Giants fan enjoys the scene in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS -- The stars came into alignment for Giants fan Derek Villalobos this week.

The former Bay Shore resident, 43, now living in Brooklyn, said he lucked into a pair of relatively cheap Super Bowl tickets on eBay -- "nose bleeders" costing a mere $800 apiece.

On a seasonal hiatus from his job as a union laborer, Villalobos and his wife, Mindy Perkins, had time to be among the earliest arrivals for the week of pre-Super Bowl hoopla, finding a room 50 miles away in Bloomington.

"We're here the whole week," he said. "It's beautiful."

The couple walked the sunny streets of Indianapolis Monday in Giants caps and sweatshirts, and got to see the team as its fleet of buses pulled up to the Marriott in the afternoon. He waved at Eli Manning and other team members ascending an escalator.

As one of the few fans from New York here this early, Villalobos was swarmed by local media. While tourists whizzed by overhead on a zip line thrill ride, he and his wife took in the sights of Super Bowl Village streets like it was Disneyland.

"I'm a huge Giants fan. I couldn't be a bigger fan," Villalobos said. "Indianapolis definitely put it together."

With typical ticket prices soaring beyond $2,600 apiece and rooms even three hours away selling at a premium, other Giants fans from the New York area are taking their time getting here.

"Can't do the whole week," Neil Mizrahi of Manhattan, who is traveling out with five other die-hard fans on Friday, wrote in an email. "Need to work to pay for the trip."

Some are still hunting for deals that can put them under the Lucas Oil Stadium dome Sunday night to see the Giants take on the New England Patriots for pro football's biggest prize.

Mark Alagna of Ronkonkoma said he planned to fly to a city within driving distance of Indianapolis later this week and work the local market for tickets.

"I don't think I have a choice," he said, noting the sky-high prices.