Super City

I get more than a little tired of the human interest stories on the Super Bowl pregame show, but I’ve got it on now because there is a lot of stuff about the host city, Indianapolis. I’ve been watching the lead-up to the game all week, anxious to hear how things are going for Indy. (I got this picture from a really good CNN writeup, which you can read here.)

From everything I’m hearing, things are going pretty well. My biggest concern was the weather, but it’s been a really nice week, and today it’s sunny skies and mid-40° temperatures. I’m absurdly happy for my capital city, a place I called home for seven years in the ‘90s. I thought it was a great little city even then, and since I left in 1996, they’ve done a lot to make downtown even nicer. I think hosting the Super Bowl is a very positive thing for them, and I hope it brings lots of good attention to the city and to my state. (I seem to be apologizing for Indiana a lot lately because of some truly horrid political decisions being made, so it will be good to hear some positive reports.)

I remember a while back, someone who has a major beef with me wrote about how ugly and polluted and industrial Indianapolis was. Like any city, Indy has its share of pollution, but it’s certainly not as bad as many other cities I’ve been in. There has been a lot of road construction going on for the past several years, well before we got the Super Bowl bid. Widening of the highway that circles the city, I-465, construction of numerous office buildings and huge new hospitals on the north side, construction of the Fieldhouse for the Pacers and Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts, a brand new airport...I call that progress, and you have to deal with a bit of a mess in order to get to where you want to be. We still laugh about how someone could hate an entire city because I once lived there. What powerful mojo I must have! Or maybe it’s just a continuation of envy, because I sure don’t see that kind of progress happening in their little village!

Anyway, Indianapolis is a nice city, in both looks and activities (I went to a LOT of concerts in my time there!), and most Hoosiers are pretty nice in general. We really are a hospitable bunch, and although I’m two and a half hours away from Indy, I’m happy my state is having people over for the big game. I hope everything goes smoothly, and that it’s a good game. (I’ll be cheering for Peyton’s little brother, Eli. Go Giants!)

Ken and I were planning on going to the game, and we started saving up for it when we heard Indy got the bid. When it came time to check into tickets, we changed our tune pretty quickly! When you can fund a couple of full vacations on the price of a pair of tickets, you have to wonder just how much it means to you to go to a Super Bowl. Since neither of our teams (Colts for me, Bears for Ken) got anywhere close to getting to the game, we decided to pass. We’ll be watching from home, and I’ve got plenty of snack food (shrimp, lots of cheese, roasted garlic, veggies and dip, that kind of stuff) and a fridge full of cool beverages.

Congratulations, Indianapolis. Our Colts might not be playing today, but I think the city will shine, and I know you’ll make all of us Hoosiers proud!