Indianapolis, also known as Indy, is the state capital and most-populous city of Indiana. When I think of this city, I think of the Indy 500 race. We just happened to arrive in Indianapolis a week before this famous annual race and had the opportunity to go see some qualifying rounds for the pole position!
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Scott Dixon wins the pole position |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway & Museum (Tour: Kiss the Bricks)
One of the
most popular drivers of the 1950s, Fred Agabashian was the 1952 Indianapolis
500 pole winner.
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| 1953 Agabashian Helmet |
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| Rick Mears Interview |
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| Indianapolis 500 Winner Trophy |
One of the greatest moments in all of Indianapolis Motor Speedway history occurred in 1977, when A.J. Foyt became the first person to win the Indy 500 for a 4th time! Foyt's winning car was a low-sitting Foyt Coyote.
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| 1977 Indianapolis 500 Winner |
Kiss the Bricks Tour:
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| The "Bricks" mark the Finish Line |
Since we love sculpture, we enjoyed the lovely weather and getting outside to explore these venues:
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| "Twisted House" by John McNaughton |
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| "Imploding Cube" by John Simms |
Holliday Park Nature Center: The Ruins
Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park:
I especially enjoyed the different bench shapes!
White River State Park: Art in the Park:
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| "Sky Waltz" by John Mishler |
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| "Finish" by Terrence Karpowicz |
The Eiteljorg Museum is in the White River State Park. This museum tells the stories of the diverse cultures of the West and Native America. The exterior of the Museum is beautiful:
During our visit there was a special exhibition: Humor in Native American Art.
“Beans Again” by Jason Garcia, Santa Clara Pueblo:
Untitled (“Santa Fe Coyote”) by Ricardo Cate, Santo Domingo Pueblo:
Untitled ("Green Eggs and Spam") by Ricardo Cate, Santo Domingo Pueblo:
We head to yet another cemetery! The Crown Hill Cemetery is beautiful with its Gothic Gate and Chapel.
We were there to visit the grave site of the John H. Dillinger, a notorious American gangster.
We could have spent an entire day at Newfields: A Place for Nature and the Arts. The centerpiece of the Indianapolis Museum of Art is this sculpture: "Folded Circle Dynamics Red, Phase III" by Fletcher Benton:
It is composed of two nearly identical half circles juxtaposed perpendicularly. The moving element in the sculpture's upper portion consists of colored plexiglass panels that slide back and forth.
Behind the “Folded Circle…” is another work: “Light and Space III” by Robert Irwin.
The Lilly House at Newfields is a 20th century country estate that features the furnishings and decorative objects owned by the Lillys.
The nearby Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse features glasshouses built in the 1920s and in the late 1940s. There was so much to see that we had to take a break at the Beer Garden. The Cider and Bavarian pretzel hit the spot!
Although we left Indianapolis before the Indy 500 race, we watched it on television and was thrilled to see that 4 of the racers we saw in the qualifying rounds came in the top 10 – including the winner Helio Castroneves! It was fun seeing him kiss the bricks and holding the trophy that we saw in the Museum!
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| 2021 Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves |
Now that we’ve “raced” through Indiana, we’re returning to Pennsylvania to see some old favorites and make some new memories!
