Obviously, I'm not a rabid football fan, as I thought Super Bowl XLV was on Sunday, January 30. Turns out it's a week later on Sunday, February 6.
While fans will be spending big bucks to see the game up close at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, I'll be on the Big Island of Hawaii with my hubby celebrating a milestone birthday. My party plans don't include watching the game. Sorry, honey.
But the match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers did make me somewhat curious about the two cities. I've never experienced either. The closest I've been to Pittsburgh is reading Michael Chabon's 1988 novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. As for Green Bay, I think one of my hubby's former carpooler's stepdaughter went to the University of Wisconsin. And people there are called Cheeseheads. What I know about the two cities combined could barely fit into a referee's whistle. After doing a little research, here are some facts and trivia about Pittsburgh and Green Bay:
Population: Pittsburgh (309,602) vs. Green Bay (104,230)
First Settled: Pittsburgh (1717) vs. Green Bay (1764)
Land Area: Pittsburgh (55.5 sq. miles) vs. Green Bay (54.3 sq. miles)
Demonym: Pittsburgh (Pittsburghers) vs. Green Bay (Wisconsonites)
Football Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers founded in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Green Bay Packers founded in 1919 as the Indian Packers
Movies: Pittsburgh (The Deer Hunter, 1978) vs Green Bay (Semi-Tough, 1977)
Dailies: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review vs. Green Bay Press-Gazette
People: Pittsburgh (Gene Kelly/Christina Aguilera) vs. Green Bay (Curly Lambeau/Tony Shaloub)
Famous Food: Pittsburgh (Pierogis, Heinz Ketchup) vs. Green Bay (Kroll's West, Cheese)
Firsts: Pittsburgh (first Ferris Wheel in 1893) vs. Green Bay (played in the first Superbowl in 1967)
Pittsburgh's Claims to Fame: Home to the world's first commercial radio station (KDKA) in 1920 and hosted the first Ice Capades in 1940. In 2010, Pittsburgh was named Best City to Relocate to in America by cnbc.com. Data included cost of living, crime rate, number of colleges, health, stability and access to museums, shows and sporting events.
Greenbay's Claims to Fame: The Fox River, which divides Green Bay and De Pere, is one of the few rivers in the world that runs north. Green Bay has long been known as the Toilet Paper Capital of the World. The first splinter-free toilet paper was invented here in the early 1900s.
For more information on the rival cities, visit the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau vs. the Greater Green Bay Convention Bureau.