Diary for Daniel Tours America


Indianapolis: 500 and downtown; Columbus night out

2008-06-29

After the Saturday night party I enjoyed a good 11 hours` sleep, which I had been craving for weeks.  I then went into the city centre to look at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the famous Indy 500 race is held.   They have a very cool motor museum filled with old cars (including the world`s first cars from Benz and Daimler) and racecars.  It`s even possible to tour the track, but unfortunately they were repairing the track so I could not ride on it.  It was quite different from Wrigley Field at just $3 for the tour. 

The racetrack started life as a proving ground for local manufacturers, and racing was really just an after-thought.  The track was initially just mud and only later were cobbles ("bricks") laid, giving the track the name The Brickyard.  The track is a highly imaginative oval shape, containing nothing but left-hand turns.  Anything more would be too difficult for the fans of NASCAR to follow.

 

I went to the nice downtown area of Indianapolis, which sits on a river and a canal.  There is a nice walk along the canal down to a museum or two.  In the centre of the city there is the standard Capitol and obelisk, the latter being topped by Miss Indiana.  I must admit when I imagine Miss Indiana she is not made of bronze and is not quite so silent (but if Miss Teen South Carolina* is any indicator of eloquence, sometimes it`s best to keep one`s mouth closed).  The tower that holds her was rather a let down:  a broken elevator meant I had to climb the 330 steps and then on reaching the top the view sucked:  the platform was enclosed with filthy perspex, ruining both the view and the chance for a cool breeze.

 Indianapolis was nice but it wasn`t quite as clean as Salem or Olympia, shattering my theory that state capitals which are not the major city in the state are always spotless.

After Indy I drove to Columbus, Ohio, where I am staying with a friend.  It`s nice to see another friendly face.  We went out to see some fireworks (but could not find them) and then to a bar with some of Meg`s friends.  I enjoyed being flashed by the girls:  even if half of them were lesbians, a hot bird is a hot bird.

 

Downtown Columbus makes Midtown Atlanta look straight.  Not only are there many gay bars and shops that welcome the gay community, there are even shops that stock only gay paraphernalia.  If you are ever in need of a rainbow flag or a white sparkly top that`s six sizes too tight, High Street Columbus is your choice.

 

 

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII