Last weekend, my friend and I went to Indianapolis. I had to go to a convention for a couple days, but we stretched it to a four-day weekend.

The convention was work, but also a lot of fun. I reconnected with my old friend wrestler-turned-actor Roddy Piper. It is always a great time with Roddy.

We arrived early on Friday and decided to check out the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum before the evening convention. In 1987, the Museum and Speedway grounds were designated National Historic Landmarks. While we aren’t huge racing fans, we were impressed by seeing over 30 Indianapolis 500 winning cars, including the Marmon Wasp, winner of the inaugural race in 1911.

We checked into our room at the Crowne Plaza by the airport. We enjoyed a nice meal at Grindhouse Charley’s. The Flatbread Chicken Parmesan was light and flavorful. It was the perfect meal before an evening of work at the convention.

On Saturday we took advantage of the Crowne Plaza’s workout facility to get a little exercise before venturing to Indy’s downtown area. Indianapolis is dotted with beautiful public art and is second, only to Washington D.C., in monuments and memorials dedicated to veterans. This was especially fitting considering it was the Fourth of July weekend.

After finishing my work on Sunday, we stumbled upon El Rodeo, a great Mexican restaurant. The food, atmosphere and wait staff were all great. The chicken burrito was one of the best I have ever had, and I have had a lot.

We ended the night at Morty’s Comedy Joint. Marc Price was the main act, and he had us laughing all night. Price is perhaps best known for his role as Skippy on the ’80s TV show, Family Ties, but his show was not a nostalgia act. It was lively and hilarious.

We relaxed most of the day on the Fourth and then went to to see the Indianapolis Indians lose to the Toledo Mudhens. Toledo’s winning pitcher was Sean Gallagher, whom I assume is of no relation to GT‘s publisher. The evening ended with an impressive fireworks display at Victory Field. It was a fun weekend even with the work I had to do. Indianapolis is an underrated city. I completely enjoyed everything about this trip.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist