Howdy,
I will be in Indianapolis for a conference the third week in July. My conference schedule will be tight during the day, but what must I absolutely do/visit while there?
I won’t have a car. I will probably be there from wednesday evening until saturday or sunday.
Thanks
you have my deepest sympathy…
‘a 500 mile race, followed by 364 days of minature golf’
I dunno about seeing and doing, but I know where you must eat: Shapiro’s. There are two, but the one downtown near Union Station is the more authentic one.
Shapiro’s is a formica-table-and-neon-lights-lotsa-old-folks-sitting-around Jewish deli. They have fantastic Jewish food and the best cheesecake (for about $1.50 a slice, ferchrissakes) I have ever tasted, and I have had cheesecake in far more renowned and chi chi kinds of places.
I get weak in the knees just thinking about it.
I remember hearing on Letterman something about a cemetery hill in Indiana being the highest land in the state. From there you should be able to see everything. Have fun. :rolleyes:
I meant that th cemetary was in Induanapolis.
Brynda beat me to it–Shapiro’s is something to see, although I didn’t see what the fuss was about if you aren’t into Corned Beef.
Let’s see… Indy has a zoo. It also has a pretty amazing Children’s Museum (one of the biggest in the country) but I guess that wouldn’t be of interest.
Indy is a great city that rarely gets the respect it deserves. I assume you will be downtown, but if not let me know where and I’ll give you other suggestions.
Shapirro’s has been mentioned… right now, the downtown location is the only one while the northside one is moving to the suburb of Carmel (I’ll be able to walk there). It’s a great deli, but I wouldn’t consider it to be a must see.
The Children’s museum is rated as the best in the world, and it has things of interest for all ages. Since you aren’t getting here until July, you will miss the current exibit of the Star Wars Starfighters. Don’t know what they will have by then, but there is usually something fun.
Closer to the downtown center, if it is a nice day and you want to have a nice walk, do the Canal Walk. Ask at your hotel and they will get you there. There are tons of things to do at the White River State Park. The zoo is there… not huge, but very nice. The White River Gardens is also there… OK, but not the best IMHO. The Eideljorg museum of Native American Art is great. The NCAA headquarters and Hall of Fame is there if you are into college sports. Also the new State Museum is being built… I think it will be open by then. There is also an IMAX theater there.
Indy has a great downtown baseball stadium (Victory Field) and if you like minor league baseball it is definitely worth a visit.
If you like to shop, the downtown Circle Center Mall should get you anything you want. Good restaurants as well.
The typical Indy must eat restaurant is St. Elmo’s. It is an old famous steak house that all the celebs visit. Bring a thick wallet if you go there, and if you like horseradish you must get their famous shrimp cocktail. The steaks are great, but I think you can get as good elsewhere, but the atmosphere can’t be beat.
Let me know any specific interests, and I’ll set you up the best that I can.
Connor Prairie, is a place that recreates a village in Indiana in 1836, is in Indianapolis.
Conner’s Prairie would be way too far away without a car - it’s way up near Carmel.
St. Elmo’s has been mentioned, so I’d recommend hitting The Slippery Noodle, Indiana’s oldest bar. They usually have blues bands playing, and the atmosphere is great. Ask the waitress to show you the bullet holes from John Dillinger.
The Children’s Museum is very cool, even without kids with you. The Eiteljorg will be walking distance from nearly anywhere downtown (where I’m going to guess is where you’ll be staying). They used to have a very large Ansel Adams exhibit, which was very impressive.
The NCAA headquarters has a great exhibit as well, and well worth it.
If you’re a military buff, there’s plenty to see. The U.S.S. Indianapolis museum is downtown somewhere (infamous from the Jaws monologue of the ship that went down in the Pacific, and the crew was attacked by sharks). The War Memorial in Monument Circle is very impressive - there’s a free museum underneath it, and well worth an hour to walk through. Down by the canal is the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, which I was incredibly impressed with. I would definately venture down there to take a look.
If you eat at The Calladdagh, Zappo would probably recommend the fish and chips, but suggest that you get the 1/2 order. I concur, if not only for the chance to see the DopeFest-famous lemon condoms.
The Pacers won’t still be playing in July, but they might still be having practice. One of their practice courts has a public window, so passersby can have a look.
IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis) has the country’s fastest swimming pool - The Natatorium, where the U.S. Olympic team has their qualification meets. It’s walking distance from downtown as well.
The zoo is very good, and I’ve heard that the jellyfish exhibit (UFO’s - Unidentified Floating Objects) is pretty cool. I haven’t been, but I’ve only been here a little over a year.
If you’re still hurting for good restaurants, Indianapolis suprising has a surplus of excellent sushi restaurants. One of the new hotspots is Lotus, a sushi lounge/dance club/champaigne bar. They play Kung Fu movies 24/7 in the sushi lounge. I haven’t been, but everyone raves about it.
Besides the clubs playing blues, there’s a thriving jazz community here. You can probably get a copy of NUVO, a free tabloid-size paper, which will tell you who’s playing where.
If you’re into architechtural marvels, go to the Scottish Rite Cathedral. It’s not a church, it’s a Masonic building open to the public. It was built in the Gothic style, and there are free guided tours.
Just like to point out that everytime I drive by the SRC, I scream out “FREEDOM!” Passengers are typically frightened of me for some reason…