I always like visiting Indy, and a visit to the War Memorial is always a must. There’s a lot of history here and the patriotism that its citizens display is unprecedented.
There’s another big tradition in Indianapolis – the biggest racing spectacle in the world.
The Indy 500 means so much to this city symbolically and economically that I’m glad they decided to host it even if it’s two months late. Even though the raceway can hold up to 400,000 fans, this year, there were none in attendance.
In previous years, the city would host a huge parade through downtown. Sadly, this year, was missing the pompous sights and sounds of the people’s parade. This year, drivers organized their own impromptu parade surprising fans with front porch visits and photo ops.
There actually wasn’t a lot of people at the circle on Racing Sunday. There was though a lot of booze-guzzling pub pedalers.
And the city was playing the sounds of the race on the PA Sound System at the Memorial.
I was able to walk around the 280 foot limestone structure and keep up with who’s winning and see which driver was beating the odds.
The Columbia Club was hosting a viewing event in their patio. There were large screens and you could hear the broadcaster from the PA system at the Memorial.
I asked the hostess if I could join them but was informed that this was for members’ only.
So sadly, I had to leave monument circle. Thankfully, I found Winner’s Circle.
Winner’s Circle is part of Caesars family, but it’s not really a casino. It’s more of a combination between a sports bar and a sports book.
And a day like this with MLB, NBA Playoffs, Indy 500 and the obligatory horse racing, I found the perfect oasis.
Too my surprise, most people here were more concerned about betting on horses and the NBA playoffs than NASCAR.
They got more excited about Luka Doncic’s overtime 3-pointer than when Takuma Sato from Japan crossed the finish line first for his second win.
“Luka Luka!!” yelled an excited sports better as he raised his fists and high fived his friends, all without any masks. Either he was a huge Mavericks fan or he had a big wager on them.
Meanwhile racing sports fans from Japan was cheering “Takuma” even though it was still pre-dawn there.
I enjoyed the game and especially the excitement of the fans over the buzzer beater.
And then the best surprise of all was the brisket Mac & Cheese – smoking hot, cheesy and filling.
I could have easily stayed another five hours for the remainder of the games – too bad I had a load to Jersey later this evening.
