17. Indiana

Month: February 2016

Location: Indianapolis

I grew up watching ‘Formula 1’ racing and was a big fan of Michael Schumacher and the ‘Ferrari’ team.  This meant an annual visit to Indianapolis to see the race, but since I was in Graduate school, that was it.  There wasn’t much time – or money – for exploration and as such, I had not seen much of the city other than the racetrack.  I had picked Indianapolis in February, taking a huge chance by hoping to avoid snow or a blizzard.  I kept an eye on the forecast and it looked like I may have gotten lucky.  A month prior to arriving, I learned that the 'Children’s Museum of Indianapolis' was having some sort of a “Museum By The Moonlight” thing the night I was in town – an adults only event of course.  I bought a ticket for that and as is my wont, booked an ‘Escape Room’ for the next day.  But that was it in terms of planning.  Furthermore, I was going to be there for just one night, meaning that I had to be extremely efficient.

Downtown Indianapolis

I arrived in Indianapolis on Saturday morning and took a cab to the hotel.  I was sent up to my room, which was as messy as a used room can be.  So I came back down and they sent me to another one.  The reason for the chaos was because I had inadvertently arrived in Indy during the “NFL Combine”, and I am sure all the hotels were full.  The first thing on my agenda was brunch and I had been told to visit a place called ‘Café Patachou’, which was also termed as “Student Union for Adults”.  It was also walking distance from my hotel and so I arrived their shortly, to find that there was a wait.  It does seem to be a popular destination amongst the locals.  Fortunately, I found a seat at the countertop and perusing the menu, I saw an item called “The Omelet you can’t refuse”.  With a lofty claim like that – backed by the server – I had to order it and I must say it was quite good.  I was sitting next to a gentleman who was wearing ‘NFL’ credentials and sure enough, he was with a team and here for the “Combine”.  I chatted with him regarding his team’s prospects and then called an ‘Uber’ for my next destination.

'Lilly House'

I was headed to the ‘Indianapolis Museum Of Art’, but entered ‘The Art Institute of Indianapolis’ by mistake.  Now, these are 2 very different places and 2 different locations.  Fortunately for me, I caught it in time and my driver was kind enough to wait for my correction.  He was a nice chap, and as we talked about my past visits to the race track, we chatted about our favorite ‘Formula 1’ moments.  He encouraged me to visit the ‘Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’, where apparently you can get a tour that takes you around the track!  I had some time the next morning and thought about checking it out.  I arrived at the art museum and as I looked at the daily program, realized that I was just in time for a guided tour, which was on “Paintings from Flanders Region”.  In the end it was just me and another lady, along with an enthusiastic tour guide.  It turned out to be a nice tour with some really good insights on not only the artwork, but also the artists from that era.

The 'Greenhouse' on the museum grounds

My fellow companion on the tour mentioned that right after this tour ended, she was on her way to another tour of ‘Lilly House’, a mansion on the grounds of the museum.  Built in the early 20^th century, it belonged to a prominent businessman from that era. I decided to join her and as we walked there, I learned that my fellow tourist was from Connecticut – my home state – and was in Indianapolis on business.  We joined the tour just as it was about to get underway and while it was nowhere close to the mansions of Newport, it did reflect the wealth of the family that inhabited it.  After the tour I walked about the gardens and the huge property on which the museum resides, including a ‘greenhouse’.  I then took a walk through the museum itself, and it had been a nice way to spend an afternoon.

The 'Canal Walk' 

I took an ‘Uber’ back to downtown and asked the driver to let me off near the access point to the ‘Canal Walk’.  There is a canal that runs through the downtown, with a walkway on both sides and it is a great place for people to run, walk or just hang out.  Plus, there are paddle boats for rent if folks feel like sharing the waterways with the ducks.  It is a perfect early evening activity and fortunately it had been a pleasant day for this time of the year.  I set off in one direction, walking past people and dogs and babies in strollers and canal side residences where I would live were I in this place.  I turned around and walked back on the other side towards downtown and now the path went past parks and museums and other commercial establishments.  It made me nostalgic for my time in Pittsburgh and my weekly Sunday afternoon walks by the river.

'Monument Circle' in the evening

I came back to my hotel and changed to go out for the evening.  My museum event was at 8 pm and so I asked the concierge for recommendations for a cocktail lounge.  I was pointed towards the center of the city and a place called ‘Nicky Blaine’s’.  The most prominent landmark at the heart of the city is a “roundabout” called ‘Monument Circle’, which has a ‘Soldiers and Sailors Monument’.  This is where everyone assembles in the evenings and is one of the busiest places in the city.  It is also where the restaurants are bars are located, and it took me some walking around to locate the entrance to the place, which looked like it was in a basement.  As I entered inside, it checked all the boxes that I love in a lounge, such as the lighting and the ambiance. But there was one problem…a big problem.  This place is also a "Cigar Lounge" and there were people all around me lighting up like it was going out of style.  I asked the hostess if there was a “non-smoking” area and she said there wasn’t one.  I found a corner which did not have anyone nearby and zipped up my jacket in order to prevent the stench from getting on my clothes.  I ordered a cocktail named “Love At First Sip” and just it arrived, people filled up the seats around me and the thing which I was most afraid of happened – I was drowned in smoke.  I dunked the drink and got out of there fast, but the damage had been done.  Even if I checked-in my jacket, the stench was on my jeans and people at the museum event would probably peg me as a smoker.

