Gay guide to Indy Super Bowl 2012

The people of Indiana are going all out to welcome visitors to Indianapolis for Super Bowl 2012. It's all part of Hoosier Hospitality. To help gay visitors coming in for the main event period between Wednesday, February 1st, through Sunday, February 5th, I've compiled some relevant info and tips.


Bars / Clubs

Usually bars serve alcohol until 3am every night except Sunday, when they close at 12:30am. During the Super Bowl period there will be Sunday alcohol sales for on-premise consumption in a special downtown zone. Alcohol cannot be purchased for off-premise consumption from 3am Sunday until 7am Monday. (I actually sat in my car once on a Monday morning waiting for a liquor store to open at 7am, but that’s another story.)

For dance clubs, I recommend Talbott Street (2145 N. Talbott St.) and Greg’s Place (231 E. 16th St.)

Talbott Street will have a Madonna theme on 2/5. On 2/4 the cover is $5 before midnight, and the theme is tailgate party, with a drag show at 9:30pm, 11pm, and 1am. Same theme on 2/3, plus shows, but with the last drag show at 12:30am instead of 1am. Doors open at 9pm each night.

At Greg’s Place, the club opens at 3pm on Super Bowl Sunday. There will be free food during the game. The dance floor opens after the game. The bar opens at 4pm on 2/1-2/4, with the dance floor opening at 9pm on 2/2-2/4.

For dining + bar, two good places are English Ivy’s (944 N. Alabama St.), serving food until 3am, and Downtown Olly’s (822 N. Illinois St.), open 24/7.

The two bars that are most easily walked to from the center of downtown are The Metro and The 501 Eagle.

The Metro Nightclub (707 Massachusetts Ave.) will have an 80s party on 2/4, starting at 9pm and with no cover. They also have a restaurant for dinner 5pm to 9pm on all days except Sunday, and a gay gift shop upstairs.

The 501 Eagle (501 N. College Ave.) is a leather bar. On 2/3 is “Dark & Cruisy”. On 2/4 it’s Sports Uniform Night, and on 2/5 the bar opens at 1pm to get ready to show the game.

Unicorn Club (122 W. 13th St.) advertises itself with “We are the Midwest's only club with male entertainment seven nights a week!” They have male dancers performing from 10:30pm each night. There are also drag performers on Thursday.


Super Bowl parties

Most parties are private affairs, but there are several that you can buy tickets for. Here are some ticketed parties where celebrities are expected to show.

• The Rolling Stone Bacardi Bash is on 2/4. The scheduled entertainment is LMFAO, Lupe Fiasco, Cobra Starship, and Gym Class Heroes.
• The Rolling Stone Rock and Roll Fan Tailgate party is on 2/5, with Jane’s Addiction, Pete Wentz, and The Roots.
• The Elevate’s tent on 2/3 will have Black Cards, featuring Pete Wentz.
• The Laces and Leather party on 2/3 will have hosts Jenny McCarthy, Carmen Electra, and Jenni “Jwoww” Farley.
• The Laces and Leather party on 2/4 will have hosts Bridget Marquardt, Holly Madison, and Kendra Wilkinson.
• If you want to see DJ Pauly D, go to the Fantasy Party Tent on 2/4.
• For $499 you can watch Paula Deen get her pork on doing cooking demonstrations at the Indiana State Museum, on 2/5, starting at 11am.

Search online for more info about these parties


TV shows

Jimmy Fallon is taping his Late Night show on 2/1-2/3, and on 2/5, at the Circle Theater on Monument Circle. The advance tickets are gone, but you can wait outside of the theater for standby tickets. You need to get there early, and no later than 3:30pm. The 2/2 show would be the one to go to, because Taylor Lautner and Adam Levine will be guests on that one.

