In Defense of Indianapolis

There has been some very articulate trash talking recently by New Orleans fans about the "cultural wasteland" of Indianapolis. I know it's mostly Super Bowl driven but I love this city and I think those looking in from the outside see a different reality than what I'm seeing day to day. This town is more than Corn and Colts.

Indy is a surprising city. I moved here over 10 years ago (1998) with no real intention to stay. I had been living on the southside of Chicago (with PJ in the LaZona ballroom) and I was ready for a city that didn't hate me. I really felt that in Chicago. It's a brutal place to be in the winter- broke and cold. There were many things I loved about Chicago but I'm not writing about Chicago.

Indy had the right mix- big city resources with great neighborhoods and quality people. Broad Ripple, in particular, had a vibe reminding me of the Bloomington I loved from my college years. Friends living next door or across the street. Bars in walking distance. Music everywhere, all the time. I felt at home.

Indy grew with me as I started to figure out what I was doing with my life. Opportunities came quickly. Mostly via friends but probably assisted by a little ambition. I've started 3 businesses here and people have been supportive, good help has been easy to find and there is plenty of business to go after. The tech scene, with firms like Exact Target, Cha Cha and Formspring, is starting to get national attention. Indy is becoming known for Internet marketing and I love that...maybe cause that's what my company does. :)

Obviously I have an opinion on the music scene here. We've seen ups and downs and I think we are heading right into another "up". The recent Local Music Git Down was encouraging and recalled some past events that seemed, looking back, to herald a new age. The last big surge was 4-5 years ago when Muncie gave birth to about 20 great bands that mostly decided to move south to Indy. Those bands have now mostly broken up, reformed and integrated into the scene and I think that is part of the new surge. My Old Kentucky Blog, which is known nationally, is increasingly focused on local talent, championing up and coming Indy bands like Slothpop or Thunders. These bands, along with many others, are beginning to find a national audience. Obviously we look at bands like Margot and Nuclear So & Sos who already have a national following and hope these younger bands follow in their steps. Some will in time.

So I could go on forever about music. But I think a quick tour around the MFT Archive and it will do the talking if you do the listening.

Over the last ten years I have seen the downtown revitalized, Fountain Square (another cool neighborhood) recaptured by artists, Mass Ave has become a vibrant arts and dining district and probably the most gay friendly area of town, SoBro (south of Broad Ripple) has nicely developed recently with new restaurants and shops opening up. There are little neighborhood gems all over town- Dorman and Lockerbie come to mind. I'm still finding cool little areas that were originally their own towns connected to Indy via trolleys. I discovered one of these little towns off of 75th and Dobson recently on the West side.

There is a real river culture here in Indy that I only recently discovered via friends who have houses on the White River. It doesn't get much exposure but it's there.

You can actually live well in Indy. Houses aren't expensive and the recent market drop didn't damage prices as much as other parts of the country since the market wasn't as artificially inflated. My family lives in the Nora neighborhood and after talking to friends from nearby cities- St. Louis, Cincy- it became clear that the same house in a similar neighborhood would have been 50-100% more in those cities. Indy was recently ranked as the most affordable city in the country.

Indianapolis is not in a flood zone, for the most part. It isn't prone to natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes or even much extreme weather. Sure we get some snow but usually less than our neighbors to the north. It's not crazy windy like Chicago.

I grew up in South Bend and still go back to visit. Sure it's a smaller town but I guarantee there are more great restaurants on Mass Ave than in all of South Bend. I love the food here in Indy. There are numerous great sushi restaurants, steak houses, "foodie" spots, quality fast food like Yats and Boogie Burger and many great local coffee shops all over the city.

I'm not even beginning to touch on the vibrant theater scene, the amazing Indianapolis Museum of Art which has become a world class museum, the numerous festivals like Oranje, Fringe, Broad Ripple Music Fest (holla!), Heartland Film Fest and many others.

Mostly what I love about Indy are the people. I'm sure there are plenty of hicks and bumpkins running around Indianapolis but I don't run into them very often. I routinely meet new people here already on their way, executing their plan but happy to take time to help others along as well. The vibe here in Indy is collegial. If you have a good idea and are willing to work at it, others will join in to make that happen.

So yeah, New Orleans is cool, yeah, they can be credited with the creation of Jazz and had a lot to do with Funk, Gospel, Soul and even Rock etc. But that was a long time ago. The New Orleans of today and recent years is shadow of its former cultural self (even pre-flood). New Orleans has become a New Orleans tribute city. Indianapolis is in the midst of creating its own myth. Where would you want to live? New Orleans is a great place to visit but so is Disney World. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else- Indy is home.

I think many of Indy's critics are former residents that left when the city was in transition or in decline. They might come back home, spend a weekend and assume that nothing has changed since they see something to confirm their previous feelings. I know I am guilty of this with South Bend (maybe somebody can write "In Defense of South Bend"?). To these expats I say, take another look. The Indianapolis of your youth is not the city I know. There's a lot going on here.

oh yeah, Go Colts!