BALTIMORE — The Charm City is glowing with purple; from the top of Baltimore City Hall, to the Under Armour sign above the water, to the brick buildings of Fell's Point, you can't help but catch Ravens fever.
Our local economy is already seeing the benefits of an AFC Championship game in Baltimore, the first one in our city since the days of Memorial Stadium.
Regardless of who wins on the football field, the game is already proving a win for local businesses during what's usually a slower time of year.
"It's super important," said Maureen Cameron, dir. of sales for Hotel Revival in Mount Vernon, "I know it's been a long time coming for this city. Everybody's super excited."
When Cameron left work on Friday, capacity for next weekend was at around 40 percent. Getting here on Monday - it was over 90 percent booked.
"Normally, this time of year is very slow. January, February, slower times of year for the hotel industry especially in this neighborhood," Cameron explained, "So having the influx of the folks coming into town has been a huge help for everybody here at the hotel."
And it's not just our local hotels. Let's head back to Fell's Point, where the classic weekend spot for entertainment has another big weekend inbound.
"Last time they were in the AFC championship this city went crazy, and that wasn't even a home game," recalled Gail Furman with Max's Taphouse.
That bar played host to a group of Texans fans last week; even if those fans cheered for the losing team, they came a long way from out of town to enjoy Baltimore.
"It's just exciting, it's wonderful, it's great to have people in the city. It's great to have people milling about in all the businesses, the retailers, the hotels, restaurants, bars," Furman added.
The Ravens announced tickets will go on sale Tuesday at 10am.
The game is Sunday, January 28 at 3pm.
