36 hours in Indianapolis
The biggest city in Heartland America’s state of Indiana has soul – if you only know where to look
The biggest city in Heartland America’s state of Indiana has soul
Naptown. India-No-Place. Indianapolis had a lot of nicknames in the Eighties and Nineties, few of them charitable. Even more generous ones, like “Crossroads of America,” seemed to say that Indianapolis was a place one merely passed through. But things have changed since then. These days, the city is overwhelmed by the new restaurants, galleries, venues and boutiques bringing youth and energy to its streets.
A new public transportation system called the Red Line, opened in September, connects the mid-size city’s most vital cultural areas, making it easier and safer than ever to bounce from one hip farm-to-table restaurant to the next. And for all the new places to eat, browse or catch a show, Indy stays true to its Midwestern roots: short on pretension, and still, for the most part, incomprehensibly cheap.
FRIDAY
1 3pm: Museums of all kinds
The Indiana Central Canal was dug in the 1830s as a way to transport goods, but was never completed. Today, the downtown portion is flanked with museums and parks as it makes its way toward the White River. Start at the Eiteljorg Museum just a few blocks west of Monument Circle. Dedicated to the American West, it is brimming with a world-class Native American art and artefacts collection, including works by contemporary artists like painter Kay
WalkingStick and multimedia artist Joe Feddersen. For sports fans, a pleasant stroll along the canal, past the Indiana State Museum, leads to the NCAA Hall of Champions, which showcases talent in all 24 NCAA sports. In November, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, dedicated to the city’s favourite literary son, reopened in its new location on Indiana Avenue, just a few blocks north of the Eiteljorg. Included in the collection are his drawings and an array of rejection letters, including one from The Atlantic Monthly that said his account of the Allied bombing of Dresden, Germany, during World War II wasn’t “compelling enough” to publish.
2 6pm: Shrimp cocktail
Opened in 2013, the Alexander hotel was developed as a joint venture with the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Art-themed hotels weren’t new, but the collaboration set it apart, as did the collection. Its crown jewel, however, may be Plat 99, designed by Cuban-born artist Jorge Pardo, hung with 99 colourful, hand-moulded acrylic lamps. The menu includes pick-me-ups like a latte made with doughnut milk for $6 (that’s milk in which doughnuts have been soaked) and a cocktail made with two kinds of local beverages for $12. From there, grab a seat at nearby St. Elmo Steak House, which most locals agree is the city’s best steakhouse, dating to 1902. Stay for a dry-aged rib-eye or its rightfully famous shrimp cocktail ($15.95). The sauce is made daily and not for the faint of heart: It’s at least three-quarters horseradish, edible with a fork.
3 8pm: Dinner
Just southeast is the hottest area in town, Fountain Square, where many restaurants have opened in the past decade, some of them quite good. Bluebeard, a James Beard
Award semifinalist, is one of the best in town, with an ever-changing menu of locally sourced New American cuisine. Small plates might include chicken liver pate with pepperoncinis and candied pepitas ($14). Looking for something more low-key? Iaria’s has been dishing out traditional Italian food in a family-style setting since 1933. Fill up on a huge plate of traditional spaghetti and meatballs for about $14, or fettuccine with spicy clam sauce for $21.
4 10pm: …And a show
After dinner, head to one of the many music and entertainment venues clustered in Fountain Square. Hi-Fi and Radio Radio are intimate spaces for local and smaller national musical acts – mostly indie, folk, rock and hip hop. Pioneer is the place for experimental, jazz, hip hop, electronic music and late-night themed dance parties. The White Rabbit Cabaret hosts small musical acts, comedy and storytelling nights.
