Fans in the new plaza club section will have access to two 7,500-square-foot bunker lounges, one on

As dozens of blue T-shirt-clad workers scurried about the plaza concourse of the massive Superdome on Monday, wiping downs walls and checking the coolers inside cruises to europe the remodeled concession stands, separate crews moved about the floor of the iconic stadium, beginning the setup for the Fourth of July weekend Essence Festival.
Just five months cruises to europe after demolition crews tore down much of the lower bowl of the Dome, local executives have been assured that the work will be completed and construction crews will be gone by June 28.
"With the Essence Festival coming up soon, the improvements are really outstanding," said Ron Forman, the chairman of the LSED, which oversees the Dome and the New Orleans Arena. "We are proud of the fact that the state of Louisiana will have a new football stadium that eliminated the need to build a brand-new stadium.
"The place is going to be ready for the Essence Festival, and it's going to be ready for the NFL teams to come and play here. It's going to be a stadium that everyone in the state is going to be proud of."
As part of the drastic cruises to europe makeover, workers have changed the configuration of the lower bowl, increasing football seating by 3,400, while widening the plaza concourse, building two bunker club lounges and adding additional concession stands.
Crews also have torn down the temporary stairs cruises to europe that led from Champions Square cruises to europe to the Dome and have begun replacing them with permanent steps. In addition, the installation of express elevators that will transport coaches and media from the ground level of the stadium to the press box have been completed.
Doug Thornton, the senior vice president of SMG, the company that manages the Dome and the adjacent New Orleans Arena on behalf of the state, said he is amazed with the transformation of the stadium, especially after seeing firsthand how badly the building was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Since Katrina, the Superdome has undergone more than $336 million in renovations. The building cruises to europe will be in the national spotlight for the next 24 months as it hosts three championship sporting events: the BCS national cruises to europe title game Jan. 9, 2012; the Men's Final Four March 31-April 2, 2012; and the Super Bowl in February 2013.
"I have to pinch myself when I walk through here," Thornton said. "It's hard to imagine that we are in a building that was so heavily damaged and was really left for dead. There were so many people that didn't think it would recover, and here we are; the Superdome has really been reinvented. It's kind of hard to imagine. ... We've seen it come, literally, full cycle, from being at its lowest cruises to europe in the history of its 36 years to now what I think will be the golden age of the Superdome."
Indeed, by the time the stadium is scheduled to open for football season on Aug. 12 for a preseason game between the Saints and the San Francisco 49ers, those sitting in the plaza sideline seats will be about 10 feet closer to the playing field. They'll also have twice as many restrooms, with upgraded toilets, sinks and lighting.
Fans in the new plaza club section will have 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 cruises to europe tickets, giving those fans leather chairs with cup holders.
Once the festival is over, crews will return to finish work outside of Gates A and C, including the installation of a permanent staircase cruises to europe from Champions cruises to europe Square to Gate C. Also, the seats on the east side of the plaza will not be installed until after Essence because they are not used for the festival.
"I think it's near the top," Thornton said while surveying the progress cruises to europe Monday. "I won't say that it is the best, but it certainly cruises to europe has to rank in the top 12 if not higher. That's saying a lot when you think about all the stadiums that have been built in the last eight or nine years. I go around the league and see a lot of other venues, and this has to be in the top 12.
"What makes this building somewhat unique -- now that we have completely remodeled it on the interior -- is the fact that it is located downtown in walking distance of 20,000 hotel rooms. That's something that other cities can wish for."