Indianapolis

Ok, so maybe Indianapolis isn't the first place you think of for a family vacation, but I have to tell you - I was pleasantly surprised - and if you are in the midwest, its worth a trip. Really!

The first thing that struck me about the city was that it seemed almost European - especially right downtown by the war memorial, in the city center. The memorial is pretty cool - fountains and waterfalls surround it (think Trevi fountain, but not so much) There are very impressive sculptures around it and the kids liked it alot. Aparently, you can often go to the top of the memorial, but the elevator was closed for repairs. There is a small gift shop in it, (and a flat penny machine - much to my 5 year old's delight, as he collects them) The memorial is in the center of a circle, surrounded by shops, restaurants, banks and the like, all in pretty nice architecture.

We stayed at the downtown Embassy Suites (see my review) which was in a great location, and attached to the Astrada Gardens, which is a glass and steel event space over the street, also connected to the city center mall and the Conrad Hilton. This allowed us direct connection to the mall, which was nice as it was 100 degrees, and walking in the A/C isn't a bad thing. The mall has several restaurants (PF Changs, Johnny Rockets, Nordstrom's Cafe), as well as standard food-court fare. Here's a hint - stop by the information desk and ask for a coupon book - we got deals on cookies, pretzels, and later Connor Prairie.

The coolest thing, in my mind, about the mall is that on the outside it doesn't look at all like a mall, because unlike too many other cities, Indy was smart enough to save all the facades to the old buildingings when they tore down 2 city blocks to build this mall. Therefore, it still looks like the original buildings, and better yet - there are plaques everywhere telling you what the building was and interesting details about it. As a history fan, I LOVED this, and even the kids liked hearing about several of the buildings.

We hit 3 major Indianapolis attractions: The Indianapolis Zoo, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and Connor Prarie (which is actually in Fishers). These are reviewed separatly, but I'll tell you now: DO NOT MISS the Children's Museum. Even if you don't have kids. Seriously - best museum I think I have ever been to. Its worth the trip to Indy just for that. (Zoo and Connor Prarie are cool too)

As far as restaurants go, we got a quick and easy dinner at Johnny Rockets in the mall the first night (fun music, no one cares your kids are goofing off, yummy food), Weber Grill the second night (see review - best waiter ever!) and the Old Spaghetti Factory on the last night (ideal for our purposes, and a neat-to-look-at joint (hint - call ahead for seating! You can call up to an hour before and get your name on the list. This allowed us to be seated in 5 minutes rather than 50)

Getting around in Indy is pretty easy. Lots of one-way streets, but it is a grid layout so not hard to navigate. Parking wasn't cheap - $20/day, but this is a city.

Overall, I give Indy a thumbs up. Is it worth flying in for? Probably not. But if you live within a 5 hour drive, I'd do it. Spending 3 nights was perfect for seeing what we wanted to see while still accomodating naps and not rushing around. 2 could do it, if pressed for time.