Where South meets Midwest. (photos) (Columbus, Jeffersonville: vs, airport, license plates)

[urbanologist]

37.

The mural on the side of this building looks great. I wonder if this was painted or wallpapered. Great shots, jfre81. Nice angle with the camera.

7.

When I look at this photo it makes me wonder if there is any (I mean any) one single city in this country that has a set up like the Cultural Trail with color coded signage indicating separate grades for bikes and pedestrians. I have yet to find any. Even Portland doesn't have this without counting striped lanes (not even in NYC and I've been there). The Netherlands is the only place I've seen this. Haven't been to Denmark yet. I'm talking about separate grade marked with pavers. What I like about the Cultural Trail is how it connects all the district neighborhoods to the CBD. It's sort of a mini highway network for bikes and pedestrians. What did you think about the trail?

[jfre81]

I didn't walk right up to that mural so I'm not sure. It looks painted on though.

The Cultural Trail is amazing. You can ride a bike from the burbs into the city center and beyond. There are even some sorts of TODs for bikes. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it. There are bike trails in the parks in Houston from where I moved to the region (currently in Dayton, not terribly far from Indy) but down there it's more just for exercise rather than a meaningful way to get around. It's not something I expected to see from a city that overall has the look and feel of a Sun Belt metropolis like Houston - low-density sprawl, big freeways etc.

Thanks everyone. Great reception here. Indy treated me well and so has its c-d forum. I'll certainly be back to do this again. I'd like to explore more areas I didn't get to, or at least not with the camera. I was in Broad Ripple but it was dark and my friend and I needed to get back to Dayton as a winter storm was on its way. We actually didn't get much snow or ice to speak of over here.

I'd also like to see Irvington and explore on the ground around 10th Street near the Rivoli Theatre. I see a place that's transitioning in the right direction there. Also, Woodruff Place nearby which reminds me quite a bit of Boulevard Oaks, a beautiful and very photogenic neighborhood in Houston. But with fountains in roundabouts. Come spring, the trees will be turning green and the fountains will be working. Maybe the Monument downtown will have the work being done on it finished and the scaffolding will be removed?

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I didn't walk right up to that mural so I'm not sure. It looks painted on though.

The Cultural Trail is amazing. You can ride a bike from the burbs into the city center and beyond. There are even some sorts of TODs for bikes. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it. There are bike trails in the parks in Houston from where I moved to the region (currently in Dayton, not terribly far from Indy) but down there it's more just for exercise rather than a meaningful way to get around. It's not something I expected to see from a city that overall has the look and feel of a Sun Belt metropolis like Houston - low-density sprawl, big freeways etc.

Thanks everyone. Great reception here. Indy treated me well and so has its c-d forum. I'll certainly be back to do this again. I'd like to explore more areas I didn't get to, or at least not with the camera. I was in Broad Ripple but it was dark and my friend and I needed to get back to Dayton as a winter storm was on its way. We actually didn't get much snow or ice to speak of over here.

I'd also like to see Irvington and explore on the ground around 10th Street near the Rivoli Theatre. I see a place that's transitioning in the right direction there. Also, Woodruff Place nearby which reminds me quite a bit of Boulevard Oaks, a beautiful and very photogenic neighborhood in Houston. But with fountains in roundabouts. Come spring, the trees will be turning green and the fountains will be working. Maybe the Monument downtown will have the work being done on it finished and the scaffolding will be removed?

I believe the work on the monument is supposed to be done by May for the Indy 500. It was originally supposed to be completed by Thanksgiving when the Circle of Lights kicked off but repairs were more extensive than initially thought.

Indianapolis monument needs more repair work | 2014-11-07 | Indianapolis Business Journal | IBJ.com

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I'd also like to see Irvington and explore on the ground around 10th Street near the Rivoli Theatre. I see a place that's transitioning in the right direction there. Also, Woodruff Place nearby which reminds me quite a bit of Boulevard Oaks, a beautiful and very photogenic neighborhood in Houston.

I live in that general near east area where Rivoli is (Englewood, so closer to Washington St than 10th). Between Rural and Sherman; 10th Street still feels like it has a way to go. I am pretty well connected to a lot of the business owners along East 10th; I do think the area is continuing upward. Also, there is interest in making East Washington a more inviting space in the same area. Will be fun to see what comes of it. The momentum is there for sure.

