Indianapolis, Indiana is quickly becoming a world leader in warehousing, distribution, and logistics. Mostly because our airport is a major FedEx hub that just had a multi-zillion-dollar renovation... we are truly "The Crossroads Of America", with I-70, I-74, I-69, and I-65 all converging on our little city... and, our centralized locale is within an easy, one-day drive of 70% of America's population centers. My last four jobs have all been in warehousing and logistics, because that's probably the only "growth" market that Indianapolis has right now.
This "growth" market has made a few other perks available too, far above and beyond steady employment and regular paychecks...
On the other side of the airport from Indianapolis, is the small, indistinct town of Plainfield. Completely bland and unremarkable in almost every other aspect, it's location right at the front doorstep of Indianapolis International makes this a bustling boom-town of big-box storage facilities. For whatever reason, every warehouse out there conforms to a single building paradigm: Lots of truck loading docks, with a few drive-in ramps... and, with those drive-in ramps, we have tons and tons of gently angled, sloping loading-dock banks. Literally, hundreds of them. In every shape, angle, and size. From Wallos-steep wall jams to mellow, gently tapering, and perfectly smooth waves of concrete. All in all, it's something halfway between a precious man-made resource, and an old-schoolers' ultimate skateboarding dreamscape.
Every warehouse out there has at least eight or so of these banks; four on each side of the building. And, there are dozens of warehouses in this modern-day wholesale district, with more and more of 'em being built every year. It could take you a week of all-night sessions to fully milk them all for what they're worth, although some nights are definitely better than others for staying low-key, stealth, unseen, and unheard. Which is key to "protecting" this awesome resource that we've been blessed with.
As for "security", it's pretty much nonexistent. This single sign was the only warning that I spotted in an entire nights' worth of skating and documenting. A sign only goes so far as a deterrent (which isn't very far at all), and without some fatassed security "guard" to back that shit up, a measly sign really becomes something of a joke. But: The smart skater doesn't push his luck with these things. Notice how even after years and years of skating at these spots, there's not one lick of graffiti, trash, dirt, or any other form of "vandalism" anywhere in sight? That's right, kids: Take good care of your spots, and your spots will take good care of you.
