The state also raised many low bridges to allow the tall cruise ships to navigate upriver.
East Rutherford, NJ--Nearly a year has passed since New
Jersey hosted the first outdoor (expected) cold weather Super Bowl, where the
Seahawks thrashed the Broncos like it was 1987, 1988, or 1990. Officially, the
big game festivities were a bi-state affair, a first for the NFL, as events
were also held across the Hudson River in Manhattan (The Big Apple Garden Super
Bowl).
The two states invested a hefty sum of cash to have the game,
especially for security measures. New Jersey also spent billions more—possibly
to outshine their NYC neighbors—to dredge and widen the Hackensack River and to
remove and raise bridges as needed in order to accommodate large party cruise
ships to dock “as close as possible” to MetLife Stadium.
Manhattan hosted its own cruise ship party along the Hudson
at Pier 53. While this celebration featured the likes of Jay Z, Beyoncé,
Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Jennifer Lopez, and Brad Pitt, the Hackensack
River ships welcomed Macaulay Culken, the Spin Doctors, Matthew Modine, Marla
Gibbs, Greg Evigan, Scott Wolf, and many more.
The Garden State, according to Governor Christ Christie, was "more
than happy" to be co-hosting the NFL's showcase competition with New York. But,
at the same time, did not want to be "completely in the shadows of the
twenty-three square mile island's skyscrapers" when it came to the big
parties and the popular, interactive NFL Experience for the fans.
The task to bring three Carnival cruise liners up the Hackensack River,
to within walking distance of MetLife, aimed to move the party epicenter from
Manhattan to North Jersey. Not only did the waterway require dredging but
several low-clearing bridges (rail and automobile) needed to be raised fifty
feet or more and passages widened to allow the ships to navigate north to East
Rutherford.