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Indianapolis Mini Guide
What Should I go to Indianapolis for?
Many go there for probably the world’s most famous motor race, the Indianapolis 500, run each year on the May Bank Holiday. The race is run over 500 miles on the Brickfields track, so named because the track was made from over 3.5m bricks. Besides the Indy race, the city is also known as the crossroads of America as major transnational road and rail routes cross there. It’s also home to the Soldiers and Sailor’s Monument, only slightly shorter than the Statue of Liberty but far less well known. The city is also one of the few in the US that is almost exactly central in the state.
How do I get to Indianapolis?
As befits a crossroads for transport, Indianapolis Airport has a huge number of domestic flights coming in from all over North America. Outside of this field of operation you’ll need to take a connecting flight to
JFK in
New York before continuing on Delta Airlines for Indianapolis. The airport is seven miles from the business centre of the city. Whilst a metro line was installed to the airport, it hasn’t operated yet and the only public transport into the city is by express bus or taxi.
What is There to See and Do in the City?
The city has its fair share of skyscrapers with the Chase Tower as the tallest at 830ft. Another skyscraping structure is the majestic Soldiers and Sailors Monument which commemorates the battles of the civil war and the North’s stand against slavery. In the base is the Eli Lilly memorial to the famous colonel. You can ride to the top of the tower for a fabulous view out over the city. For racing fans a visit to the Indy 500 Hall of Fame is a must with twenty of the race’s winning cars on display to the public as well as the trophies, newspaper reports and recordings of the commentary of some of the notable races.
What Should I buy to Take Home?
What about an Indy 500 bumper sticker or some go faster stripes for your own car, courtesy of the Hall of Fame shop? There too you can buy exhibition quality replicas of some of the winning cars through the ages as well as indulging in memorabilia from some of the car companies whose vehicles have won the race.
Is There any Food That I Must try There?
As befits aficionados of the motor race circuit, the best food there is of the ‘greasy spoon’ variety. That doesn’t mean that it’s not good quality grease! Two must visit ‘restaurants’ include the Mug-n-Bun Drive In that attracts famous drivers in race season as well as people who love the home made root beer there. The other is Peppy Grill which is the typical transport café style food outlet but which serves delicious high fat food!
Are There Many Celebrations and Festivities in Indianapolis?
There are several festivals throughout the year with the best and most famous being the ‘Indy Month’, the time around the race when all manner of celebrations and activities tempt the tourist. There’s also the Indiana Black Expo, a celebration of all that Black Americans have done to help make the nation great.