The Today Show will be broadcasting from Pan Am Plaza on 2/3. It will only be Ann Curry and Al Roker though. You’ll get to see Al ride the zipline, and Jimmy Falloon will make an appearance. Jenna Wolf will do the show on 2/4, and Ann, Al, Natalie and Savannah will be broadcasting on Super Bowl Sunday.


Super Bowl related activities downtown

The big photo op is the 30’ high XLVI Roman numerals on Monument Circle. Another good photo would be of the big blue JW Marriott with the image of the Vince Lombardi trophy covering one side.

The Zipline is 80' tall and 800' long and allows riders to fly across several blocks of Capitol St. Tickets must be purchased on-site at the Zipline Launch Tower (258 S. Capitol Ave.). They are $10 on a first come, first served basis (starting an hour before the ride opens) and sell out quickly. The Zipline operates 3pm to 10pm on 2/1, and 11am to 11pm on 2/2-2/5.

The NFL Experience is an indoor NFL theme park for football fans at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Besides free autograph sessions with NFL superstars, the NFL Shop for official Super Bowl XLVI merchandise, opportunity to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy up close, a full set of Super Bowl rings, and some Football Hall of Fame memorabilia, the main attraction is the NFL Play 60 Game Zone where adults (and some kids) get to play along doing various passing, kicking and running activities. It’s a good opportunity to watch straight boys walking around or showing their athletic prowess. If you don’t have a ticket, you can buy on site ($25) to avoid Ticketmaster charge. Enter the convention center at the NW corner, the intersection of Capitol Ave. and Maryland St. If you have a ticket, enter further south on Capitol, nearer the intersection with Georgia St. It’s open 3pm to 10pm on 2/1 – 2/3, and 10am to 10pm on 2/4. Closed on 2/5.

By the way, if you have Super Bowl tickets and are a member of the general public, without instructions to enter a certain gate, don’t head to the stadium. The main entrance for the public is the NW corner of the convention center, corner of Capitol and Maryland. That’s where the bulk of the security apparatus will be.

The Super Bowl Village is the three blocks of Georgia St. between Capitol and Pennsylvania. There are free concerts throughout the day and evening at the Verizon Stage (in front of Bankers Life Fieldhouse) and at the Pepsi Stage at Meridian St. You can see the Ice Gurus from Food Network doing their things, and participate in interactive games at Tailgate Town. Also, you can run in a human sized hamster wheel at the Super Dash.

The Huddle at the NE corner Meridian and Georgia is basically a big indoor rest area for people. It has food at the Chef’s Table, live entertainment, and an NFL ticket exchange where you can buy authenticated tickets from resellers to the game. On the 2nd floor is a Lids store with lots of Super Bowl and team merchandise.

At 9pm daily is a small aerial pyrotechnic show.


Museums / Galleries

Visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the 10th largest art museum in the U.S. Also, see the Indianpolis Children Museum, the largest of its kind in the U.S. Currently, there is a special exhibit on the fashions of Mattel’s Barbie.

Don't miss seeing the world's largest sports facility, the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Every May it is home to the Indy 500, the largest single day sporting event in the world. The number of spectators inside the track on race day is more than 3 times even the largest Super Bowl to date. The museum is open 2/1-2/5, 9am-5pm.

The Indiana State House is open 9am-7:30pm on 2/2-2/3, and 9am-5pm on 2/4. Tours of the historic state capitol building are given every hour.

There will be a large exhibition of art from the downtown art galleries and dealers at the IDADA Art Pavilion, 202 N. Alabama, open daily 10am-7pm.


Dining

Ignore all the Super Bowl guides for Indianapolis that proclaim St. Elmo’s Steakhouse as the best place to eat. It is indeed a good place to eat, but you’re not getting in. It’s booked solid, and only extraordinarily lucky people or VIPs will get the limited walk-up seating. Ask the volunteers throughout the downtown outside (who have the earbands that say “ask me”) or in The Huddle where to eat. They have tablet computers to look stuff up, and they are supposed to be notified real-time of what the line sizes are at various restaurants.

