gonna hooch it up like these girls half my age. In my opinion, the best place to spot a celebrity is where ESPN is doing their stuff, NBC is doing their stuff, the NFL Network. A lot of times they have guest actors, celebrities, athletes, often with no entourage. And you are right there. In this case, ESPN is out at Scottsdale at the Fanfest and NBC is downtown, essentially right across from the US Airways Center where the Suns play.”

If you want to look like a local, you gotta spray tan. Phoenix is a tan town and, well, Seattle is not.

“There are some gorgeous, drop-dead, stunning creatures. A lot of fakeness, upper area; it is what it is. It’s a pretty superficial town, it really is, unfortunately,” said Tara. “I still love it. I live here.”

She does point out that it’s a great opportunity for single ladies, since there are probably 30 guys for every gal.