I'm finally moving to New York City! I am more than happy to explain the sequence of events to any of you who want to know it in person, but I will give all my readers here the Reader's Digest version: An opportunity I've been pursuing for a while now finally worked out. I wasn't looking for anything else. The offer itself was actually as surprising to me as it was to everyone else! It was terrifying to take but more terrifying to turn down and wonder forever, "What if?"
That being said, I have adored my time in Indianapolis. It is full of many wonderful things, which I have seen more clearly in the past 2 weeks than in my entire 5 years living in the city. Isn't that how it always goes?
Appropriately (I think), and in the style of native Hoosier David Letterman, here are the Top 10 things I will miss about Indianapolis:
10) The Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood - My home for the last 5 years gave me the small-town feel of where I grew up when I went on runs and could smell laundry in the mornings and hear the laughter of kids playing in their backyards. Pure bliss.
9) IMA Gardens - The gardens surrounding the Indianapolis Museum of Art provided the most picturesque study-break walk I could ever ask for during college.
8) The Monon Trail - Morning runs, weekend bike rides, catch-up walks with friends — all wonderful adventures thanks to The Monon Trail. Not only does it stretch from downtown Indy all the way to Carmel, but the art spattered along the way is absolutely charming.
7) 38th Street - I saw things I will never see again. Keep an eye out for a collaborative memoir entitled, "Adventures on 38th Street: How are we still alive?"
6) Butler University - Teachers transformed my life. Friendships formed I will never lose. A successful basketball team accomplished the seemingly impossible — I actually took my free time to watch games (plural) in a bar. B-U...T-L-E...R-U a Bulldog? Hell yeah!
5) Food - A recent LA Times article about Indianapolis failed to even scratch the surface on all the amazing restaurants Indianapolis has to offer — in fact, he said the best burger in town is at Weber Grill...a chain restaurant. Rant on that mess in a future post. Stay tuned. Indy has some of the best local restaurants I've ever experienced in all my travels. Hit me up if you're ever headed to the Circle City. I'll give you plenty of tips!
4) Cafe Patachou - To elaborate on the above, I'm going to be hard-pressed to find a more lovely weekend brunch spot than Cafe Patachou in the city. Indy friends: If I received a care package of the signature sourdough and orange marmalade sometime in the near future, I wouldn't be mad at ya. Just sayin'.
3) Weekend Hot Spots - Hitting up B-Rip to get my dance on, enjoying a chill night with live music on Mass Ave and rallying downtown. Good times all around.
2) The People - Hoosier Hospitality is the phrase most commonly associated with the lovely people in Indianapolis (and Indiana, in general), but it doesn't even begin to cover it. From the smiles and "hellos" you receive from passersby on the streets to the amazingly supportive and encouraging people I worked with and met throughout my adventures. I owe you so much, Hoosiers. Thank you!
And the number one thing I will miss about Indianapolis...
1) The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra - If you know me at all, you know I love and adore my time at the ISO with all my heart. I don't know what I did right in life to deserve such an amazing job right out of college, but I count my blessings every second! I spent many a concert night watching a world-class symphony sharing the arts with Hoosiers from the lobby of the historic Hilbert Circle Theatre, and I had to pinch myself. My boss often said to me, "We have the best job because we get paid to do something other people pay to do." Leaving this job is likely the hardest decision I will ever make in my life, and I will miss it and the people who work there every day.
P.S. Get yourself to Marsh Symphony on the Prairie this summer (June 25-September 4 every weekend). It's the best summer activity you can do anywhere in the Midwest. Trust!
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A wise person once said, "Every ending is just a new beginning." Cheers to a new beginning!
This is so wonderful, Alyson! I know that's where you feel most at home, though Indianapolis will miss you. But you know what....DC is a 5-hour bus ride from New York, so....(you know where I'm going with this). What's the gig?
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