So I admit I am not a fan of auto racing or auto-"sports", but have always heard of how the one in Monaco is the grand-daddy of all the F1 races. Having never heard an F1 outside of the TV, an old friend and I decided to head out there for the trip!

Seeing as how tickets can run >USD$200 to get semi-reasonable seats, we decided to forget the tickets and hike around for a decent view of the race and there are a few spots where you can see a large portion of the race track and catch the F1's speeding by. Because of how small the track is (3.34 km / 2.1 mi), the fact that Monaco is nestled in the mountains, and how loud the F1 engines were (TV really does not do it justice), the whole city feels like a stadium. There was a pay-to-enter area next to where we were for a majority of the race, and I recall those tickets costing more than USD$100 - so for F1 fans out there looking to make the trip in the future, it IS possible to see the race without the heavy price tag. Here are a few gems from while we were hiking around looking for a good spot!

Watching a road race like that must be one of the human experiences most improved by watching on TV rather than in person.

Television cannot do justice to the sensory overload/assault that comes from F1. The noise vibrates through you, the colors blur beautifully, the smells, the masses of people -- it is an amazing experience that engages every sense. Good sports car racing does the same. Until you have been there you cannot imagine it. i took a friend to what was his first motor race at COTA for F1 in November. He proclaimed it one of the most amazing experiences he had ever had.

Tickets aren't cheap, but we have F1 in Texas and COTA is the best circuit I have ever been to (I went to my first race in 1967.) It is worth going.

This message was not brought to you by COTA or anyone associated with COTA.

And if you go to COTA, Turn 15 is the place to be. All the important action takes place on Turns 12-15 (which are all right in front of the T15 grandstands).

In this image, T15 is the turn with the two yellow rectangles (Pirelli ads) painted in the corner. The T15 grandstands are the big white rectangle you see (the lower the section number the closer to the turn... probably want section 13 or lower). T12 is the turn in the lower left corner of the picture and T13 and T14 collectively are the double apex turn you see between T12 and T15.