Stanford Stadium Is Ready for Big Show

Dense fog and chilly air settled over Stanford Stadium on Friday, giving the manicured football field a healthy soaking, as hundreds of shivering workers put on the final touches for Sunday’s Super Bowl XIX.

The usually sleepy Stanford campus and neighboring city of Palo Alto, meanwhile, took on a carnival atmosphere with party tents, bustling souvenir stands and gawking visitors.

Hundreds of curious fans from around the San Francisco Bay area, Florida and other states visited the 85,000-seat stadium on Friday to get a glimpse of the scene. They were allowed in between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., while various groups were given private tours.

“I’m really impressed,” said Miami Dolphins fan George Desharnais, 58, of Bal Harbor Village, Fla. “This is a beautiful stadium, a heck of a lot better than the Orange Bowl. You can see the game here from anywhere. It reminds me a lot of the Rose Bowl.

“We’ve been having a wonderful week here,” he said. “My only complaint is the weather. It’s freezing. It was 81 degrees when I left Florida.”

It was 44 degrees here on Friday.

White seat cushions with the rainbow-colored apple insignia of Apple Computer Inc. of nearby Cupertino covered all the wooden benches.

“I’ve been coming to games here for 35 years, since I was a little girl,” said Phyllis Munsey of Palo Alto.