Lots of things have changed since 1962. I learned how to walk, talk, went to school, raised a family, and have had a 30+ year career.
I agree, Indy wasn’t a great place in the 70’s and early 80’s but it has made amazing progress since then.
I live here now, and it’s kinda dull, but not bad. Really too conservative for my taste, and has no good outlet for art films, but we moved here when my son was four, and I have to admit, it was a great place for a little kid. We had a membership in the zoo, the Children’s Museum, and Connor Prairie. The admission to the first two for a single day for a kid and two adults was about $60, and for the last was about $40, but the total year’s membership for all three was less than $300. The zoo and Connor Prairie both have kickass water parks.
The boychik is 13 now. He comes home from school, and closes the door to his room, and doesn’t come out except for food or the bathroom, or to go to a friend’s. It’s OK. I remember those years, and his relationship with me now is way, way better than mine was with my mother, which is to say, we can go 3 days without a screaming fight (actually, we’ve never had one of those, but we did have a bit of a stand-off when he told me he didn’t want me to ever go into his room again. I asked who would change his sheets, and he said he would, and he would vacuum once a week. It lasted two weeks.
Nevermind.
There is a lot of stuff here, and I’m actually pretty glad that we had the opportunity to move here when we did. We we in the district on the one extraordinarily highly rated (nationally!) elementary school that wasn’t in a really wealthy district. It had the district’s programs for special ed. and well as gifted and talented, and my son was in both (he was the only kid in both). It was also an very diverse school. My son still managed to be only one of about 3 Jewish kids there, but otherwise, it was a loaf of 3-kind marble rye (equal parts dark brown, light brown, and white).
Now we are in Speedway. This used to be a high-crime area, but it isn’t anymore. It’s actually little Mexico. 1/3 of the stores here either have bilingual, or monolingual Spanish staff. Speedway also has very reliable power, because we have a grid set up for raceday, that is normally operating at a fraction of its capacity.
It’s just never really been my city, though. I’m from New York, and even though I left when I was a child, and never went back for very long, I’m one of those “No place like home” New Yorkers. The downtown area does have a quaint “big-city of my youth” feel, though, that makes me nostalgic a little. Other things about the Midwest scare me. The state fair overwhelms me, and an actual working farm creeps me out. I would MUCH rather walk alone down a dark alley in town, than through a cornfield at night.
Scariest thing I ever did was a cornfield maze. I’m not claustrophobic, but wow, did that haunt me.
Anyway, to whomever said “beautiful,” and “Indianapolis” in the same sentence was surprising, I hear ya.
Oh, I know. It’s just that one of my clearest memories of that stay was seeing the local paper with the blaring headlines about her death.
Every place has changed a lot in that many years!
I totally agree, and I know I’m overly defensive. I’ve lived here (or within an hour or so) my entire life and I’ve seen things change so much and it bothers me when someone comments based on very old and outdated information.
I live in one of those (gasp) suburbs that is routinely listed as one of the best places to live… work … raise a family in the US.
Yes, we sucked in the 70’s but we have worked hard to improve… and have done a pretty good job in my opinion.
Pretty sure this was a joke. Indy has a large Jewish population, and even a non Jew like me knows roughly where to find Lox.
Huh? Haven’t you taken the tour of the John Deere dealerships?
I recall it did. Then again, Ohio isn’t much better. I’m in Cleveland right now, and the potholes here have their own zip codes.
And in case anyone’s curious, the Beatles-infatuated daughter is now a junior in college. She still likes The Beatles, but would now rather listen to The Doors. And my 16 year old son likes Black Sabbath and The Kinks. Kids these days and their crazy music… 
Been there twice, each for a few days. Never saw nothing but The Brickyard. That was fun. I seem to recall it raining an awful lot.
I’ll probably go to Austin someday, and see nothing but COTA.
I’m pretty lame.
Having a circular freeway applies to pretty much every major city in the midwest. What the hell does that have to do with anything? And is there ANY city that doesn’t have lots of suburbs? What a bizarre list of criticisms.
I moved to the Purdue U. area for my PhD not too long ago, from Seattle. Having originally grown up in southern Wisconsin, I have long had an affinity for Chicago, so typically, I turn there for trips to get my “downtown” fix (museums, restaurants, etc.)
But I finally got around to visiting Indianapolis. Surprisingly green! Lots of parks, plenty of rivers, plenty of tree-lined streets in the city neighborhoods. Not what I expected; on a map it’s a big square city.
We only really visit there occasionally, for the Trader Joe’s and the zoo at Christmas time. I think it’s probably a lot more of an interesting city than I’d originally given it credit for.
You should see Cleveland. It’d snap yer stix.
Was just there with my 16 year old son and 22 year old daughter. (The latter is an art student at the CIA.)
Cleveland is an amazing place. Full of contrast. You’ll be driving through slums, and then the next thing you know there’s a beautiful, old church and a dozen wonderful restaurants. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the place.
Dude… the employee handbook clearly states we only acknowledge Langley… let alone that we train our “art students” there.
When I visited Indianapolis many years ago, my biggest complaint (although I don;'t say so in the post above, from seven years ago) is that THERE WERE NO BOOKSTORES!. (In downtown, at least)
Fortunately, that’s changed. There’s a at least one bookstore right downtown.