Indy doesn't fit in a nutshell

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."\nAnyone who owns a TV is familiar with this advertising slogan, which has catapulted Las Vegas' tremendous growth in tourism and residence. It's a slogan that sums up Las Vegas in a single, suggestive sentence that captures the TV viewer's split-second attention span.\nAnd now Indianapolis wants one, too!\nMayor Bart Peterson recently told The Indianapolis Star, "Everybody loves Indianapolis when they personally experience it. And yet it's always the same thing about what a pleasant surprise it is. People don't expect it. We've got to get over the hurdle that we're still backwater."\nHe's got a point there: Indiana's capital could use more tourism. People across the nation think of our state as a hayseed haven -- and the city's best-known attraction at this point, the Indy 500, does precious little to dispel that myth. But how can the United States' 12th largest city spotlight its plethora of cultural and intellectual offerings through one measly sentence?\nSurrounded by rural Indiana, the Circle City straddles the line between the down-home hospitality that comforts many and the big-city amenities that others prefer. It serves as home to pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and boasts famous names such as Kurt Vonnegut, David Letterman and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. \nVisitors can take a mechanical bull ride at the 8 Seconds Saloon or cool out to jazz at the Slippery Noodle Inn. They can view masterpieces at the Indianapolis Museum of Art or blow off steam at the nearby Velodrome. Sophisticates might enjoy an evening with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, while the alternative crowd might prefer a performance by the Blue Monkey Sideshow. Indianapolis claims a world-class children's museum and the cutting-edge Riley Children's Hospital.\nWith all of this, the local officials want to portray their beloved town by reducing it to a blurb?\nThe practice, known as city branding, is supported by Tom King, an Eli Lilly executive who serves as chairman for the Indianapolis Branding Initiative. In the same Indianapolis Star article, he said, "Companies like Nike and Disney have found value in defining themselves in the public mind." True, but each of those companies markets a specific line of products, easily encapsulated by advertising. A population of nearly a million is impossible to define with one sentence.\nBut how can Indianapolis attract tourism without a snappy one-line catchphrase? Unarmed with glitzy Vegas flash, it seems that Indianapolis' tourism industry should focus on its wholesome charm. If the town's advertisers can do this while emphasizing the city's rich cultural tradition, it should become apparent to anyone paying attention that Indianapolis has balanced small-town warmth with cosmopolitan glamour. \nThe Indianapolis Branding Initiative should take a minute to expound the offerings of the city and give the public a little credit for sticking around long enough to listen. Come on, Indianapolis. The city can find a way to tout its vast array of gems and avoid stooping to the level of Sin City.