If you are looking for cheap fast food, there are 12 food trucks, offering a wide variety, on the NW side of Monument Circle from 11am to 10pm, 2/2-2/5. There are two shifts of the trucks, and the first set rolls out and the second one come in between 4pm and 5pm.

If you want quick pizza, Papa Johns has a food truck just north of the Verizon Stage, and nearby at 30 E. Georgia is Hot Box Pizza, selling $4 slices until 4am.

A conventional source right in the middle of things is the Circle Center Mall food court on the 3rd floor, north side. The mall is open 10am to 10pm on 2/1, and from 10am to midnight on 2/2-2/4. On Super Bowl Sunday, it’s open from 11am to 10pm.


Parking

From 2/1 to 2/4 there will be parking at various lots and garages at event prices. Here is a map of downtown parking: http://bit.ly/zYLnQf . For Super Bowl Sunday parking, you can try here: https://sbxlvi.clickandpark.com/superbowl. Another option is the underground parking at Circle Center Mall. It’s $80 on 2/5, $20 up to 8hrs and $40 for 8-24hrs on 2/1/-2/4.


Taxis

Cabs are very limited in Indianapolis and usually are mainly available by calling a taxi company ahead of time, requesting a pickup. Taxis are always available in front of the major hotels, but the best bet is to go to one of two special cab stands downtown during 2/1 – 2/5. On the east side of downtown, it’s on the diagonal Virgina Ave, between Pennsylvania and Delaware streets. On the west side of downtown, it’s on Washington St. between Senate and West St. If you are taking a cab out from the center of downtown, be aware that you may have trouble getting a cab later to take you back (due to the limited availability). A good tactic is make some new friends wherever you went to (who have a car) who will drive you back to the center.


Information / Assistance

If you need assistance at any time, ask one of the many policemen on duty, or anyone in a blue and white scarf (they are volunteers there to help you). Also, you can text a question to 242242 or call 1-855-472-2012. You can info on traffic, dining, and the city by texting “INFO” to 722012. The main website for info is http://www.indianapolissuperbowl.com. Use m. instead of www. for the mobile site.

German National Team Has Gay Players?

Supposedly, German soccer player Michael Ballack's agent, Michael Becker, told a reporter from Der Spiegel that the German National Team that played in the 2010 World Cup is a "bunch of gays". He also told the reporter, Aleksander Osang, that Germany's new, flamboyant style was related to their overall homosexuality, and that being gay made them too delicate to beat Spain in the semifinal.

Nevertheless, the Germans' style in South Africa was greatly appreciated by both fans and experts. They were praised for the flair and energy that they brought to the field and their third place finish was higher than many people thought the young German soccer team would achieve.

Strangely, Osang wrote that other journalists who heard Becker's accusations weren't fazed by them, as they seemed to already believe that these stories were true about coach Joachim Loew's team.

However, Osang noted that from what he could tell, homosexuality was "a synonym for anything that Becker did not understand." Also, Becker had allegedly told him which of the players in the team were gay, but indicated that one of them was only "half gay."So, it may be that Becker is just spouting off about things he doesn't understand and that there is no truth to any of this.

It would be nice if it were true. There already was a lot of fantasizing about the lithe bodies of the German team, and now rumors of der man love in die Mannschaft make the images even hotter. Becker said a former national player was preparing to name names, but we will have to wait to see if this is true.

The German Football Federation refused to comment about the story, while manager Joachim Loew said he "would not stoop so low" as to react.

This story comes after another Gay related story about the Bundesliga. In March. former football manager Rudi Assauer, who puts the ass in Assauer, said there was 'no place' for gay players in soccer. He said: "Perhaps they are OK in other sports but not in football. If a player came to me and said he was gay I would say to him: 'You have shown courage.' But then I would tell him to find something else to do. That's because those who out themselves always end up busted by it, ridiculed by their fellow players and by people in the stands. We should spare them these witch-hunts." In that case the German FA (DFB) said his comments were reprehensible.

