INDIANAPOLIS - Up and down the Eastern seaboard? Yep, done that.
Watched the sun set into the Pacific a time or two and have the photos to prove it.
But the Midwest, starting in my estimation somewhere past State College, Pa., and lasting until you stop seeing wheat, has always been flyover country for your's truly.
That's why, when the subject of spending nearly a week in Indianapolis, a place that had never even crossed my mind as a possible destination for my travels, came up, I was equal parts intrigued and wondering why I'd gotten the short straw.
Prior Super Bowls have been in exotic locales like Miami and New Orleans, places synonymous with fun and opulence.
Indianapolis, not so much.
But from the moment I stepped off the plane, it was clear that whatever this Midwestern city may normally have been, the Super Bowl made it a special place - highlighted the easy virtues and is more in line with the rest of the country rather than places where sin and sun are equally in abundance.
This year, for the first time in my career, I was fortunate enough to experience Southern Columbia's trip to the state finals in Hershey, a place I'd been dozens of times but never for an event that meant something. That was big. This is bigger.
Even for a writer, the atmosphere around Indianapolis for the Super Bowl is tough to describe.
It really does start in the airport with banners and welcome signs no matter which team you're cheering for. Merchandise is available around every turn - Giants specific. Patriots specific. NFL neutral.
Buildings are covered in scrims decorated with helmets, trophies and stars, constellations named after Brady and Manning.
Lucas Oil Stadium, the house that Peyton built, is mammoth and obvious, dominating the southern tier of the skyline. It's situated just below the city's downtown and is in easy walking distance from the other attractions.
All throughout the city are reminders that on Sunday two teams will play for the biggest prize in football, the Lombardi Trophy, replicas of which are bigger than life, but, unlike many events, aren't being hocked by guys in trench coats on corners.
There is an air of wholesomeness here, a city that might seem unfazed but is more likely in awe. Indianapolis has hosted Final Fours, the Pacers were in big-ticket games in the '90s and the beloved Colts have seen a major game or two. It's all taken in stride. Police here began getting ready for the game three years ago, and really gearing up in the last year. The force of nearly 1,600 will work all week, but there's the feeling that they'll be needed as little more than goodwill ambassadors. The fans milling about the shops downtown, from all corners of Indiana, wear jerseys with every Colts' number imaginable - partially upset the hometown team isn't here, yet too excited to stay away. It's the closest thing to a collegiate environment I can imagine the pros ever get to.
For more than a week, I asked myself, what's so special about Indianapolis? It may be known, and rightly so, for the Indianapolis 500, but nothing more than a game has transformed this triple-A baseball, Midwestern convention city, Mecca-ized it for football fans young and old. The cost of the actual game necessitates that you're connected or a diehard. The week before is for everyone else, the folks who really keep the NFL afloat.
If you're headed out here, prepare for all Indianapolis has to offer, because for one more week this town is the jewel of the sports world's eye.
Welcome to the Super Bowl.
(MaCarthur is a sports writer for The News-Item. He is in Indianapolis this week as the New York Giants and New England Patriots prepare for Sunday's Super Bowl.)