usa: indiana: indianapolis

Indianapolis is the state capital of Indiana, with a population of around 875,000. Indiana became a state in 1816, but the town of Indianapolis wasn't incorporated until 1832, and city incorporation didn't happen until 1847. There were people living in the area long before Europeans moved in, members of the Miami Nation of Indiana, but they were systematically moved by the US government in order to take over the land. (Just one example of the US government taking land that rightfully belonged to others.) The name of the city means Indian City,

I grew up a little over an hour from the city, but spent almost no time there. Last summer Mom and I went to Indianapolis to see the state fair, but didn't otherwise see the city.

This year I wanted to see more of Indianapolis. I wanted to see some of the places that are in social media photos, some of the government buildings, and some of the main streets. The hardest part of the day ended up being the challenge to find parking. There is little to no street parking, and the parking garages and street level lots are either expensive or reserved.

Argh. Eventually I pulled into a random parking garage. Next time I'll do a lot more research abou that ahead of time.

My first sight was the state capitol building. I'm a sucker for a good rotunda, which is what first caught my attention when I saw photos of this place. Anyone can walk in this building, which is one thing I like about it.

The rotunda is in the middle of the building, on top of an atrium going 'through' all the floors of the building. Basically, I walked inside, took about 20 steps, and looked up. Awesome.

After that I walked up the grand staircases on both sides, it's a gorgeous building. I assume if you get in touch with a specific representative you can get a personal tour, but I hadn't taken the time to do that.

I walked back out the same doors through which I'd entered, and walked straight to Monument Circle, which is also often featured on social media. There is a giant traffic circle, with a war memorial in the middle.

The monument is a little over 85 meters high, and was dedicated in 1902. Wikipedia tells me a few fun facts about the memorial. 

One, it was originally dedicated to Hoosiers who had lost their lives during the American Civil War, but also honoured soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and a few other wars in the 19^th century. Two, the monument is the first in the country dedicated to the common soldier.

This monument and the entire circle are often specially decorated for holidays and celebrations, the photos are pretty cool. I just walked around the circle and the memorial, as it looks slightly different from each side.

On one side of the traffic circle was a small church, which caught my eye. It wasn't particularly fancy, or unique, but churches almost always catch my eye. The inside wasn't any more spectacular than the outside, except for one thing: the organist was practicing, so I got to enjoy that for a few minutes.

I headed straight north, it didn't take me long to get to the Indiana War Memorial. The outside was completely covered in scaffolding, darnit. Who knows how long that will last. The inside is amazing. There is no entry fee, which is nice, of course.

The memorial building covers every war in which Hoosier soldiers have ever fought. Each room/section is dedicated to a different war, and there is plenty of information along with all the items being exhibit. There is a theatre in the middle, complete with a beautiful ceiling.

The room on the top of the building is simple, and stunning. The Shrine Room is simple, quiet, and has all the feels. 

There is an altar in the middle, it sits just under a giant flag hanging from the ceiling. Just. Wow.

I kept heading north, coming almost immediately to another memorial, an obelisk. This was on one side of the American Legion Mall, basically a giant park. Since it was late afternoon in August, there were very few people outside, as the heat and humidity weren't fun.

At the other end of the Mall was the Indianapolis Public Library, but I got there just a few minutes after it closed, argh. 

Instead I headed west, getting to the canal that goes through a lot of the city. The canal area has been developed quite nicely, and there are pavements on both sides. There weren't many people outside while I was there, but in cooler hours I'm pretty sure lots of people go running or walking or biking.

I walked south along the canal until I got back to the cross street that would lead me to 'my' parking garage. From there it was easy enough to drive to one of the suburbs to meet my flattie from uni for dinner. It had been waaaaay too long since we'd seen each other. I hope it isn't that long before we see each other again.

The next day I ended up coming back to Indy in the late afternoon and evening. It wasn't a planned trip, but I got a message from a friend saying she had free tickets to a Straight No Chaser concert. This is an acappella group I first heard when they were 'just' a student group at my uni. I love them, and one of the basses graduated from my high school, which makes me a bigger fan.

Nancye picked me up, then we picked up another friend of hers from Bloomington, and drove back to Indy. 

There we met another friend for dinner, which was at a place called Fat Dan's. So good. The concert was in a theatre just down the block, so life was good.

The concert itself was taped as a Christmas show, so there were a couple times when songs were sung again, and it was weird to hear holiday songs in August. But overall, it was awesome, as expected.

I've since looked at the map quite a bit more, and found plenty more to see when I come back to Indianapolis.