In this Quick Hits look at a competing convention city, Cincinnati boasts more convention space, but Indianapolis draws more guests.

Conner Prairie wants to pay homage to early aviator John Wise with a balloon ride that recalls his August 1859 trip from Lafayette at the helm of a gas-filled balloon bound for New York City with the nation's first air-mail delivery. An ill wind blew him Wisecourse, ending his flight in Crawfordsville, but he still earned a place in history--and a U.S. Postal Service-issued stamp honoring his pioneering effort.

A group of local business and civic leaders is working on a plan to transform the city's most visible symbol into a public-gathering space without equal in the United States. Monument Circle already hosts dozens of activities each year--including major concerts like last year's NFL Kickoff--and it will host several events connected to the 2012 Super Bowl. But many stakeholders believe the Circle has yet to live up to its true potential.

Almost a full year after a fire in a single exhibit closed the NCAA Hall of Champions, the wait for the college sports museum's reopening is becoming as prolonged and agonizing as sitting through a college football game during a freezing November rain. The NCAA is apparently in no hurry to relieve the suspense.