just got from visiting my cousin in indy, really enjoyed my trip (Indianapolis: apartments)

[tranquildreamer95]

while going to a wedding in Indy, I wanted to venture out into the inner city and see something new, my cousins were raised in Geist, off of around 79th. I stayed at fort Benjamin Harrison. so, while on the trip, I wanted to see the "other side" or "rough side of Indy". it was EXTRMELY eye opening how when I drove down Pendleton pike and south into post, it literally turned around, as I drove to 42nd-30th sts on the far eastside, it was another story, the apartments looked extremely neglected. so then I drove all the way down on the 30th and 38th to keystone. VERY eye opening. you see, Indianapolis was a childhood visit city of mine. we would visit my cousins in Geist all the time, and because Geist has a secluded and safe look. I thought all of Indianapolis was exactly like Geist. I always i8mgained it to be a small foresty looking city because that's how I imagined it growing up a s a little little child. it was eye opening on how only about 3 or 4 miles away, you had areas like 38th and post.
Not only did I drive in those areas, but I also ventured out into haughville area, around tibbs ave. and dr. Martin Luther king st. on the west side. I never imagined Indy had blighted areas, or areas with lots of graffiti. I got to see the inner city side of the coin, but like I said, I really enjoyed the trip beyond measure. I always love a good adventure that opens my eyes and makes me learn something new about my surroundings.
also, at the end of the trip, I ate out at Thai orchid on bash st. in fishers rea maybe?(correct me please) YUM!!! glad I got to see a variety of Indy's areas, including broad ripple. I just want to say I love you Indy! I don't care if people call it bland or nap town, Indianapolis will always be a special place for me. I think indy offers a lot and is not boring at all, love the city.

[ischyros]

Honestly, a lot of Indy has embraced the nickname Naptown over the last couple decades. It doesn't fit anymore like it used to and you won't see it in media or the visitors bureau but you'll see stores and restaurants use it, Naptown [insert whatever here]. Naptown Roller Girls (roller derby) is one I hear a lot. I've also seen Naptown Fitness and the Naptown Triathlon to name a few.

[tranquildreamer95]

Originally Posted by ischyros

Honestly, a lot of Indy has embraced the nickname Naptown over the last couple decades. It doesn't fit anymore like it used to and you won't see it in media or the visitors bureau but you'll see stores and restaurants use it, Naptown [insert whatever here]. Naptown Roller Girls (roller derby) is one I hear a lot. I've also seen Naptown Fitness and the Naptown Triathlon to name a few.

what about the naptown old people bowling team? lol, jkjk

[indy_317]

There is plenty to do here, not only in the city, but also throughout the state. We have some OK outdoor recreation, just wish we had a higher level of it. I had to look up Lynwood, CA, looks like it is part of LA. I've been reading up on LA over the years, as a former co-worker was from there (and moved back) and three recent former co-workers have moved out there as well. I didn't know much about LA really, though the entire area has been depicted in countless movies and such. My wife really wants to head out there to checkout the city so we should be heading that way, maybe next year.

[IndyDancer]

So you drove through all the "bad" areas of Indy? Was that intentional or happenstance?

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by ischyros

Honestly, a lot of Indy has embraced the nickname Naptown over the last couple decades. It doesn't fit anymore like it used to and you won't see it in media or the visitors bureau but you'll see stores and restaurants use it, Naptown [insert whatever here]. Naptown Roller Girls (roller derby) is one I hear a lot. I've also seen Naptown Fitness and the Naptown Triathlon to name a few.

IndiaNAPolis will always be "Nap" or "Naptown" to me. I never understood why a lot of people never embraced it. Some take offense to the nickname as if it's an insult, when it's really just the opposite.

Even though Indianapolis is bigger and busier than it was in the 50's, 60's, and 70's, it's still a laid back big city with a small town vibe. A large portion of the growth Indianapolis Metro comes from the small towns thruout Indiana.

