The New York Times presented its annual list of 52 top travel destinations in the new year yesterday, and sandwiched between exotic locales at No. 34 is Indianapolis, and the now-complete Cultural Trail in particular. The paper’s presentation of the online list features large, breathtaking photos of each place that span the width of the screen. Notably, the image representing us so grandly isn’t our venerable Monument Circle. It seems as though a skyline shot from the Central Canal bridge next to the Indiana State Museum is challenging the aerial view of the landmark as the classic Indy postcard.
Visit Indy, the city’s official tourism board, had something to do with this. “Over the last 24 months, we have tested various images of the city amidst focus groups to get reaction from potential visitors on what would motivate them to visit Indy,” says Chris Gahl, the agency’s vice president of marketing and communications. “Routinely, when shown images of White River State Park and the Central Canal, we have seen a universal positive reaction. We worked with The New York Times in turning their attention towards Indy and they, too, gravitated toward an image of the canal.”
What do you think? Monument or canal?
Canal photo courtesy Carl Van Rooy Photography
Monument Circle photo on Circle Citizen landing page courtesy VisitIndy.com
