Tonight the hubster and I went downtown to see the fireworks display. I read about Canalfest, a fun little event at the Indiana State Museum, and as a result of checking that out, we discovered an entire world downtown that I didn't even know existed! The Canal Walk is amazing, if you never knew it existed. It flows under streets, like a secret underground city. And although some (see here and here) think the Canal Walk is a dismal failure, for us discovering it was like finding a little jewel that I never could've discovered if I hadn't gotten out of the car.
Usually, I drive downtown, do my business, and drive home, never really walking around to explore. I grew up here in Indianapolis, spent a decade away for grad school and life, and only came back when my mom passed away six years ago. Still, I've always assumed Indianapolis was sort of a boring place. A nice place to live, but no really great food and nothing terribly exciting to do. And generally, a lot of that is true - Spanish tapas restaurants offer food that bear little resemblance the authentic dishes (see the dismal Barcelona Tapas). French restaurants serve herb-laden "crepes" that more closely resemble pancakes than true crepes (see Left Bank Cafe). And sometimes I get a strong feeling that Indianapolis gets just a little too big for its britches and acts like we have far more to offer than we actually do.
That said...there are some really fantastic things in this city. I could spend days exploring Broad Ripple and all its little shops and houses-turned-boutiques. I can't imagine shopping for toys for my niece and nephew anywhere besides Mass Ave Toys. And I could talk endlessly about the new downtown library. But until today, I really didn't think there was much more to Indy. How wrong I was.
We parked just off Meridian near the giant Scottish Rite Cathedral. You'll have to pardon me if I don't get the names right. It's late and I'm not researching anything. Right there, just as you turn off Meridian, there's this Peace Walk. It's also a Heritage walk, and I'm not sure which it's called, but it has illuminated stops along the way for important and interesting people like Mark Twain, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, etc. and it goes on for several blocks and eventually takes you to the Canal. I honestly couldn't have been more surprised when we happened upon the Canal. It's not that I didn't know it was there, it's that I had no idea how cool it had become. There were tons of people with blankets and chairs and grills and canopies and everyone was happy and having fun. Along the Canal, mostly apartments and offices (really a shame - they could put boutiques and restaurants and encourage more street performers to hang out there and bring a lot more foot traffic, I think). The Indiana State Museum, The Indiana Historical Society, and the Eiteljorg Museum are on the Canal, plus there's a gondola, a pedestrian taxi (which is pretty much a pretty white rickshaw with a nice man pedaling you along), and you can rent paddleboats, canoes, and kayaks for a very leisurely float (it's not like there's much current, LOL).
As we walked, we enjoyed a cheap lemon ice from an ice cream cart and stopped for a small bite at a beautifully-located cafe on the Canal Walk, Left Bank Cafe (review forthcoming).
The fireworks display was amazing, and what really took me by surprise was the hearts and smiley faces they created in the night sky.
I haven't gone out and enjoyed my city like this since...well, never. And I'm so glad that I did. It was like Leo and I were in a completely different town than the one we knew, and yet we were still home. You can expect to hear about explorations like this in the future. Who knew Indy was so cool?!
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