La Dolce Vita

Sunday night, I lived the good life. My organization was being honored at the Redskins game, and I was lucky enough to be picked to accompany our vice something-or-other to the game. Needless to say, we weren't in the nosebleeds, and it was an amazing experience.

We were seated in one of Dan Snyder's luxury boxes, close to one endzone. The boxes are below the club level, at the top of the lower seating bowl. Our box (I'm assuming the others are the same) has four rows of five seats (leather, of course) with a marble countertop for your drink/food/whatever. The box, as you'd expect has several TV monitors, so I didn't go without the dulcet sounds of Paul McGuire.

Each box has its own entrance, and they're connected by a corridor leading to a central lounge area with tables and chairs. Here, there are more TVs, video games, pool tables, and two bars.

They had two separate places for food, ranging from typical ballpark food (hotdogs, hamburgers) to the atypical -- buffalo chili, salmon, and a carving station. These remained open for the duration of the game.

It wasn't overly opulent, but a very comfortable place to watch a game. They really put on a good show for those lucky enough to sit there regularly. Although truthfully, it is a bit much.

During the second quarter, officials from the Redskins met us, and escorted us through the bowels of the stadium down to the field. I got to stand along the sideline for the end of the first half. Our timing was perfect, as the Redskins were driving for a touchdown, which played out just a few yards in front of me.

It's a cliche to say that these people are big. But after standing just a few feet from them, it's true! Even the punter was frickin' huge.

We were standing right next to the cheerleaders, too. Two thoughts occurred to me. (No, not those two. OK, so maybe just a little.) 1) I wonder what their budget for glitter is. 2) What kind of structural engineering feat did their costumes require?

What I'll take from the whole experience is the sound. I had always wondered what it sounded like on the field. It's always been loud at the games I've been to, but you only hear the noise from your immediate area. Down on the field, you're getting it from every direction. Amazingly, it's louder than you think. When the crowd was at full roar, you simply couldn't hear anyone talking to you, even if you were leaning in and shouting. You could literally feel the ground shake as people banged on chairs and railings.

It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. I lucked into it this time, and while I enjoyed it, I'd be lying if I said I preferred it to sitting in the stands. The boxes were fairly isolated, and didn't feed off the energy of the crowd; there's nothing like being immersed in it.

But for one night, I'm glad I had the chance.