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.

Pay Attention To The Hands

In a video on YouTube titled "can you pay attention to my hands mister", a young man uses American Sign Language to tell his absent boyfriend how he feels about him, and in what ways he would like to express it in person (which includes having a particular sex act in a car.) Of course, watching ASL being used can often be a beautiful thing, but never more so when the person doing it is a beautiful shirtless hunk like the guy in this video. Hair, body, smile, eyes, personality, charm, and a little goofiness. What more can anyone ask for? Let's get in that car.



Checking the internet for any public information related to this, one can find that the guy in the video is Jacob Dowker and the boyfriend to whom he is signing is Anthony Potter. They are both from upstate New York, in the Watertown area, but they now live (presumably together) north of Buffalo. Anthony's YouTube profile states he is 22 years old, while Jacob is a freshman in college.

The video supposedly was made by Jacob as a personal message of affection for Anthony, but with it being posted on YouTube, it caught a some people's attention. It's known that it was publicized by a Brazilian website and then subsequently by Perez Hilton and Towleroad. With those mentions, the video got over a half million views.

Neither Anthony or Jacob is deaf. Anthony has an interest in languages, including ASL. When they first met, Anthony showed Jacob a little of how to sign. Concerning the signing in the video, Anthony explained that Jacob learned most of the signs he wanted to use from a book, over a week's time. Comments from viewers who know ASL have remarked that some of the signs are wrong, and actually end up saying something quite different from what was intended. Anthony's view is that people should keep in mind that it is the thought that counts, not the perfection of the execution.

In an article about the video in TÊTU, a French publication, Jacob said that some of their friends and relatives were not completely enthusiastic about it. However, the majority of them were proud to be associated with him, seeing how successful the clip had become. Anthony's take on the video is that it provides opportunities for many people to see what "gay love" really means. Also, "On est tous les deux très contents d'avoir donné aux gens une raison de sourire." [We are both very happy to have given people a reason to smile.]

Normally I hate all couples out of pure, unadulterated jealousy, but seeing photos of these two together, I make an exception with Anthony and Jacob. Très mignon.

The song playing in the video is "Computer Sex" by Aaron & The Gays, which is available for download/purchase from Amazon.

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.

Ryan Conklin Is 2009 Sexiest Man Alive

At the beginning of 2009, Ryan Conklin first came to the public's attention, as a cast member on MTV's The Real World Brooklyn. On the show, he became known for his fun loving personality, his creative talents, and his dedication to duty when he was recalled back to active duty to serve with the Army in Iraq. For me, my interest in him from the beginning has largely been connected to the many intriguing aspects of his multi-faceted personality and of his various interests. However, I'm not unaware or immune to the fact that the sight of him makes people short of breath, weak in the knees and somewhat light-headed, due his overpowering allure. For that physical effect on people, I must declare Ryan to be my 2009 Sexiest Man Alive.

Ryan has some classic attributes that contribute to his sexiness. He has a cute face, big biceps, slim build, and a sweet but self-confident manner. In casual civilian clothes, he wears his cap at a jaunty angle and sports boy-next-door attire and a winning smile. In his Army uniform, he's G.I. Ryan come to life, and not the little 3 3/4" version, but rather the proud 8" size that you can barely get your hand around.

Girls are crazy for him, but his attractiveness extends across all demographics. Here are some examples of the hotness that stimulates both his male and females fans.

Shirtless Ryan Conklin exposing himself to nature.

Classic good-looking American boy-next-door.

Ryan makes use of his boyish charm.

Ryan uses his hand to get intimate with a "friend".

Ryan as the perfect snuggle bunny in bed.

Ryan throws his meaty legs in the air.

Ryan spreads his legs and shows the big gun.

Ryan provocatively wets his skin for the camera.

It's nice that Ryan doesn't act like he even realizes how sexy he is. In a video from Iraq, he nonchalantly showed some of his physical prowess. Grasping what he could handle, Ryan beat off just the head of what he euphemistically called "the hammer of f***ing Conklin." Hot.

Rocking The District 2009

For a change of pace, I went up to Carmel to go to the "Rock the District" outdoor music event. It's held each summer in Carmel, the wealthy city directly north of Indianapolis where the well-to-do people in central Indiana live. The "District" is the so-called "Arts & Design District" in Old Town Carmel, where sadly there is very little art and only pathetically bad design. Except for events like this one and the few restaurants that are there, there is very little reason to go there.

When I got there, none of the bands were playing at the moment so I traipsed down the main thoroughfare perusing what the various food vendors under their awnings had to offer. Most of it was ridiculously overpriced considering it was just carnival-like food, but the prices were probably set with consideration of the moneyed interests that live in the area and who could afford to pay up. I tried to be mindful of the good eating habits preached by Scott Herman, the fitness trainer/model from The Real World Brooklyn, who's every word I follow on Twitter. For that reason, I selected a grilled chicken sandwich. It was particularly tasty. On the other hand, I also got a tray of sweet potato fries to go with it, which were also quite yummy (but I'm confident not on Scott's prescribed diet).