Finchum And Boudia In Sync

While gay Australian diver Matthew Mitcham may be both an objective and sentimental favorite to win the gold medal for the men's 10 meter platform diving event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, let's not forget the home team of Thomas Finchum (at right) and David Boudia. In this case home is both the USA and my own Indianapolis area as both American divers currently live here. The two are contenders for both the 10m and (together) the 10m synchronized.

See also: Boudia and Finchum Both Want To Be The Top

Technically, Boudia was born in Texas while Finchum was born in the Indianapolis enclave of Beech Grove, so Finchum is the one true Hoosier and I have to make him my favorite for this reason. It looks like the media is going to make Boudia appear to be the better of the two, but it really depends on which day it is as to which one is on top. They are very close in their abilities, which is useful for them being synchronized partners together.

At the U.S. Olympic diving trials in Indianapolis, Boudia (at left) finished first, but that was with a huge head start score given to him because of a placement in a previous international competition. Finchum actually scored higher on his dives than Boudia at the trials.

I'm hoping that Thomas can be another Greg Louganis.

At the trials Finchum was noticeably sedate but hopefully he will get his spirit back by Beijing.

Another note about the trials: when you see diving in person you see how cocky acting the male divers can be walking around the pool. I attribute it as a counter-action to having to be in public wearing Speedos that are tighter than an extra small condom and show every bit of the gingerbread. The best looking diver was probably JJ Kinzbach but Nick McCrory deserves an honorable mention for keeping his hair on his body.

As with a large number of other sports governing bodies in the U.S., USA Diving is headquartered in Indianapolis, the amateur sports capital of America. The national diving training center is in Indianapolis and having a centralized training location here appears to have improved recently the quality of America's chances in international competition.

2008 Indianapolis 500 Spectacle

The 92nd Indianapolis 500 automobile race was held on May 25th, 2008. It's still the largest single day sporting event in the world in the largest sports facility in the world (250,000 seats). "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is a great place to see the highest class of auto racing and some other sights that make it fun to watch.

The most popular driver and the one that most people would like to have seen win was probably Danica Patrick, but my favorite was Marco Andretti (seen at right). He's one of the top racers on the track (and hopefully in the sack). He maintains tight control whether making a pass or driving hard in the short chute. For the 500 and maybe a few races afterwards, he has sponsorship from Lucasfilm and Blockbuster, driving the "#26 Team Indiana Jones Presented by Blockbuster" car. As a consequence, his sponsors had him wear an entertaining firesuit intended to look like an Indiana Jones costume. The brown jacket and shoulder strap part actually looked cool, but the drawn-on gun holsters made the bottom half look like kids pajama pants and the fedora was just too precious. Marco placed third this year.

A lot of the other drivers are pretty hot also, but they're hidden in the encasement of the cars during the race. The visible guys are in the pit crews. In their firesuits, handling all of that automotive equipment, they look rather studly. Of course it helps that they are all wearing protective helmets. It's the equivalent of the proverbial paper bag over the head. As long as they keep it on, I don't mind waving my green flag at them.

There are also the female drivers, notably Danica. The run-in with Roger Penske's driver Ryan Briscoe coming out of the pits cost her a top 5 finish but it at least put her in the headlines anyway. She got out of her car and marched towards Briscoe in a manner that was the perfect definition of "fierce". She was diverted from giving him a deserving bitch slap but she gets points for making the attempt. Briscoe on the other hand was a dick for not being man enough to admit that he caused the accident. Danica needs to pour some sugar in his fuel tank.

DWTS winner Helio Castroneves placed fourth. He was one of seven Brazilians in the field. Men of Brazil are attracted to a party and so it is natural they would come to the party that is Indy in the month of May.

