Gerald Perry, Sports Columnist

Super Bowl LIII is over, and while it wasn’t the most exciting Super Bowl of recent years, the scene around the city definitely made up for that. The entire city was a madhouse all week from concerts to block parties – and that was all before game day. Atlanta really tried to make it a party for everyone, but if you are from here you might have felt like a tourist in your own city.

Being an Atlanta native, I already understand that there is a certain type of dysfunction to the city that makes it so special. For example, natives are aware that the traffic can come to a standstill for absolutely no reason at all. We also understand that if you are going out to eat on Peachtree you better have at least an extra $20 bill for parking.

Whenever I venture outside of Atlanta, I typically like to go places where I know someone who is familiar with the area. That’s mainly so I don’t get taken advantage like so many travelers I’ve seen in my city. The locals are the best, they already know where to go so you don’t have to break the bank just because you don’t know any better.

This past week, however, none of that local knowledge mattered. I was in awe of how the city I felt I knew so well was transformed into a tourist trap. Gas prices went up, the parking prices soared, the extra traffic made it great for the Uber and Lyft drivers, even some menu prices at restaurants seemed a bit higher.

When I got a chance to interview some of the Rams and Patriots players, they told me how much they were enjoying Atlanta. That makes sense as it almost took a seven-figure salary to be able to enjoy anything during the week before the Super Bowl. I do not consider myself broke by any means, but after that week I am much, much closer to it.

There was no escaping the craziness. My out-of-town friends were counting on me to suggest places they should go at night and I didn’t know what to tell them because every decent nightclub had more than a $100 cover charge, and close to the same amount to park. Sections at the Gold Room, a popular Atlanta night club, were said to cost upwards of $15,000, and on game day, some lots on Northside Drive were charging $250 to park.

I am usually a strong advocate for bringing big events to Atlanta. I have wanted the Super Bowl here since before we got a new stadium, and I was hoping that the NBA All-Star Game would arrive soon. However, after going through this experience, I don’t think it will be hard for me to patiently wait for Atlanta to play host again.