By the time you read this, pundits, television trucks, and well-healed fans will have pulled out of Indianapolis in post-Super Bowl retreat. Neat. That leaves plenty of room for just plain folks to visit this surprising mid-American metropolis. Had it with Chicago’s crowds? This is a great alternative. You can:
- Stay a Pullman Train car sleeper at the Crowne Plaza located at historic Union Station. It’s connected to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, the house that Peyton Manning built, and younger brother Eli just dominated.
- Eat at one of the country’s great steak houses. St. Elmo. Beef is big here. But so too is St. Elmo’s signature shrimp cocktail. It’s tabbed by The Travel Channel as the “world’s hottest meal.”
- Drink at the Slippery Noodle, billed by locals as Indiana’s oldest bar. Established back in 1850 (before the Colts moved to town), the Slippery Noodle is also a first-rate blues venue according to Rolling Stone. The menu runs the gamut from sandwiches to full-on meals.
- Stroll Mass Ave., the city’s arts and theater district. Music, live performances, trendy art galleries – they’re all here. It’s the kind of neighborhood where the artists and musicians live and work. If you’re in search of local lore, and neighborhood restaurants, Mass Ave. is a must.
- Let loose at The Vogue Nightclub in Broad Ripple. Located some six miles north of downtown, Broad Ripple is also an artsy enclave. The town’s top dance club, The Vogue, has played host over the years to the likes of Bo Diddley, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Bonnie Rait and Cheap Trick over the years.
If all of this energy shatters your image of Indy as a staid, insular farm town that’s great. The folks who live, love, and work here wouldn’t have it any other way.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Emma.Kate)
