Thoughts from Indy | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Thoughts from Indy

Just like everyone has said, Indy is a great place to have this event. Everything walkable - stadium, downtown, convention center, team hotels. People working were nice. Clean city and felt safe. There were homeless beggers, but nearly every city will have that. Ive been to San Antonio as well, and would have no problem having the final 4 in Indy every several years.

Curious, do any Uconn fans ever go to the final 4 when Uconn isnt part of it? Saw some Duke and Kentucky fans, but not much else other than nearby regional schools like Purdue etc. It just seems like a cool event to go to regularly, although the logistics and prices are a nightmare.
 
This is my third time in Indy for Final fours (2 for the women, 1st for the men). I like Indy, but not a lot there once you've seen the highlights. We decided to go after the Duke victory, and downtown was not available for hotel rooms. We stayed in Greenfield IN, home of Braylon Mullins himself. Went to the Depot bar/restaurant in Greenfield, after reading the article about Braylon on ESPN. Def a UConn bar; Monday they told us to come early as it would be full of UConn (Braylon) supporters. I found out too late that I could have visited the high school gym from Hoosiers which was not too far away. Next time I'll go. We just drove in for both games; traffic was heavy in the construction area, but not too bad. I do love going to final fours; this year we stood for both games and screamed along with everybody else. It was great fun!
 
superjohn said:
Totally agree. It's a perfect city for an event like this, I'm not sure what people who didn't like it were looking for...

Everything was an easy walk and stress free. UConn hotel was right next to the incredible soldiers and sailors monument. The state capitol building was right down the street. Convention center a short walk. Tom's Watch bar with a million TV's covering every inch of the bar a short walk. St. Elmo steak house is right there. Gainbridge Fieldhouse is right there. Slippery Noodle is a really cool place with great live music, great bar food and a cool atmosphere and it's right next to Lucas Oil. Shapiro's for great jewish deli food is also right there. Had a great lunch at Bluebeard.
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We enjoyed Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse which is pretty close to the team hotel.
 
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JeannoCT said:
This is my third time in Indy for Final fours (2 for the women, 1st for the men). I like Indy, but not a lot there once you've seen the highlights. We decided to go after the Duke victory, and downtown was not available for hotel rooms. We stayed in Greenfield IN, home of Braylon Mullins himself. Went to the Depot bar/restaurant in Greenfield, after reading the article about Braylon on ESPN. Def a UConn bar; Monday they told us to come early as it would be full of UConn (Braylon) supporters. I found out too late that I could have visited the high school gym from Hoosiers which was not too far away. Next time I'll go. We just drove in for both games; traffic was heavy in the construction area, but not too bad. I do love going to final fours; this year we stood for both games and screamed along with everybody else. It was great fun!
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Did they treat you well at The Depot since you are a UConn fan?
 
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I have only been to F4's that UConn played in and only got to Indy on Sunday, but I enjoyed the entire trip until the second half of the game. Thought the stadium layout was strange and of course, viewing from inside a football stadium sucks.
 
Deepster said:
Tough split of fans. Easily 85/15 Michigan. Could barely hear UCONN or Let’s Go Huskies chants. Not that we didn’t try, just completely outnumbered.

I’ve never seen a game in a football stadium. It’s not great. I was in the mid 100s and still felt a mile away. I can’t imagine being in the uppers.

Michigan fans are not basketball fans. They’re football fans and I heard “do you even have a football team?” all night. The guy in front of me bet Michigan -7.5, first half over and full game over expecting a blowout. I said it was going to be a rock fight in the 60s and he laughed at me.

If you ever complain about Hartford, spend a couple days in Indy and you will feel much better about where you live.

Seeing your kid close up on the Jumbotron screaming during a timeout in front of 70,000 people was worth every penny of the trip.
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Nice. I went to the 2009 Final Four and, yeah, the football stadium thing blows. Guess what, tho ? Detroit sucks MUCH harder than Indy. And until this week, UConn had only lost once in the Final Four and I was there. Obviously, for the mojo, I can never go again. Now, neither can you. LOL!!
 
First time in Indianapolis, and would probably never return for anything else but a Final Four. The city loves the event because it’s all they have. Don’t give me the Colts or NFL Combine.

I will say it was better run than Houston or Phoenix. The layout of the city and the proximity to the stadium helps with it greatly.

I ordered about 35 hotdogs from Clayton’s Country Bar over the long weekend and my insides are now regretting it.

Also: a real shame to see so many UConn donors/season ticket holders flip their seats on Monday night to Michigan fans.
 
CTBasketball said:
First time in Indianapolis, and would probably never return for anything else but a Final Four. The city loves the event because it’s all they have. Don’t give me the Colts or NFL Combine.

