August 29, 2008

Football Time for Residents of Zionsville!

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Last night, I got the opportunity to go to a pre-season Colts game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was fun, the food was good, the atmosphere – even for a pre-season game – was exhuberant, but the significant thought running through my mind there and back was the unique opportunity that living so close to Indy affords we residents of Zionsville (and all of Central Indiana).
A 20-minute ride down I-65 and we were in the heart of downtown Indianapolis – nearly traffic free, even for the 6pm hour. And what a banquet it offers! The new Colts home – Lucas Oil Stadium is breathtaking. This was only the second game in the stadium, and it is a masterpiece of concrete, brick and modern technology unlike any other. That venue will make Hoosiers shine when we host the Superbowl in 2012. From the top floor of Lucas Oil Stadium, event goers can peer through the open windows onto an impressive skyline boasting Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians baseball team, and Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indianapolis Pacers. Approximately 4 blocks north of Lucas Oil Stadium is the mighty Canal area where a peaceful evening walk with open-air concerts is always a pleasant weekend activity. Flanking the Canal are a variety of world-class museums, restaurants, hotels and beautiful townhome complexes. Downtown Indy also hosts Circle Center Mall, the home to many top-brand department stores, and some of the best restaurants in the City. And nearby is the Indianapolis Zoo, a truly beautiful setting for domestic and exotic animals. Several theatres offer all forms of stage entertainment, and the mighty Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra claims the Hilbert Theatre on “the Circle” for its stage. Monument Circle is the literal center of downtown Indy and is the site of many holiday events and a draw for weekend cruisers and walkers. The Circle got its nickname from a Memorial Tower mounted in the center with the traffic pattern circling it.

I am a resident of Boone County, Indiana, but I am a native Hoosier. And having lived in smaller communities all over the country where the blessings are not so abundant or the city so well established, I take a certain pride and joy in all that is near home.

Posted by: Jennifer Blandford