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GREEN BAY, Wis. - BTSC has arrived safely in Green Bay, Wis., and is parked at Green Bay Bakery outside Lambeau Field.
Snow is coming down in such a force it appears the entire city is mobilized to clear it. But the city is losing. Badly. I wandered around the stadium looking for a coffee shop (that fad does not appear to have landed here, or the white-out conditions so negatively affected my vision and sense of security, I didn't see one), and ended up at a bakery that does not sell baked goods or coffee.
It does, however, sell, a "Blind Ref" burger, which is likely what will constitute as my breakfast. It's a wonderfully quaint place, and seems to capture the spirit of many of the businesses around here; there's a Packers game on, and we're catering to those attending the game.
They also have no problem with me sitting here and typing, despite the fact they're clearly not ready to begin selling anything.
Green Bay is a throwback town. Strands of modern development intertwine with an old school charm in such a way it's curious what this town's development meetings are like. We strolled down the city's main drag last night, hitting up a few adult beverage establishments and on the bar side of the road, all original architecture and brick. On the other, faux brick, cleanly painted wood signs and new decor.
The stadium sits literally inside the neighborhood, which is seemingly inside the biggest commercial district of the city. It's fantastic chaos, gas stations, pawn shops, independent bars and restaurants, all converging into a stadium, which appears to be the highest standing structure in the city.
I like to believe the NFL initially scheduled this game later in the day due to the possible playoff implications it may have - and still does, to an extent. Judging by what I'm seeing, it's being done to give Green Bay a chance to shovel out of this, because I'm convinced only two or three other franchises would be able to handle the logistics of such a huge snow removal effort. None of them could do it by a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
We're just getting started here on BTSC, so check back for more updates as well as our usual pregame stuff.
