We will be visiting this summer for a show at The Vogue and need a hotel to crash at. We can either go downtown or north to someplace called The Crossing, which seems closer but not as interesting.
We would like to spend some time the day of and the day after the show exploring the city. We will need to have dinner before, but probably wouldn’t do much after the show as we are not generally late night types.
Which neighborhood would you suggest we stay in, based on fun, interesting things to see, safety, and ease of getting to The Vogue on time?
Also, related to how we will get to the show, how much do people use cabs in Indy? Is it like Chicago where it’s easy to catch one on every corner, or is it best to plan to drive myself? How will parking be around the theatre?
The Vogue is in Broad Ripple, about 7 minutes from my house. So I know the neighborhood well. It depends on what you like to do, but Broad Ripple is full of bars and restaurants. It is famed as being the big drinking spot/meat market on weekends. By day, it is a hippie kind of place with some good coffee joints and the Monon Trail to walk. There are also a bunch of interesting shops and stuff there. So if you get in early and want to hang in Broad Ripple, there is probably plenty to do there.
Let’s deal with the cab thing first. Since Broad Ripple is famed for drinking, there are always a lot of cabs around on weekend nights. You will have no trouble finding one there. There is also a parking garage roughly across the street from the Vogue, so if you drive there, no problem as well. If you stay downtown, no problem with a cab either. There are not cabs on every corner, but you should have no problem either at the Crossing or Downtown.
Hotel. I don’t know of any hotels in Broad Ripple. You are right about choosing between the Northside and Downtown for hotel locations, since Broad Ripple is between them. I would stay Downtown. There are a bunch of hotel options, from cheaper places up to the Conrad, and Indy has one of the best downtowns in the country, actually. It’s a fun environment either day or night, and there are a ton of cool things to see. You have White River State Park, the zoo, and the Eiteljorg Museum of Native American Art. That’s just an amazing museum. By the way, it will be a bit of a cab ride, but the Indianapolis Museum of Art is one of the best art museums in the country (I’ve heard it described as being in the top 10), and it has a huge walkable arts garden.
If there is anything else I can help you with, let me know! The Vogue is a cool theater, by the way. I’m sure you will have fun.
You have plenty of time to pick a hotel, and I’d do it based off of what else you want to do. A cab ride from Broad Ripple to either Keystone at the Crossing or downtown will be affordable. You’ll also want to consider meals, and what you’ll want in that regard. If interesting food is important, I’d definitely lean towards downtown. Here’s a whole mess of links:
Cabs are fine, but you’ll want to have their numbers handy. Maybe rely more on Lyft or Uber. If you have a car (I take it you’re coming from Chicago?), you’ll be fine with that - parking is plentiful wherever you go. Download the Parkmobile app - you’ll be able to pay for your street parking spot without having to go out to the meter. Parking is $1.50/hour, from 6am(?)-9pm. Free after 9pm and on Sundays (and holidays). If you get a hotel downtown, you may have to pay for an overnight spot, which could be $30 or more. Compared to Chicago, I imagine this is considered free.
