Well, the reviews are in.  Dallas was proud to host Super Bowl XLV at the Cowboys Stadium last weekend. Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers!

The big winner - besides the Packers - was the unseasonably cold and icy weather which temporarily hijacked superbowl sales and anticipated economic impact. Although official sales tax data won’t be available till April, direct spending estimates were in the $200-$250 million range but would have been higher if the weather had been more cooperative. Many retailers said that the sales followed the weather patterns and improved on Sunday and Monday as the weather improved.

Although the weather caused a slow and icy start to the event, Super Bowl XLV set a few records:

• The Super Bowl Breakfast at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center was the largest ever.
• The Taste of the NFL also set an attendance record and fundraising record with its $1 million-plus total for hunger charities.
• The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration concert in Fair Park had its largest audience ever.

And last but not least, Super Bowl XLV had the largest audience in television history. The Nielsen Co. estimated the total audience at 162.9 million - 9.5 million better than last year – which gave fans a glimpse of what Dallas is all about.