There are lots of very cool places in Indianapolis that go relatively unnoticed to the wider…read morepopulation. The Mayor's Community Service Award Plaza is one such place. Located at 337 W. 11th Street in downtown Indy, this plaza recognizes recipients of Indianapolis's Mayor's Community Service Award. This is an annual recognition given to some of Indy's most community service-minded individuals. In addition to having a plaza, commemorative bricks are created for each individual recognized. The program started in 1993 and the awards banquet is held annually. As a fun fact, myself and fellow Yelp Elite Sara R. were both recognized in 2007 and our commemorative bricks are practically right next to one another (technically one brick apart!). This plaza is open to the public and is also accessible, though parking in this area is always a little bit tricky. The Mayor's Community Service Awards recognizes volunteer contributions and commitments to community service. Marion County residents can be nominated in one of several categories, including arts and humanities, business, education, health, neighborhood, sports, and more. The year I was a recipient, the banquet was held at the Indiana History Center. This is near the end of the canal area - think Buggs Temple. Despite its presence right by the canal, very few people seem to know that Community Service Plaza exists (as evidenced by the fact that it hasn't had a single Yelp review until now). I have a couple personal photos that I'll post when I get home, but a friend of mine was sharing a story about the plaza and it made me wonder if this wonderful landmark was on Yelp. If you get a chance, I definitely recommend checking it out.

I wanted to meet a friend in Fishers and City Hall was suggested as a place I could find easily…read more After parking in the free spaces in front of the building, I went into the large lobby to meet. The place is beautiful! And if that wasn't enough, the Fishers Art Council organizes a monthly art exhibit to fill the walls of the first and second floor lobbies. My friend and I wandered around the lobbies checking out this month's art work: a local artist had gone to Mexico to cover the Day of the Dead festivals. The artist had photographs, paintings, and drawings of what she saw and experienced. The facility was easy to get around with a grand staircase as well as elevators. I also have used their help desk to find some information in prior visits. Very nice place to check out art and meet. Review #1714

It seems that Whitestown is continuing to grow and grow, which is fantastic news. I'm usually only…read morethere for work related events, but after following the Town of Whitestown's social media accounts for the past year or so, I've been kept in the loop for all kinds of community events they've been hosting. And several take place at this building! The town now hosts a brew fest here, which I haven't tried yet, and their annual National Night Out, which I've taken part in for the past three years. For NNO, it's a great space to bring the town together, showcase local business, offer games and rides to kids and provide an overall great experience for local families. The only downfall I've noticed is the lack of parking, especially now that's the town is regularly having events here. For now, thankfully neighboring businesses don't seem to mind offering up their spare parking spots. I'm eager to watch this town continue to flourish and hope to see even more events take place at this spot!

Many of Indianapolis' residents consider Greenwood as simply a suburb of Indy, by in fact Greenwood…read moreis it's own city with somewhere between 60 to 65 thousand residents. While most of us are familiar with the shopping and restaurants along the main roads, we often don't realize how far the residential areas stretch out. There is also the 'old' part of Greenwood, which has nice little shops, bars and cool places to eat. And added bonus, I have never had to pay for parking in this city yet.

We were involved in a hit and run. We called PPD and after waiting 45 minutes a call was received…read moreapologizing for the delay. 10 minutes later Police office Teare was there apologizing again for the delay, took the report, apologized again and had us on our way. He was so polite, professional and apologetic. Thanks PPD for all your help.

They said my car needed a tune up and they took out some parts that they said it didn't need. It…read moredidn't run after that but I enjoyed riding my bike, lost 50 pounds. I don't think they were real police officers but I still am happy about it. A+

