A Weekend in Indianapolis

At this time last Friday, I felt like a fifth grader on the last day of school. Though instead of chanting “Summer! Summer! Summer! Summer!” my brain rhythmically chimed “Indy! Indy! Indy! Indy!” Once the clock struck 5pm, my favorite girlfriends and I left corporate America & med school in the mitten state for a brief road trip to Indianapolis. Our friend Lexie, the Indy transplant, hosted us for a quick weekend.

I had never been to indianapolis before. After a year of hearing her gush about how great a midwest city it is, I finally had the opportunity to see for myself. However, I did not see Indy as I expected… I have a travel blog. I thrive on travel. I adore writing about it. Ideas for blog posts started spinning in my head as soon as I confirmed my commitment to go. I thought about public guided tours of the city, learning the bike culture, enlightening myself at museums, appreciating the Indy art scene… That’s not what happened.  These are the roommates I once lived with in our wonderful Detroit duplex.  These are my greatest friends in the world. Now that we’ve “grown up” & moved away from college, very seldom do we ALL have the opportunity to get together for true QUALITY time.  I didn’t craft blog posts while I was there. Instead, I made memories and lived in the moment of our friendship.

It was amazing.

During the drive we caught up on each other’s lives. We talked about relationships and bowel movements. We compared (some) relationships to the stuff of bowel movements. “Are we there yet?!” was never asked, and when we were finally there, we continued to laugh, talk, and enjoy until 4:30 a.m. I haven’t seen that time in a long time.

The next day we nursed broken hearts and fed addictions at the Indy Chocolate Fest. Who cares that it was in Indy – chocolate is chocolate (though it did benefit the arts in local Indy schools. +1 for altruism). I was reminded about how delicious macaroons are (my first & last was in Paris), tasted chocolate beer, licked Gorgonzola-pecan ice cream, munched on chocolate treats/candied popcorns and really enjoyed a belt-loosening chocolate buzz.

We awed at the height and grandeur of the war memorial. I didn’t learn much about it, but did enjoy the ridiculousness of us getting photos with each other in front of it.

We call this photo “Picception”

We strolled along Mass Ave., visiting shops, ogling at the bike bar until settling (or rather, revving up) at my new favorite establishment: Tini. The Mango Tabasco martini burned just right, the televisions played FUN music videos spanning across the decades (can I get three cheers for Backstreet Boys, Larger Than Life?),  the bartenders filled our table with surprise shots (more than once), and another bartender taught us how to ‘tut’ which led to an epic dance off (which I lost, miserably). We checked out some other places (tacos at Bakersfield = delicious) until the night sadly faded away. I became a first time Lyft user. I felt so millennial as I walked past the cabs to our free Lyft ride.  It was a fun night in Indianapolis with my girlfriends.

Sunday started with a big, fat breakfast, then continued with the unfortunate drive home. We played games in the car to pass the time. When we finally rolled into Detroit, my only thought was that whoever invented weekends did it all wrong – two days is not enough.

So I really didn’t tell you too much about Indianapolis. Because honestly, I paid more attention to my friends and our conversations than the city.  I noticed how pretty Lexie’s red hair looked in the sun rather than how the changing autumn leaves shimmered in the breeze. Melissa’s laugh made me laugh more than people watching the locals. Tammy & Monica’s conversation about medical care captured my attention more than the Indiana specialty craft beer list.  I’m more than okay with that.

But I still need to go back to Indy. Because I still need to explore those bike trails. I still need to learn why it’s called the Circle City. I still want to drive a race car.  I still want to analyze this midwestern city and compare it to Detroit. There will be a time for that. This wasn’t that time.  This was the time for old friends and new memories in a new place. Thanks, Indy, for hosting us. I’ll be back soon.