So Indianapolis has alot of small town people living in it who lack the pretentious self-important arrogance that is found in most large metros. Most people in Indianapolis do not appear to be in too much of a hurry or have a real sense of urgency about them that is found in most big cities thru out the country.

Go spend a couple or 3 to 4 weeks in most any large size metro, and then go back to Indianapolis and then the small town vibe or atmosphere. It will be alot more noticable.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

It's all relative, I suppose. When I was living in Muncie in the early 70's, Indianapolis seemed like a real big city to me until I got to Houston in 1975. It took me a long time to get comfortable driving on the Southwest Freeway in SW Houston. The traffic situation from Muncie to Houston was literally a major culture shock for me. I never seen so much pavement anywhere as I did in Houston. Indianapolis interstates was nothing like the Houston interstates. I'd been in Houston less than a week and I was heading north on the SW Freeway from Bisonette Street towards 610 going about 55 mph in a 1968 rusty shade of red Volkswagon with Indiana license plates on it, it was about 92 degrees outside and the VW didn't have ac, so the windows were down and the traffic was drowning out the am country station KIKK I was trying to listen to. I'd never seen so many cars, and it seemed like everybody was passing me and it was maybe around 11:30 in the morning and some body laid on their horn as they buzzed around me, going what looked like maybe about 90 miles an hour. It shook me up so bad I exited the freeway at Chimney Rock Road and took the frontage road the rest of the way to whereever it was I was going. After that experience, I thought frontage roads were one of the best things ever invented. I do remember it made me wonder why Indiana interstates didn't have frontage roads. It's not just Indiana. I don't think too many states do have frontage roads. The frontage roads takes about 90% of the stress out of driving on a busy Interstate in a large urban areas of Texas, with slower speeds and tge stop lights. It's just like driving on a city street. Busy, but at a more normal speed. If Indianapolis had frontage roads, driving on 465 would have been a whole different kind of driving experience for me.

I thought I-465, I-65 and I-70 in Indianapolis was bad, but, it was nothing like I-59, I-45, I-10 or I-610 in Houston in the 1970's. Back then I-69 was out in the country from about maybe 3 blocks NE of I-465 all the way to Muncie exit near Daleville. Fishers was nothing more than an exit sign out in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't any kind of devlopment out that way along 69. Somewhere along in that area there was an ice cream place we stopped at a couple of times and there wasn't anything else around it. It mighta been the Fishers exit. I'm thinking maybe it was called Linder's. That was around where the Indianapolis Metro area ended at that time.

After I eventually got comfortable driving anywhere in Houston on the interstate, driving in the large metro areas of not only Indianapolis, but the other large metro areas of St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis, Little Rock, was a snap. Busy as Austin was and is, to this day, the Austin traffic is nothing like Houston traffic. Before I went to Houston, driving in those big city metros was always kinda nerve wracking for me. But after Houston, driving thru those netros, they're all a piece of cake. Even Louisville is a piece of cake. Louisville was a nightmare on 65 back in the 70's. It was worse than Indianapolis and St. Louis.

Please accept my appologies for the extra long-winded post. I didn't realize how long until i seen it posted.

[tranquildreamer95]

Originally Posted by indy_317

There is plenty to do here, not only in the city, but also throughout the state. We have some OK outdoor recreation, just wish we had a higher level of it. I had to look up Lynwood, CA, looks like it is part of LA. I've been reading up on LA over the years, as a former co-worker was from there (and moved back) and three recent former co-workers have moved out there as well. I didn't know much about LA really, though the entire area has been depicted in countless movies and such. My wife really wants to head out there to checkout the city so we should be heading that way, maybe next year.

Lynwood is okay, it used to have a high crime rate but now its much safer, crime rate has dropped tremendously.

[tranquildreamer95]

Originally Posted by IndyDancer

So you drove through all the "bad" areas of Indy? Was that intentional or happenstance?

is that the worst part of indy? is that co9nsidered the " not so great side of town"?. I drove through it just to explore, I like to drive around all kinds of neighborhoods, from blight to rich area.