As part of managing my father's estate after his death, I've dealt with a lot of the local…read moreresources in Hendricks and Putnam Counties. Clear Creek Conservancy District was established in 1971 to provide wastewater collection and treatment to Heritage Lake on the line of Hendricks and Putnam County. It specifically services the subdivisions of Heritage Lake - Gettysburg, Jefferson Valley, Lincoln Hills, Mill Springs, Patriots Landing, and Victory Hill. The district also maintains Heritage Lake's dam and spillway. My primary contact with Clear Creek came because prior to selling a home in Heritage Lake, one must conduct an I/O report essentially assessing the health of one's sewer. This appears to be a fairly new requirement as almost no one I knew actually was aware of it and most didn't even know what it meant. Clear Creek doesn't maintain regular office hours, however, I found the pretty responsive with my questions once I figured out how to contact them. They do have a website, which I added to this listing, and they are active. The person I contacted explained the required survey and was able to recommend a couple possible people to do it in a timely manner. I hired one of the two people recommended - it was done quickly, professionally, and accurately. As seems to always be true with these smaller, more rural organizations, rates are a bit higher. Once they received the required survey, they forwarded it to the title company I was working with to help close the sale - however, there was some confusion and they didn't get it (or perhaps the wrong person did). I ended up having to send it in myself. However, I really liked these folks land I appreciated their assistance. I appreciated the help with resolving a key requirement of selling my parents' home. While I won't say they were the fastest, they were friendly and helpful and accurate. I was definitely impressed.

Avon's haunted bridge has been on my radar for a little while. I don't know why, but I'm fascinated…read moreby supposedly haunted things. Which is interesting, because I can show up at a haunted space, all logical and left-brained, and experience absolutely nothing. Crickets. Ghosts never want anything to do with me. (Knock on wood! Throw salt over my shoulder! Spit three times!) Nevertheless, I think it's cool that other people hear things and experience things that are other-worldly. The haunted bridge is located inside Washington Township Park. If you want to see it up close, I suggest parking near the playground and walking the 0.6 miles to it. The path to the bridge is partially paved, and some of it requires you to pay attention to where you're stepping, because it can be a little uneven. When I was at the bridge, I did see some trucks drive under it, so I guess you can drive under the bridge. But there's nowhere to park, so if you drove, you'd just be experiencing a quick drive-by. But maybe you do want to drive under the bridge. Because the legend of Avon's haunted bridge is that a mother was walking with her baby on the tracks on the bridge, and both fell off the bridge and died. So now, the mother's wailing for her baby supposedly can be heard when you drive under the bridge. I stood under the bridge for a good several minutes and didn't hear any wailing, but I did smell something sulfurous, so there you go. But maybe I should have been in my car, because I think you only hear her wail if you drive. Ghosts are so particular in the way they express themselves! Apparently, you can honk when you drive under the bridge to help muffle this ghost-mother's screams. As a piece of architecture, this haunted bridge is beautiful and towers over White Lick Creek. Yes, it's partially covered with graffiti, but I think that lends to its beauty. It's a sign that life continues, despite a supposed tragedy.

For some, it looks just like any old concrete bridge. However, if you turn onto County Road 625…read moreEast right by Washington Township Park you'll enter the domain of what is known as Avon's Haunted Bridge. The most common story is that a mother carrying her baby across the tracks both fell to their deaths. Supposedly, you can hear the mother's wailing when you drive under the tracks. You're supposed to honk whenever you drive under the bridge (I know people who do this every single time). How much of a legend is this? You can find this bridge in the Avon town seal The bridge, whether haunted or not, is really quite cool. It was built in 1906 and is about 1/2-mile south of US 36. It was built for Big Four Railroad and is still used (by CSX). Another popular myth is that a drunken rail worker slipped during construction and was buried alive in the cement. Supposedly, you can hear his moans when a train goes over the bridge. The other myth that I'm aware of is that four workers fell to their deaths into White Lick Creek. Again, it is believed you can hear thuds and splashes. It took me a while to finally visit the bridge. I was decompressing after cleaning out my father's estate and realized I was close to the bridge. So, I finally tracked it down. The easiest way to see it is to simply drive under it - you can do so within the park or on CR 625 East. You can also get to it by foot (it's doable by wheelchair, though not as easily I will admit). The bridge is much bigger than I expected. There's a section that goes over White Lick Creek, a section over the road, and then some additional spaces. It's still a sturdy bridge, though it is graffiti marked and has seen its better days. I love places like this. While I can't say I've experienced any of the myths coming to life myself, I will admit I have a definite sense of melancholy here. Whether any of the stories are true, they give Avon a certain local flavor that fascinates. If you're into exploring Haunted Indiana, a stop at Avon's Haunted Bridge is a must.

I only was here for the health center because they do fitness testing. They have some…read moresophisticated equipment to measure your body fat percentage, VO2 max, and basal respiratory rate.