Texas Arizona is a special place for me: I witnessed the Steelers’ unbelievable 15-1 campaign there. At a time when I wasn’t in the best place personally---I didn’t like New York very much---the Steelers and the Hoboken crew provided a beaming bright spot for me each week, with new friends from different spots across the Pittsburgh area each week. It was at this bar that I determined that the Ex-‘Burgher fraternity wasn’t just a fluke I’d discovered in college, but was a full-fledged, across the country phenomenon. If there is a Steeler Nation, then Texas Arizona is one of its biggest and most patriotic cities.

This article is my tribute to Texas Arizona and the Steelers in Hoboken crew. To everything they mean to me and to the awesome Steeler party they throw each week of the season. It won’t mean as much to you, obviously, but I hope that people who haven’t been there will think about stopping in, and folks in other non-Pittsburgh places will be inspired to start a party that’s just as great.

This is my first foray into this type of story, so forgive me if the format’s a little rough. Over time, I’ll figure it out, and I’ll probably revisit Texas Arizona for a future “On the Road” segment. For now, it feels strange to think of it as a review—because any time ex-Pittsburghers gather together, it’s automatically an A+--but it seems the best way to go about it for now.

Sheer Enormous-icity: The first thing that hits you about the Hoboken Steeler party is that it’s huge. Casey Hampton huge. Like, every Steeler jersey you can think of huge.

According to the group’s website, the five-year-old fiesta draws up to 100 people per week to the sprawling, two room bar. And while I’ve seen numbers like that for playoff games (during last year’s AFC Championship, you could hardly move), the crowd for the contest with Jacksonville numbered closer to 55 or 60, enough to make the place crowded enough that you’re making new friends, but not so crowded that you can’t order. In other words, it’s just about perfect in this regard.

Unlike other out-of-town Steeler gatherings I’ve attended, this one is wall-to-wall Pittsburgh. Every TV is tuned to the Steeler game, with sound blasting throughout the bar. It’s a treat to see a local Giants or Jets fan trying to watch their game on the one miniature TV that’s showing it, then have them look around confused and annoyed as pitchers are spilled all over them during the celebration after a Pittsburgh score. Absolutely priceless moment every week.

Steeler Stuff: You are looking at the crown jewel of Steeler memorabilia. Forget jerseys, hats, game-worn autographed jock straps, everything: This enormous, one-of-a-kind wall painting is it.

Legend has it that the painting was originally to be discarded when its original home—a bar in the ‘Burgh—went under a few years ago. But a Hoboken Ex-‘Burgher saved it, drove it a few hundred miles, and placed it here, where the heroes of the Steeler Super Bowls can be honored publicly for years to come.

What’s truly amazing about the painting is not its size or craftsmanship---it is really beautiful, by the way---but its location. The Steeler party in Hoboken is five years old, but it’s only in its second year at Texas Arizona. Call it what you will, but the black and gold constituency is mighty powerful in this New Jersey river hamlet.

Food and Beverage: For New Yorkers—who don’t know good eatin’ or drinkin’, no matter what you tell me—the folks at T&A do a pretty good job on the fare. There’s an attempt at a Primanti’s cheesesteak, and a burger topped with a fried egg. Pair that with the lack of Iron City (they do have Rolling Rock…I guess that counts), and it’s enough to remind you of home, but just far enough off to make you miss it…which I guess is the whole point of a home away from home.

The Game: Of course, you can pile a billion former Pittsburghers in a roomful of Steeler stuff and give them pitchers ‘til they puke, but when you get down to it, the only thing that matters is the game. And in Hoboken, it’s on every channel.

Two enormous TVs bookend the place, with five more screens above the bar. For 2005, they’ve made that handful high definition (as seen in the blurry photo above). And if you haven’t seen the Men of Steel in this format, I gotta tell you: It is worth all the hype. Each curly strand of Troy Polamalu’s hair stands out vividly, and the lines of Larry Foote’s umpteen tattoos are crisp. Even though I had to watch Tommy Maddox drop a stinkbomb in overtime, I’m glad I got to see it with such clarity. On a plain old tube, I’m not so sure I would have handled it so well.

As I’ve indicated above, the audio is tuned to the game, so you can hear Phil Simms or Paul Maguire hate on the Pittsburgh team while they march to victory. And like any good Steeler party, each score is punctuated with the playing of the Steeler polka.

There’s also a DJ who fills in the commercial time with Steeler fight songs and good old, ‘DVE approved rock ‘n’ roll. While he was diligent about turning it off when play resumed during the 2004 campaign, he seemed reluctant to do so during this game, which annoyed many of the patrons. It was an exciting game, and the jockey seemed more interested in the “party” than the “Steeler” portion of the event, with “Cleveland Sucks” blasting through up-the-gut runs and defensive stops.

The Report Card:
Size: A+
Memorabilia: A+
Food: A-
The Game: B+

Final Grade: A

----Greg

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