I will say it was better run than Houston or Phoenix. The layout of the city and the proximity to the stadium helps with it greatly.

I ordered about 35 hotdogs from Clayton’s Country Bar over the long weekend and my insides are now regretting it.

Also: a real shame to see so many UConn donors/season ticket holders flip their seats on Monday night to Michigan fans.
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Benedict should look up who did that and take away their access to FF tix next time. Real fans can't buy tix from the school and have to pay through the nose for horrible seats. And UConn donors then sell their tix to Michigan fans. Disgusting. If you're going to sell them at least seek out CT fans.
 
huskyjawz said:
Benedict should look up who did that and take away their access to FF tix next time. Real fans can't buy tix from the school and have to pay through the nose for horrible seats. And UConn donors then sell their tix to Michigan fans. Disgusting. If you're going to sell them at least seek out CT fans.
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He won’t bite the hand that feeds, nor should he. It’s impossible to stop.
 
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Deepster said:
Tough split of fans. Easily 85/15 Michigan. Could barely hear UCONN or Let’s Go Huskies chants. Not that we didn’t try, just completely outnumbered.

I’ve never seen a game in a football stadium. It’s not great. I was in the mid 100s and still felt a mile away. I can’t imagine being in the uppers.

Michigan fans are not basketball fans. They’re football fans and I heard “do you even have a football team?” all night. The guy in front of me bet Michigan -7.5, first half over and full game over expecting a blowout. I said it was going to be a rock fight in the 60s and he laughed at me.

If you ever complain about Hartford, spend a couple days in Indy and you will feel much better about where you live.

Seeing your kid close up on the Jumbotron screaming during a timeout in front of 70,000 people was worth every penny of the trip.
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Been to Indy and been to Hartford I’d take Indy over Hartford anyday
 
CTBasketball said:
Also: a real shame to see so many UConn donors/season ticket holders flip their seats on Monday night to Michigan fans.
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Is that real? Our group of 5 ended up with 6 extra tickets through UConn for both games.

I can't believe anyone would sell tickets through UConn to any UConn fans over face value and I really can't believe anyone would turn a profit by selling to Michigan fans. That's horrible behavior.
 
Went with a group of 4 but could only get our 2 tickets from the school. Had to buy 2 off the resale market. Prices for game 1 in Uconn sections and everywhere were very high ($1,000+ for section 235). Prices for final were an absolute bomb. Selling for under face value. Can't imagine how cheap they would have been if AZ had won. Moving our section for final and not telling us he location until Noon game day wasn't my favorite either. May never buy through school again.
 
We traveled particularly poorly due to flight costs. Flights from all over have been very expensive the last few weeks. No surprise that UM and Illinois filled the stadium.
 
Deepster said:
Personal preference I guess. In my job, I’ve been to probably 40 states and most major cities more than once. And on the company dime, I get to eat most of where I want.

Indy? Yes. Everything was walking distance. The bars were fine. Everything else was blah for me. Architecture was big boring gray buildings. People were meh. No regional flare like New Orleans or Nashville or even Cleveland. No musical niche. The most infamous food is what, shrimp cocktail? It was “fine” for a few days. I’d never ever in a million years go back for anything other than a work meeting or another final four.
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Can’t say enough positive things about the people. As one who has some mobility issues, I can say the people could not have been more helpful or considerate in accommodating my needs.
 
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LIUCHusky said:
Can’t say enough positive things about the people. As one who has some mobility issues, I can say the people could not have been more helpful or considerate in accommodating my needs.
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Hoosier Hospitality
 
We stayed in Carmel which was 30 minutes away. The Michigan fans in our hotel were friendly. We even had a few beers with them after the game.

We ate at St. Elmos and had their famous shrimp cocktail. After the first burn, the remaining bites went down easy.

We had a blast at the Brothers Pub. The place was huge but surprisingly the number of UConn fans was equal to the Michigan fans.

We played some golf at the Back Nine which is a Top Golf equivalent.

Indy is a great city for the final four. Most everything is walking distance from the Lucas Oil Arena.

I thought it was a great idea to have the D2, D3 and NIT finals on the off day Sunday. It was a stupid idea to have Zac Brown playing on Saturday night.

These are my random thoughts.
 
I’m born and raised in Indy, it’s great. Is it the best city, absolutely not. Weather sucks half the year here, but I find it funny saying it’s super outdated. I’ve been to many cities including Cleveland and Hartford, both are to me are cities that time forgot, especially Cleveland. Also, I think having professional sports teams (Pacers/Colts) is another reason it is better than most. Can’t imagine comparing it to a city that doesn’t have pro sports.
 
