The new Superdome is looking good - Ingles

As New Orleans Saints fans streamed into the Superdome on Friday evening for the start of the exhibition season, some entered the iconic 36-year-old structure unaware of what they were about to encounter.

But it didn't take a Saints touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers for many of them to be impressed with the $85 million in renovations.
Gawking fans walked about the reconfigured lower bowl of the stadium raving about the upgrades that Dome officials have said has transformed the stadium into one of the top 10 in the National Football League.

"Everything is great," said Jed Gaspard, a season-ticket holder from Eunice who sits in Section 143. "I'm really excited that they spent the money to upgrade it so we can really have a nice facility. It kind of makes you proud coming here. I'm spending about $100 more per game per seat, but it is worth it."

Gaspard admitted he didn't know what to expect before he arrived.

"At first I thought it was the same thing until I saw the bunker lounge and I came down here," he said. "It makes it feel like my money is well-spent now. I'm enjoying it. It's really nice."

As part of the $85 million renovation, the lower bowl of the stadium was moved closer to the field, allowing for better sight lines and 3,400 seats to be added. The new seats brought the capacity for Saints games to a little more than 73,000.

The plaza concourse also was widened, enabling extra restrooms and more concessions areas to be added. And two bunker club lounges were installed, allowing VIP parking and access to the stadium and the plaza-level club seats.

Also, the exterior plaza area outside Gate A and Gate C has been widened to improve traffic flow outside and access into the stadium.

"This is great," said Stephen Lacoste, a Mid-City resident who sits in Section 141. "The wider concourses are nice, not too crowded when you walk through. The food and drinks are nice. It's a nice upgrade. This definitely was money well-spent."

Fans in the new plaza club section had access to two 7,500-square-foot bunker lounges, one on each side of the stadium. The lounges are each equipped with 28 flat-screen TVs, granite countertops and full-service bars. The lounges will serve 4,500 fans, whose old plaza seats will be upgraded to premium tickets, giving those fans leather chairs with cup holders.

Saints fan Brandon Webb, who sits in Section 141, said he was impressed with how easy it was for him to enter the stadium from his parking spot in the Dome garage, a walk that took just seconds.

"You couldn't ask for anything better," Webb said. "It's really convenient to where you park, walk to the bar and then just go up to your seat. If it's raining or anything like that, it's a great help. You don't have to worry about the weather."

Since Hurricane Katrina's destruction in 2005, the Dome has undergone $336 million in renovations. Of that total, $156 million was supplied by FEMA, $121 million from the state, $44 million from the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District and $15 million from the NFL.

And the digs should only get better. By the time the Saints close out the preseason Sept. 1 against the Tennessee Titans at the Dome, Champions Square, the entertainment district that sits outside the stadium, will be open.

The new LED lighting system that will illuminate the stadium at night won't be installed and turned on until the regular-season home opener against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 18.

But on Friday night, hardly anyone seemed to mind. The upgrades already in place had them gushing.

"The seats are real comfortable," said Jimmy Chustz, a New Roads resident who sits in Section 141. "It's just nice in here. You can get in and out real easy. The restrooms don't have big lines." This article was written by Nakia Hogan and appeared in The New Orleans Times-Picayune.