"Museum By The Moonlight"

I took another ‘Uber’ to the museum and on the way the driver pointed out some of the “hot spots” in the area if I were to be hungry later.  I arrived at the museum and it was buzzing with activity.  I went inside and checked in my coat before entering the main area where the party was already underway.  My map for the evening showed me that there were food stands all over the place and spread across multiple levels.  I started by grabbing a drink and set off to explore.  This is a children’s museum, meaning there are activities designed with kids in mind.  Give the people a few drinks and that premise goes out of the window.  All the adults were having a great time playing games in areas such as “Archeology Dig” and “Egyptian Tomb”.  Being a regular volunteer at ‘Adler After Dark’, I have seen plenty of such events and everyone usually has a great time.

The party was on

I walked about sampling the goodies at various stops and at one stage sat – well, lay down on my back really – on a revolving stage staring at some “Chihuly Glass” artifacts on the ceiling, which under the circumstance was quite “trippy”.  Every museum such as this has a “Dinosaur Gallery” and very soon I found the one in this place; and this is where the party was really happening.  On “New Year’s Eve” in Orlando, I had seen the “Battle of the DJ’s” at ‘Epcot Center’, where people wear headphones and only they can hear the music being played by one of the 2 ‘DJs’.  There are usually 2 different channels and one can switch between the ‘DJs’.  I saw a similar thing happening here and grabbed a headphone.  It was a lot of fun and I shuttled between the 2 channels as I walked over to see the other areas of the museum…well till I was chased down by a woman who said that the headphones needed to stay in the “Dinosaur Gallery”.  Well, I guess they were worried that people may steal them, but I thought that it would have been fun to see people rocking to the beat in different areas of the museum.

The "Battle of the DJs" at the "Dinosaur Gallery"

I worked my way up to the top floor, eating the goodies and visiting various galleries, all of which were designed for kids.  Besides the wide array of sweet and savory food, I was impressed by some of the galleries which taught the children principles of “civil liberties”, “inclusion” and “empathy”.  I was getting quite full and had seen most of the museum – though I did not feel like standing in line for the slide which was as popular with the adults as it surely is with the kids during daytime.  I went back to the “Dinosaur Gallery” and was lucky to get the very last headphone, since the crowd had grown and the place was now almost full.  For the next hour I partied with the folks till it was time to leave.  I collected my “smoking jacket” and called an ‘Uber’ to go back to the hotel.  I had packed a lot in today and had a lot planned for the next day as well.

Main floor of the 'Speedway Museum'

The next morning started with breakfast at the bastion of fine foods – ‘Starbucks’.  I was looking for a cab to the ‘Speedway’, when the valet offered me a limo ride to my destination – well for a price as I learnt later.  The driver was well versed in Auto racing and we discussed ‘Formula 1’ on the way.  I was one of the first to arrive at the museum this Sunday morning and got a ticket to the “Grounds Tour”, which included going around the famous track.  There was some time to go before that and so I walked about the museum floor, which is lined up with all sorts of race cars, both historical and contemporary.  There was a film crew filming in the corner and I walked about while carefully avoiding them.  They announced that my tour was about to get underway and I climbed aboard a bus with several other tourists and we were taken around the track, including stop for pictures next to the famous “brickyard” finish line.  We also visited the garage area as well as inside the building which hosts the press, the victory podium and interview room.  It was a very informative tour and all of us who are fans of automobile racing had a good time.

I even stood on the famous "brickyard"

I called a cab to take me back to downtown for my other pre-planned activity – “Escape Room”. I was continuing this fine tradition from my travels and arrived at my destination after getting lost at ‘Monument Circle’.   I met my team - which was 9 other people who knew each other - and we were shown to our room after the usual explanations.  This room was a bit tricky and required some skill from our side – both mental and physical – to steal a painting of "Mona Lisa" and escape.  I was pleased to decipher and provide a valuable clue, and with some acrobatics from a girl who was in fact celebrating her birthday, we made it out in time.  After taking our victory photograph I bid my team farewell and made my way through an indoor walkway that connected the downtown buildings, to emerge through a mall.  I had time for one more activity and so made my way to the ‘Indiana State Museum’.

I like visiting museums such as these since it’s a great way to learn about the history of the place.  And when they say history, they weren’t kidding here, since the exhibit on the ground floor started right from the origins of the planet, all the way through the various eras!  On the upper levels they got into the history of the state – both good and the ugly.  A walkway took me to another building where I learned more about corn than I had ever expected or hoped for.  It was time to head to the airport and that’s what I did after picking up my bag at the hotel.  I had been in Indy for a day and a half, but it seemed like I had done a lot, especially with the party at the ‘Children’s Museum’ last night.  Plus I had gone around the track – albeit in a bus - where some of my racing heroes had driven.  I must say that accounts for a successful trip.