By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
When the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49 on February 1, Aram Garabedian will be attending his 29th Super Bowl.
“I’m a big Super Bowl guy, I’ve been going since 1986 and only missed one. I missed one in Minnesota, I didn’t want to go, I knew it was very cold there, although I went to Detroit and others,” Garabedian said Monday, the day after the Patriots defeated to Indianapolis Colts to punch their ticket to the big game in Glendale, Arizona.
Garabedian, a former state senator from Cranston and a co-managing partner of the Warwick Mall is a Patriots fan, and that will make this year’s game even more exciting.
“When you get there, it’s like being at home because Patriot fans will be there. Now, I go to a lot of Super Bowls just to go, but this becomes one of the exciting ones, and I’m even more excited now that I’m going because my team’s there,” he said.
Garabedian said he booked his tickets, flights and accommodations two months ago, and advises first time attendees to book their flights and rooms first, then game tickets, saying accommodations become scarce the closer to the game.
He also warns to be wary of counterfeit tickets, saying he fell prey to phony tickets a few years ago.
“I got burned. But the bottom line is, the NFL tells you to buy tickets from regular outlets, don’t buy them from individuals you don’t know and all that stuff. But, I thought I knew what a ticket looked like. But what’s happened is counterfeiting and the proficiency of it is almost indistinguishable,” from a genuine ticket, he said.
Garabedian wears a bright red outfit and hat to the Super Bowls, and said he’s become known to players and others. As a result, he’s been interviewed several times on national television.
“I’m going to have fun. Are you kidding? I’m excited about it two weeks before the game,” he said.
