Indy 500-Help please

[Louie]

Hey ladies,

This is all up in the air atm & it's just a hypothetical q. I want to surprise Ian for his B-day & visit my family whilst up in the northern hemisphere.

I have no idea if anyone's ever been or if their husband/dpita has ventured to the INdy 500 but want to ask a couple of questions.

1-I've no idea where in the stands/area to sit. I've been on the Indy 500 site but am a bit clueless..

2-We'll probably fly to Vancouver and venture from there. Can anyone tell me if there are any direct flights from Van or Seattle?

3-What about nice but inexpensive places in INdianapolis. I know we have a few ladies from that area & would love your input. Anyone mind a few people camping in your backyard?

Thanks for your help

c

Answering questions:
1. If you want to watch the race sit in turn 4, either stand J (my favorite) or the northwest vista. If you want to experience the pagentry sit as close to the start/finish line as possible, but vewing of actual race is most limited here. Any seats high in turns provide best race vewing.

2. Not sure, but seattle is more likely, and would be cheaper.

3. Best resonably priced place I've found to stay is the Studio 6 in Fishers Indiana, about 20 miles from the track. For under $100.00 a night you get a large romm with small kitchen and sitting area. But book soon.

I have no freaking idea how I got here, but I do cycle and am an Indy 500 nut. Not a woman though.

Hope this helps.

[indysteel]

CrazyCanuck, I'm an Indianapolis native and have gone to the race many times. It can be a lot of fun, especially if the weather cooperates. However, I have to admit that I wouldn't go out too much out of my way to see it. The race just isn't what it was when I was a kid. I'll be honest, too, that the crowd the race attracts leaves a lot to be desired. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but I feel obliged to say it. There are lots of nice people who go to the race and lots of redneck drunks. With the start time pushed back now, it just gives some people a bigger window to get wasted and stupid.

For my money, I'd go to the Formula One race in June instead. I haven't been to the race itself, but the practices are great. You can roam around and the crowd is a little better and more international. The weather is a little more predictable too. Late June in Indy can be hot, but it's usually fairly dry.

That said, I concur with the advice to sit either in turn 1 or turn 4, the higher up the better. Also, if you do decide to go to the 500, build some flexibility into your schedule. If the race gets rained out, they'll try to run it on Monday (Memorial Day in the US) instead. There are no direct flights that I'm aware of to Seattle or VC. I've flown through Denver to get to Seattle in the past.

As for places to stay, anything downtown will cost you an arm and a leg and is likely already booked anyway. I like the suggestion to stay in the western suburbs, given that the Motor Speedway is on the westside of the city. Bloomington would also be a good choice. It's about an hour south of Indianapolis and is a lovely town. You could avoid a lot of the nuttiness in Indianapolis by staying there. I don't yet know what my Memorial Day plans are this year, but I would be happy to help you out in any way that I could. I have a spare room, and air mattress and a backyard suitable for camping. As I sais, I live in Indy (about five miles from the track), and I lived in Bloomington for eight years.

Kate