Indianapolis

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click photo to enlarge		 Our trip back east started out flying into Nashville where we had an evening tour the day we arrived. The next morning we were off to Indiana. The original intention of this trip was to go to the Kentucky Derby but we simply were not able to get tickets for a reasonable sum. While in Indiana we went to Batesville to meet our friend Errick. After he showed us around Batesville and Oldenburg we drove up to Indianapolis and stayed at his friend Debbie’s place. While in Indy we went to the Dallara Indy Car Factory. All Indy cars currently are manufactured at this plant. Then we went to tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They have a very nice museum there and we also went out on the track to Kiss the Bricks. The tradition of "kissing the bricks" was started by NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett. After his Brickyard 400 victory in 1996, Jarrett and crew chief Todd Parrott decided to walk out to the start-finish line, kneel and kiss the Yard of Bricks to pay tribute to the fabled history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This started a tradition of Indy winner going out and kissing the bricks. So they have a tour where you go out for one lap around the speedway and stop and give you the opportunity to Kiss the Bricks.

click photo to enlarge		 Our last day in Indianapolis was spent touring downtown, Monument Circle, the Capital, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and the Canal Walk. Of course, as I typically do, I had researched restaurants near where we would be and we went to Shapiro's Delicatessen. It is as close as I have come to a corned beef sandwich to match Slyman’s Restaurant for corned beef in Cleveland Ohio. Notice I said close but it was not quite as big and the corned beef was almost as good. But for sure better than anything I have had in Los Angeles.

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