Of course, it seems like this is a no-brainer. Millions of fans were here in our capital city, appreciating the famous Hoosier hospitality and enjoying a good time. Events went smoothly, with the exception of large and sometimes stagnant crowds. The local economy soared for many hotels, restaurants and shops.

However, Indianapolis still has a reputation to fight. Many of us still refer to our location lovingly on Twitter as “Naptown.” Now, the city uses this in promotional radio ads about how far it has come in the past years. The ads refer to famed author and Indy native Kurt Vonnegut, who mentioned that the city wakes up once a year for the Indy 500.

It’s clear that we have a love for the city we grew up in. For many of us, our parents work there, we took numerous field trips downtown and journeys to Indianapolis Indians games are part of the summer routine. But compared to prominent cities like New York and Boston, what does Indianapolis have to offer?

Well, actually, a lot. It has people that will take the time to help each other out. It has underrated Midwestern values. Not to knock on New Englanders, but they are not exactly known for their kindness and caring approach to others.

If you get past the abstract characteristics of Indy, it can still stack up against other cities. The city itself is pretty easy to navigate, and has the famous Circle at its heart. And, as it turns out, Indy built three new hotels in the past few years to accommodate the Superbowl crowds.

The hotels, of course, can be used for many future events. Indianapolis is also home to one of the largest convention centers in the country, located in what used to be the RCA Dome. This attracts large business events and conferences, where people fly in from across the country to have meetings.

These things alone are enough to promote travel to the city. What we need is better advertising. Not many out-of-towners know that our city is home to the largest Children’s Museum in the country, or has a zoo more impressive than the world famous ones in San Diego and St. Louis.

Those are cool sites for families, but there are other places available to build a vacation around. Indy has major sports teams that are known for their comebacks, like the Pacers and the Colts. Heart is shown during the Indians games, when players try to prove their potential for the MLB teams. And it goes without mention that Indianapolis is famous for the Indy 500 and the IRL.

Indianapolis needs to have better advertising for all these teams and events.  The city needs to highlight its positive attributes, like the unheard of mix of small town charm and large metropolis. No other city would serve special Cheeto-encrusted macaroni & cheese for starving fans in a cafeteria setting in Huddles.

If nothing else, the attempts Indy made to become a city of national prominence are noteworthy. Hopefully, big time businessmen like Donald Trump noticed the hand-written note left in their hotel rooms from local elementary school students. Maybe the free access to heaters on the street left a good impression. But most importantly, maybe the welcoming nature and the excitement of Hoosiers will impress other organizations.