SATURDAY
5 10am: Midwest heavy
A few years ago, Bon Appétit published a lengthy article in which the writer wondered “whether this city can hit all those Brooklyn notes and still feel distinctively like Indianapolis.” The answer was mostly “yes,” thanks in part to Milktooth, in Fountain Square. Its strength lies partly in its razor-sharp focus: A self-confidently downscale, daytime-only joint, it goes all-in on heavy, classic fare in ways that feel new. The Dutch baby pancake comes with ham or shiitake mushrooms and Swiss cheese, cranberry mostarda and grapes ($14). The grilled cheese is made with cranberry walnut bread and black truffle honey, topped with a duck egg ($17).
6 11am: Vintage everything
The vintage stores in Indianapolis, unlike New York, is where that perfectly faded Seventies concert tee hasn’t been marked up to 10 times what it’s worth. Burn off that sourdough brioche doughnut from Milktooth by walking down Virginia Avenue to Vintage Vogue and its neighbour Zodiac Vintage, which specializes in vintage designer clothing, band T-shirts and American workwear. On the same block is Square Cat Vinyl, which has old records, but also a lot of new ones, along with a bar that serves coffee and hops. The neighbourhood owes its vintage soul largely to the restored Fountain Square Theater building, first opened in 1928, which hosts swing dance nights and has two duckpin bowling alleys. (The Thirties-style alley on the fourth-floor, Action Duckpin Bowl, costs $40 an hour per lane.) For the uninitiated, the sport involves balls that can be palmed (no holes), like a cross between regular bowling and Skee-Ball.
7 3pm: Art and gardens
Head west to the elaborate grounds of the former Eli Lilly estate, home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The whole complex
was inexplicably rebranded Newfields, but the art and botanic gardens are as worldclass as ever (personal favourites include the extensive Asian art section and works by J.M.W. Turner and James Turrell). Across the canal is a 100-acre nature and sculpture park; like Storm King Art Center in upstate New York, it is especially lovely when the leaves are turning each fall. (The park is free; all-access admission to the museum and gardens is $18.)
8 6pm: Broad Ripple Ramble
Broad Ripple has had many identities over the decades – these days, it’s where the clubbing and sports-bar crowd parties on weekends – but the neighbourhood never completely lost its bohemian roots, as evidenced by its many vintage stores, cafes, and locally-owned restaurants – a favourite being Public Greens, a cafeteria with a healthy, locally sourced menu that includes a strawberry salad with kohlrabi for $6 and a blackened trout bowl with quinoa, veggies and ranch dressing for $16. Public Greens donates 100 per cent of its profits to charity. While you’re in Broad Ripple, stop by the Monon Coffee Co. for coffee or one of many teas – Pu’er ginger, sencha fukujyu, blue jasmine with pea flower. The area is also home to two Indianapolis record stores, both of which host in-store concerts: Indy CD & Vinyl, on the main strip, and Luna Music, just south on College Avenue. The Monon Trail, a wooded walking and biking trail paved over an old railway line, is just a few blocks out of the way and the nicest way to wander south before sundown.
9 9pm: Burgers and Benny Goodman
Across the street from Luna, make time for beverages at the Red Key Tavern, a quiet haunt for local artists and literary types since 1933. The secret to its conversationfriendly vibe is the rules, including no loud swearing and no standing at the bar. It doesn’t hurt that the beverages are unpretentious and cheap, the antique jukebox is loaded with Big Band 45s, and the cheeseburger ($5.50) is regularly voted best in town. (The kitchen closes at 10pm)
SUNDAY
10 10am: Brunch insanity
At Love Handle on Massachusetts Avenue there are things for breakfast that confuse the brain but somehow make sense to the mouth. The fluid menu may offer fried oysters with your grits ($9). Waffles may come with braised beef tongue and a duck egg ($13).
11 Noon: Local goods
On the same block, stroll over to Homespun: Modern Handmade, which sells work by more than 400 artists and artisans, about half from Indiana. A few doors down, Boomerang Boutique also spotlights local designers, emphasizing diversity and women’s clothing and accessories. An in-house lunch counter run by Goose the Market, an upscale local deli that smokes and cures its own meats, has you covered if you get hungry again.