Great pictures. Glad you had fun.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

I live in that general near east area where Rivoli is (Englewood, so closer to Washington St than 10th). Between Rural and Sherman; 10th Street still feels like it has a way to go. I am pretty well connected to a lot of the business owners along East 10th; I do think the area is continuing upward. Also, there is interest in making East Washington a more inviting space in the same area. Will be fun to see what comes of it. The momentum is there for sure.

Great pictures. Glad you had fun.

Thanks TT.

I know Indy's near eastside doesn't have quite the same historical and architectural heritage of Over-The-Rhine in Cincinnati but I point to OTR as a prime example of how a place can go from a rundown pit to a desirable place to be in a short time with the proper things working for it. Location over everything. Close to downtown - can be on Mass Ave in a few minutes. A vital downtown does wonders for close-in neighborhoods that need a boost. I see some ignorant commenters in Dayton (not necessarily on c-d) who will respond to, say a new residential development downtown - not projects. They'll go "well, I live in Oakwood (neighborhood a short couple minutes to the south), and this does nothing for us over here!" They don't understand. They can look at Indy which has a decent population in the greater downtown loop for a city its size, enough to support commerce like Circle Centre, grocers etc. which downtown Dayton currently doesn't have much to speak of. For that stuff to be viable, someone (with a bit of money to spend, not necessarily rich) has to live there. That development leads to downtown being a place people want to go and live near if not in, and that trickles outward to close-in neighborhoods.

One good thing about getting around and seeing different cities is seeing who's doing the right thing, who's not, and what the latter group could do differently. It beats the hell out of just sitting around making dumb comments on the Internet and waiting for something good to magically drop out of the sky for their neck of the woods.

[Serious Conversation]

Good pictures, but there's not much that is Southern about Indy.

[jfre81]

Thanks.

I humbly submit that the house in #41 looks like it belongs in Atlanta or Charlotte (and I lived in NC for a bit in the mid-2000s) and it was far from the only one I saw similar to it.

[jfre81]

It's the big porch wrapping around. Riding in on 70 from Ohio, the scenery also reminded quite a bit of I-35 between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Indy's got big freeways like you'd see down there. The most prominent skyscrapers are modern like you'd see in Dallas, Houston and other cities newer than Chicago or Cincinnati, though Cincy does have that Great America tower that would go in well with Dallas too. I know part of this is a function of a building height restriction earlier in Indy's history, where nothing could be taller than the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Culturally, it rather neatly fits into the Midwest. I didn't get everywhere in the city, but if it's anything like Columbus or Cincinnati you'll have some pockets of people with their roots in Kentucky/Appalachia. Here in Dayton too.

[indy771]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

Good pictures, but there's not much that is Southern about Indy.

Agree, Indy is as midwestern as it gets. Cincy is a better example as the south literally meets with the midwest.

[urbanologist]

Originally Posted by jfre81

It's the big porch wrapping around. Riding in on 70 from Ohio, the scenery also reminded quite a bit of I-35 between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Indy's got big freeways like you'd see down there. The most prominent skyscrapers are modern like you'd see in Dallas, Houston and other cities newer than Chicago or Cincinnati, though Cincy does have that Great America tower that would go in well with Dallas too. I know part of this is a function of a building height restriction earlier in Indy's history, where nothing could be taller than the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Culturally, it rather neatly fits into the Midwest. I didn't get everywhere in the city, but if it's anything like Columbus or Cincinnati you'll have some pockets of people with their roots in Kentucky/Appalachia. Here in Dayton too.

Driving on 70 along the south perimeter of the airport reminds me of the frontage and highway lane separation like you see in Texas with many many lanes across. The only difference I've notice between what I've seen in Texas cities and in Indy is the fly over ramp heights. The towering fly over ramps like in Dallas for example is so much higher up to 200 ft which is crazy but cool to look at the same time. Texas seem to like to paint the ramps certain earth tone like colors with the stars that light up at night posted on each support column.

As for KY/Appalachia, I grew up in Cincy. You will see a lot more KY license plates in Cincy or Jeffersonville,IN than you would in Indy due to being across the the Ohio River. The closer your are to the Ohio River region the more of it will become common. When it comes to accents and local culture there is a stark contrast between Northern Indiana/Ohio (bleed over from Chicago/Mich,) vs Southern Indiana/Ohio (Kentucky). Indy and Columbus are more neutral compared to those regions which is why in many ways they are more similar in this regard.