LIUCHusky said:
Can’t say enough positive things about the people. As one who has some mobility issues, I can say the people could not have been more helpful or considerate in accommodating my needs.
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I was fist bumping the people who worked at Lucas Oil after we beat Illinois, the cops were really friendly as were the people working at the bars and restaurants.
 
superjohn said:
Totally agree. It's a perfect city for an event like this, I'm not sure what people who didn't like it were looking for...

Everything was an easy walk and stress free. UConn hotel was right next to the incredible soldiers and sailors monument. The state capitol building was right down the street. Convention center a short walk. Tom's Watch bar with a million TV's covering every inch of the bar a short walk. St. Elmo steak house is right there. Gainbridge Fieldhouse is right there. Slippery Noodle is a really cool place with great live music, great bar food and a cool atmosphere and it's right next to Lucas Oil. Shapiro's for great jewish deli food is also right there. Had a great lunch at Bluebeard.
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Agree it’s a perfect city for the final four. I had only been once before for a work conference and thought it was fine, but had a great time this weekend. Downtown is super easy to get around and walking to the stadium is a big plus. I thought it was a way better spot than Phoenix was two years ago.

Comparing it to Hartford is an interesting choice.
 
Huskies990411 said:
Agree it’s a perfect city for the final four. I had only been once before for a work conference and thought it was fine, but had a great time this weekend. Downtown is super easy to get around and walking to the stadium is a big plus. I thought it was a way better spot than Phoenix was two years ago.

Comparing it to Hartford is an interesting choice.
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So…Indy seems like one of those places that’s “great to raise a family.” But for a place to visit for 4-5 days? It’s incredibly boring. I’ve been to 20 Final Fours and while it’s great to have everything centrally located, I’ve come to judge final fours based more on weather and things to do.

There’s NOTHING to do in Indy. Friendly people. Some good restaurants (including one that it best known for having a stupid about of horseradish in its cocktail sauce - not exactly a destination aspect).

Give me San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas and New Orleans ANY day of the week and I’d be happy.

This “spread the wealth” of Detroit, Minneapolis, and Indy (I know it’s the NCAA hq) stinks.
 
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Sonova said:
So…Indy seems like one of those places that’s “great to raise a family.” But for a place to visit for 4-5 days? It’s incredibly boring. I’ve been to 20 Final Fours and while it’s great to have everything centrally located, I’ve come to judge final fours based more on weather and things to do.

There’s NOTHING to do in Indy. Friendly people. Some good restaurants (including one that it best known for having a stupid about of horseradish in its cocktail sauce - not exactly a destination aspect).

Give me San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas and New Orleans ANY day of the week and I’d be happy.

This “spread the wealth” of Detroit, Minneapolis, and Indy (I know it’s the NCAA hq) stinks.
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The Final Four returns to Indy in three years right? Not returning to New Orleans or San Antonio yet but going back to Indy so soon.
 
Greathusky said:
It was a stupid idea to have Zac Brown playing on Saturday night.
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They showed a bit of that on Monday night. How does it make any sense to pair a concert at the same time as the event you're pairing it with ?!
 
I've read Indy is the largest city not constructed on a major body of water, or navigable body of water, or something. That's all I got.
 
DRBackup said:
Nice. I went to the 2009 Final Four and, yeah, the football stadium thing blows. Guess what, tho ? Detroit sucks MUCH harder than Indy. And until this week, UConn had only lost once in the Final Four and I was there. Obviously, for the mojo, I can never go again. Now, neither can you. LOL!!
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Downtown Detroit is unrecognizable from 5 years ago. It has a legit restaurant scene now and I think will be a great host. The biggest criticism is the lack of hotels, but the fan experience downtown will be great. Greektown is cool too with lots of places that can manage large crowds. I like Indianapolis, but I think Detroit will be even better.
 
Price0809 said:
The Final Four returns to Indy in three years right? Not returning to New Orleans or San Antonio yet but going back to Indy so soon.
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I believe Indy is contractually tied to the NCAA to get a Final Four once every 5 years or so since it is the home of NCAA HQ. Hosting again in 2029 is pretty quick. I think it was supposed to be 2030 originally, but Arlington needed a date swap for some reason in 2029. It's a travesty that Atlanta has to wait until 2031 to get their replacement for the 2020 cancelled Final Four because MB is another great centrally located, downtown stadium location.
 
We were built for and would’ve beat any normal, elite team on Monday night. We weren’t built to beat the AVENGERS. and yet we only lost by 6 points. The diabolical twist is Juwan Howard’s incompetence led to this.
 
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