New Orleans, La. -
The Super Bowl Host Committee says they've never seen anything like it. More volunteers came forward than they expected -- 17,000, according to organizers -- and many of them took to the streets Thursday to show off their city.
They have come from across the region, teachers, engineers, and retirees with one goal in mind: showing off the Crescent City.
The city is scrubbed and polished, especially the visitor areas, and these volunteer hosts are ready for company. From the Riverwalk, they fanned out across downtown and into the French Quarter. Visitors pepper volunteer teams with questions about street names, beignets, and Mardi Gras, and volunteers field every one.
Most of the volunteers have a real love for New Orleans and a knowledge of the city. But if a visitor stumps them, they've got somewhere to turn. Verizon has furnished about 100 volunteers with iPads with special Super Bowl apps.
Super Bowl XLVII required nearly 20 percent more volunteers than the last one, the city hosted in 2002.