Since I'm a-telling on myself, I'll mention that the first thing I bought was actually a grotesquely huge bag of kettle corn. It's something to get at fairs, like elephant ears, but it's hard to say if it is as bad for you. It's popcorn that has a light coating of both sugar and salt. It just looks kind of funny for one person to carry around a duffel bag size quantity of snack food.

The attendance this year was less than last year, because frankly the music headliner wasn't as big as the one the last two years. In 2007 & 2008, there was Indiana's own Jon McLaughlin, who really got people's attention in 2008 when he performed the nominated Disney song "So Close" at the Academy Awards. (BTW, I highly recommend his music).

Eventually someone started playing music on the main stage. It might have been Dave Barnes, the headliner. I don't know. It was strictly straight people's music. I listened for about five minutes then left.

As I left the area, I could see walking down the street, facing towards me, a solitary figure moving in a hurry. Picture an Olympic race walker, with arms pumping and hips swaying. Of course, for someone in the know, it was clear I was seeing the other gay person who decided to attend the event. As he got closer, I could see he was wearing a horribly outdated v-neck shirt, which unfortunately is a fashion cry for help that too many gay men cannot seem to release from their clutches. It was tired when Dustin Erikstrup constantly wore v-neck t-shirts two years ago on Big Brother 8. Now I see Derek Chavez on The Real World Cancun extolling the virtues of the "style" to Bronne Bruzgo. Is it possible that the trend has only recently made it across the desert to Phoenix?

So anyway, the guy walking towards me eventually passes by, and interestingly he actually looked a lot like Derek. Unfortunately, he absolutely reeked of some old style cologne. He must have had it sprayed, splashed, and otherwise hosed on him. After he walked by I waved my hands in front of me in a vain attempt to clear the stench that his trail had left for to walk through.

Now I am home. I have to work on moving all of my xtra pages to a real web host. I had been using an anomaly of Google's page creator to host them with Google for free. Now their page creator platform is being closed in favor of their site creator, and the anomaly has been removed. So far, it's not been too bad getting set up although as an indirect consequence, TvTrick.com was vanishing and reappearing for a horrible period of time today. I hope TrickWire.com doesn't have the same problem.

Boudia, Finchum Both Want To Be The Top

U.S. Olympic divers David Boudia and Thomas Finchum are partners in synchronized 10m platform, but in the individual 10m, they strive to beat each other and everyone else to win the gold. However, as good friends who both live and train in the Indianapolis, Indiana area, they each make it clear that if one doesn't win they hope the other one does. They are very supportive of one another and have only good things to say. You can tell it's all genuine because they are just so sweet and wholesome like all Hoosiers are.

David Boudia and Thomas Finchum have gotten a lot of attention during the 2008 Beijing games. Early on they only finished fifth in the synchronized event, but their time on air has made a lot of people take notice of the Olympian's talent and boyish good looks. Many favorable comments have been made on the internet by their new admirers. NBC appears to be aware of the interest in them as it frequently shows the pair in the stands watching their fellow divers in the other diving competitions.



David Boudia started out at age 5 as a gymnast. He did that for five years but then turned to diving. It was during his gymnastics phase that he first thought about being an Olympian. His earliest memory from watching the Olympics was when he saw the U.S. girls of "The Magnificent Seven" winning the team gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Boudia remembers feeling the excitement with them and knowing that's what he wanted to do also.

While in high school, David Boudia left his public school to be be home schooled. Boudia said, "I definitely think since I've left Noblesville [High School], it's been harder to have a social life, but I am able to have one after practice because when my friends are at school, I'm training. When I'm done with training, I'm able to go and have a good time. It's definitely good to have a social life, and after the Olympics, I'll have even a bigger one when I go to Purdue." Boudia is very excited about being a Boilermaker after Beijing. "Really, right when I get off the plane, I'll be packing up and going to school at Purdue," Boudia said.

When David Boudia prepares himself at Beijing for diving off of the platform, he'll likely find a secluded spot and watch the movie Miracle about the U.S. Olympic hockey team winning a gold medal at 1980 winter games. It's been an essential part of his ritual since 2007. Another thing he does is listen to "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC before his first dive and then listen to more upbeat music to keep his energy up as the competition progresses.

Thomas Finchum got his start in diving when his grandmother noticed him jumping off houseboats on family trips and gave him some pointers and encouraged the family to sign him up for formal diving lessons. The rest is history as Thomas Finchum has become one of the best divers in the world. He trains six hours a day, six days a week, but does find time to enjoy other interests like music, computers and movies.

One of the interesting things about Thomas Finchum is the growth spurt he experienced. At the 2004 U.S. Olympic he was a skinny little kid, 5'3" and 92 pounds. Four years later he had grown to be 6'1" and 150 pounds, enduring aches to his back, wrist and knees along the way. David Boudia is a muscular 5'9" and his size, strength and quickness allow him to do a more difficult dives than the taller Finchum. Thomas Finchum is now long and lean and he can't twist and flip as easily as Boudia. Instead, Finchum adds polish and artistry to his dives.

What I will miss about David Boudia and Thomas Finchum after the Olympics.

David Boudia video