First time to Indianapolis? What are those midwesterners all hyped up about?

Whether you've been to Indianapolis before or it's your first visit, you'll
want to take advantage of all the city has to offer. You'll be surprised!
We'll offer a few suggestions of places to visit while you're here and fill
you in on a few interesting facts about central Indiana.

Cultural districts in Indianapolis
The Cultural Development Commission of Indianapolis recognizes that the
cultural diversity, amenities, and activities of a city greatly enhance the
livability of that city. They have identified six cultural districts in
Indianapolis. Each one is unique in its history and its focus, and all offer
interesting sights, shopping, food, drink, and entertainment. See how many
you can visit while you're in town!

To help you locate yourself, here's a map of all the districts.
[http://discovercanal.com/userctl.cfm?PageContentTypeID=3&PageContentID=50]
(Our hotel is on the eastern edge of the Canal and White River State Park
District.)

Here's a link to a website for each district -- there's a video waiting for
you at each site. Enjoy!
Broad Ripple Village [http://www.discoverbroadripplevillage.com/home.cfm]
Broad Ripple Village is a residential and business neighborhood located
directly north of downtown just above 56th Street. It's known for quaint
shops, sidewalk cafes, greenways, public art, and a hot night life. With
spots like Alley Cat Lounge, Monkey's Tale Bar, and Mug Shots Cafe how can
you go wrong?

Massachusetts Avenue [http://www.discovermassave.com/home.cfm]
Also known as the Arts & Theater District, Mass Ave District is just to the
northeast of the hotel. The area was listed in the National Register of
Historic Places in 1981 and has been making a comeback in recent years.
You'll find interesting commercial buildings from the late 19th and early
20th centuries, as well as neighborhoods such as Lockerbie Square, Indy's
oldest existing residential neighborhood, and Chatham Arch with homes dating
to the Civil War era.

Fountain Square [http://www.discoverfountainsquare.com/index.cfm]
Fountain Square's motto is "Funky. Artsy. Retro. Anything but square." The
district is a short mile and half from downtown, you'll find an eclectic mix
of restaurants, live entertainment, art galleries, and small businesses. It
was the first commercial historic district in Indiana. You will want to
visit the Fountain Square Theater Building for its restaurants, cafes, and
(yes!) duckpin bowling (reservations are recommended).

Wholesale District [http://www.discoverwholesaledistrict.com/home.cfm]
Entertainment is the name of the game in the Wholesale District -- whether
it's sports or theater. This district is just to the east and southeast of
the hotel extending south to Union Station. Circle Centre Mall, just two and
half blocks east of the hotel, provides nearby shopping for gifts and
necessities.

Canal and White River State Park [http://www.discovercanal.com/home.cfm]
This district, Indy's "Cultural Corridor," is our home while we're in the
city. As they say, "discovery runs through it." Here we'll discover museums,
public art, parks, and and the IUPUI campus with the skyline of Indianapolis
as our backdrop.

Indiana Avenue [http://www.discoverindianaavenue.com/home.cfm]
Indiana Avenue is the historic African-American commercial, entertainment,
and worship center. In the 20's and 30's it was the place for jazz -- the
tradition is kept alive with festivals and performances throughout the year.
The area is just west of the downtown area.

Why Circle City?
Indianapolis is called the "Circle City" because the original design of the
city, created in 1821 by surveyor Alexander Ralston, features a circle at
its center. Designated originally as the location for the governor's
mansion, the circle was called the "Governor's Circle." In 1902 the
Soldier's and Sailor's Monument was placed on the circle and it is now known
as Monument Circle.

Cars and the Car Culture of Indianapolis
Indiana, known as the "Crossroads of America," has more miles of Interstate
Highway than any other state and more highways intersect in Indiana than in
any other state.  Convergence Indeed! Indianapolis is at the center of that
network of intersections (beginning way back in stagecoach days when twelve
different stagecoach lines ran through Indiana on the National Highway (now
Highway 40)).  It is not surprising that the 'car culture' is strong in
Indianapolis.  Did you know that first gasoline pump was designed in Fort
Wayne, just a couple hours north of Indianapolis?  From 1900 to 1920 over
200 different makes of cars were produced in Indiana.

Indiana Limestone [ ]http://www.indianalimestone.com]
Under the fields, forests, and roads of southern Indiana lies one of the
richest deposits of top-quality limestone in the world.  You'll see plenty
of the creamy white stone in Indianapolis -- but you'll be interested to
know that it's the stone of the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center
in NYC.  It also adorns the National Cathedral, the Pentagon, the U.S.
Treasury Building, and numerous other federal buildings, not to mention
fourteen state capitol buildings.

Hoosiers and Sports in Indiana
The Hoosiers take their sports very seriously.  But first, what is a
hoosier? Apparently, there is no easy answer, aside from being the
identifying nickname for residents of Indiana. That's not to say that there
isn't a long history associated with the term and we invite you all to read
about that here: The Meanings of Hoosier: 175 Years and Counting
[http://www.indianahistory.org/pop_hist/people/Hoosier.pdf]

Whether it's basketball, baseball, or football Indianapolis has the
triumvirate of American sports covered. Within sight of the hotel, you'll
see the Conseco Fieldhouse (arena for the Pacers and site of numerous
concerts), the Lucas Oil Stadium (recently completed home for the
Indianapolis Colts), and Victory Field (home to the Indianapolis Indians
minor league baseball team), not to mention the site of the RCA Dome
(formerly the Hoosier Dome and just demolished this past December to make
way for an expansion of the Convention Center). Bringing the sports downtown
is a great way to enliven the city.

And then there are the wheels!  You'll see references throughout the city to
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.   Maybe you've signed up for the tour!  In
addition to motorized wheels, Indianapolis is known for its dedication to
the 2-wheeled, human-powered vehicle.  If you've never seen a Velodrome and
track bike racing, take in the scene at the Major Taylor Velodrome, named
after the late-19th century African-American biking legend. If you're more
the couch potato type, rent the movie Breaking Away (1979) before your
visit.

To learn more, check these out!
Indianapolis Motor Speedway [http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/]
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum
[http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/content/General/Hall_of_Fame_Museu
m/32]
Track Attack racing school  [http://www.trackattack.com/]


Some of the information for this post came from indyscribe.com.
Check out these sites too:
Be Indypendent.org : Buy Indy Art!   [http://www.beindypendent.org/]
Guide to Visual Arts in Indy (Click on Visual Arts Indianapolis for a PDF
file) 
[http://www.beindypendent.org/resources/43-free-stuff/75-visual-art-indianap
olis-guide.html]
Around Indy (for event listings)  [http://www.aroundindy.com/]
Indianapolis Cultural Trail  [http://indyculturaltrail.org/]
Indiana Historical Society  [http://www.indianahistory.org/index.asp]
Indianapolis is my Home (a blog about Indianapolis with more links than you
can imagine)  [http://indianapolis.ismyhome.com]


Best regards,

Rebecca Price and Annette Haines
Conference Publicity

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Check out the blog for more conference information!
http://arlisnaindy.wordpress.com/ __________

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