My recent trip to Indianapolis seemed nearly flawless — save for the drippy rain, save for the continuously bad directions from the locals. Asking for directions is always a great way to meet new people, not to mention an instant IQ test for a local populace. Can they think on their feet? Do they have any uncommon powers of description? In my Indy experience, no.
Race — don't walk — to Indianapolis
Museums and music, college and pro sports, memorials and steakhouses and one very famous auto race every spring.
The Indiana capitol building is at the end of Market Street in Indianapolis. (Daniel Schwen)
Yet in the way stories unfold with surprising twists and unforeseen character development, I came to discover the people of this city are its greatest attraction. The speedway may be Indy's cynosure, but the people are the place. I suggest meeting as many as humanly possible.
This is Vonnegut country, so you'd be wise not to underestimate it. Rock minstrel John Mellencamp riffed on it too, and he may be a better reflection of an area with an absolute lack of brio or pretense. Let me tell you, three days here are like rehab for the ills of bigger cities: congestion, hard eyes and hubris.
The city's hub is a gracious old war memorial — the Midwest's Trafalgar Square. But for 100 years now, Indy's main attraction has been that sprawling speedway, by the same dude who blighted us with Miami Beach. Best not to hold that against him, because:
1) He's dead
2) He did leave us with this landmark speedway complex, where in a week, 400,000 screaming fans will celebrate 100 years as the nation's wildest one-day sports spectacle.
Indianapolis has not reinvented the modern American metropolis, but it's sandpapering the edges, buffing the chandeliers, cleaning the sidewalks. The next nine months may be the city's biggest ever: It's not only holding the 100th incarnation of its epic racing event, but also the 2012 Super Bowl (courts willing).
In the process, Indy has made itself into the sort of prairie stopover that is worth a look even when not hosting mega events or your company's annual sales confab. Did I mention that the bars stay open till 3 a.m.?
And as a sporting destination — the Colts, the Pacers, the NFL Combine, NCAA tourneys — it seems a Midwestern overachiever.
That winning Hoosier hospitality I mentioned seals the deal. In fact, Indianapolis may well be America's friendliest city. In three days, I didn't have a single encounter that was less than pleasant — and most were uncommonly warm.
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