The Indy 500 is the premiere event of the Indy Racing League (IRL), the main open wheel racing series in the U.S.

An Acknowledgement Of Super Bowl XLII

I was noticing that stats were down on blog visitors and I realized that people were probably watching Super Bowl XLII. I hadn't planned to watch it since without the Colts there I didn't have a dog in the fight. I turned it on just before half time but fortunately with Tivo I was able to skip most of the monotonous moving around the field and players banging into each other, which is to say, the actual playing of the game.

I focused on just getting the gist of it all and looking at some of the commercials. I might have watched for any good looking players but I don't know of any players on either team that would have drawn me to watching them. I don't care for Tom Brady's looks and neither of the Manning brothers has ever done anything for me. The Mannings and Britney Spears just remind me there is something strange going on down there in the bayou country.

With the commercials, I liked seeing Justin Timberlake get sucked and then knocked out by a TV for Pepsi. I was a little ambivalent about seeing Richard Simmons avoid being struck by a car thanks to Bridgestone tires. With Senator Bill Frist and James Carville for Coke I was just confused. Does Coke really think the people watching the game would have any idea who they are and how they were in any way relevant to a soft drink?

I suppose this year's culturally insensitive ad would be SalesGenie.com, using a patently offensive stereotype in panda-face.

There was more bashing of Cavemen by advertisers, this time by Bud Light. Why do major brands of beer even bother running commercials? Does anyone change their beer buying preference based on these? You could force me to watch a thousand hours of Bud Light commercials (although don't think I wouldn't put up a fight) and I would never drink that swill.

My favorite ad in the first half was Brady Quinn consuming some kind of edible something or other called Myoplex. He's so boyishly cute. My favorite in the second half was right at the end. A guy walks through the city carrying his red Dell notebook computer. Along the way he gets groped, kissed, and his butt patted by strangers. I wish this sort of behavior was more socially acceptable. Maybe I would get in less trouble.

Lysacek Beats The Rodent Weir

One of the bright spots of Winter is the return of figure skating on television. It is young men wearing wonderfully revealing raiments, artistically gliding across the ice accompanied by the sonorous strains of beautiful music. It is a time for the spotlight to be shined on sumptuous overly developed thighs and buttocks. It is a time to once again see reigning U.S. Mens champion Evan Lysacek.

I've been impressed with Evan Lysacek since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. There he triumphed over severe illness and a bad performance in the short program to place third in the free and fourth overall. He's got great character and quiet dignity. His skating is not always as steady as his enduring willingness to do his best, but his good nature makes him a winner every time.

NBC showed the Men's Free Program of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, featuring Evan, on a Sunday night in prime time, which is pretty good for this kind of thing. I think it is more a result of the current writers strike than a change in network TV's usual sidelining of men's artistic sports.

Unfortunately, the viewing audience was also forced to see the vermin Johnny Weir. I used to be a supporter of Johnny Weir, but his attitude and even his appearance are just disgusting. At the start of the show he mentioned being referred to as a princess, which is ludicrous since that would imply some regalness, while Johnny Weir is all trash. He trash talked Evan Lysacek, saying that could never have been friends in real life. That's true - Evan Lysacek would have been with the cool kids while Johnny Weir would have been the kid every one beat up and from whom everyone stole their lunch money. He also said that he was not a religious person, which is good since then I know he won't be offended when I tell him to go to Hell.

Evan Lysacek's Greek Orthodox faith worked out pretty good for him in the competition, since he won the free program and that gave him the championship when he tied Johnny Weir on the overall score.

It's sad that someone like Johnny Weir is so undeniably talented. The problem is all in his attitude. He needs to study Evan Lysacek to see how a champion should behave. When given the opportunity, Evan complimented Johnny and said nothing bad about him. In the end, they both did superior jobs, but Evan is who I would rather be my nation's champion.

Kudos to Ryan Bradley and Stephen Carriere for a job well done. Both are kind of cute in their own way.