I am going there in late June/early July. I am attending a conference at the downtown Mariott. So my days will be very busy, but nights are more or less free. Although, I am attending an Indy Indians baseball game. That should be interesting. I don't follow baseball too closely, but a game is always a fun night out. I've been to Qualcomm, Fenway, Cleveland's old stadium, PNC Park (and their old multi-use park), and Busch. I know AAA is a different atmosphere, and I'll look forward to it. My last baseball game was actually an NCAA game (SDSU vs. UNLV at Tony Gwynn). So, I've only been to Indpls. once, to go to the 500. And that's actually in Speedway, not Indy proper. I will be in downtown Indy this whole time. I have been thinking of taking IndyGo (no driver license) over to the NCAA headquarters. There is a museum there. I do follow collegiate olympic sports, but not so much the football and basketball. Other than that, I have no clue about Indy. Anybody been there? Live there?
Well, I have two friends that have gone to conferences in Indianapolis on a couple of occasions. They like it quite a bit, but mainly because there are great, easily accessible bike trails. They just bring bikes and go for rides on days when one or both of them can cut out from the conference. But that doesn't do a damn thing for you, I'm afraid. Hope someone else has some pointers you can actually use.
Lived there from 1992-2001. You'll enjoy Victory Field, it's a great park. The NCAA headquarters is nice also. Circle Center Mall should be right there, it's a really big downtown mall. The Soldiers and Sailors monument is the tall tower right smack in the center of downtown ("The Circle") that is supposedly the geographic center of the state. At lunchtime, the place usually has a lot of people hanging out eating lunch and milling about. Good for people watching. Also the headquarters of the Emmis Broadcasting empire is right on the circle, and I think they have a streetside studio, so you can see them doing radio shows. You could also tour Bankers Life Fieldhouse and/or Lucas Oil Stadium, which are both right off downtown. White River State Park is actually where the NCAA headquarters is, nice park. And you can rent peddle boats and tool around on the water, which is nice. One of the former presidents (Benjamin Harrison?) has a home in downtown that's a museum you could check out. The Speedway actually isn't far from downtown, just west on 16th Street a few miles, it's not far at all. You could walk around downtown Indianapolis and stumble across lots of stuff to see. Hope that helps. Have fun!
Well, I do get there a day early. Might do the WRSP thing. I did hear the NCAA was there. That might be worth a check. Thanks. I don't bike, but I do walk. It'll be interesting to see what's there. I also noticed IUPUI is nearby. Not a uni that too many locals around here have heard of, and it's full name is a mouthful (when somebody asks), but I might hit their bookstore for a soccer tee. I like me some swag. Looks like it's right on the IndyGo 37 line, which I wouldn't be far off of. Unfortunately FC Indiana women are on a road swing, and FCI men apparently play way up in Lafayette. So, no soccer for me. I'm no expert on broadcasting, but I have met some media locals throughout the years, and I am a newsbuff, so the media building on the Circle may be worth it. Banker's Life is where the Pacers are, right? That might be another swag trip for me. I think their store is open on non-game days. Thanks, folks. Should be a good trip.
I lived in Indy for just a year and a half many years ago. I few additional things. If you like touring campuses, Butler University is north of downtown a few miles. Butler Fieldhouse (called Hinkle now) is really a classic old basketball barn. It is where they filmed the final game from Hoosiers, so you actually may have seen it before. A little east of there is a neighborhood called Broad Ripple. Lots of restaurants, bars and the local art scene. Not a bad place to visit if you are looking to get out of downtown for a bit. The speedway is actually worth going to on a non-race day. There is a good museum and you can take a bus around the track. A very cool perspective. downtown is pretty cool for a conference. There is plenty to do just walking around. Union Station is very touristy now, but I love old train stations, so for me it is worth a visit.
Well, went there, came back. Beautiful city, but very unfortunate heatwave, and transit wasn't quite as close as I thought. But I did walk over to an Indians baseball game, and that was a great crowd, and good game. Seems funny to be setting out plastic matting to catch spent fireworks and such, but the IFD was on standby in case of fire. Gorgeous city. I just hope to be back when it's cooler.
Very nice! But that was the first ever minor league game I've been to, so nothing really to compare to (except going to Rochester's baseball park for a Rhinos game way back when, but I think this was better). Exciting baseball, too. And there was some sort of NO style jazz band playing on the street corner, doing "Take Me Out" after the game. Pretty classy.