Mass Ave is a trendy street in downtown Indy with historic buildings, artsy shops and upscale…read morerestaurants. I like to visit a couple times during the year to dine, shop and see what is new. The street is home to several sculptures including famous "Ann Dancing", Brickhead 3 and the Firefighters Memorial. Historic structures line the street including The Murat Temple (Old National Center), the Athenaeum and former Coke Cola bottling factory (now a food court). Much of the architecture is Art Deco. The Firemen's Museum is fabulous, free and opened to the public. (But check the website for times). Restaurants and bars are intermingled with jewelry, art and other specialty shops. (The Rathskeller is one of my favorite places to eat.) Trendy apartments have popped up over the past couple years, adding modern architecture to the historic street. Metered parking is available on the street but can be difficult to find during peak hours. A metered lot is also available near Bottleworks (on the north end).

This area has theaters lots of restaurants, art galleries, and a large variety of boutiques to shop…read moreat. This probably won't be useful to a lot of people who read this part, but in Los Angeles speak: if Fountain Square is your Silver Lake, this area feels like your Venice or your Larchmont. The bartender at one of the bars I visited, recommended me to go to this place to find food. Which I did already have some of the places bookmarked in this area ha ha.

Great show good environment. Me and my wife had a blast. We will definitely be coming back next…read moreyear.

Such an impressive neighborhood party! For starters, I'd like to point out that this event is put…read moreon completely by volunteers. How incredible to see the neighborhood come together to create this festive and fun environment each year. Cottage home is a cute neighborhood on an ordinary day but when you add festive fall lighting entertainment, food, drink and thousands of people it takes the whole thing to the next level. For geographic perspective, cottage home is the neighborhood one to the east of the Mass Ave District downtown. The festival features several local food and drink vendors, a full schedule of entertainment, family friendly options and a variety of retail booths. I was especially impressed by the evening lighting, fire performances and ... I just can't get enough of the Pork and Beans Brass Band that performed later in the evening. This is one of the best fall festivities to catch in Indy!

A lovely promenade that connects the Indy Zoo to the downtown area, this bridge is a landmark in…read moreand of itself. It has a few sculptures worth seeing and makes for a nice view of the White River. It's a really wide and smooth path so it's good for pedestrians and cyclists alike. When the White River State Park has events, they will sometimes have food trucks along the way.

This is an awesome collection of public art located in the White River Park. The exhibits run along…read morethe Washington Street Bridge from the entrance to the Zoo. It is well maintained and the area has meticulous year-round landscaping. The pieces that you will find as part of collection include: Reflections of Tzolk'in by James K. Johnson Harmony by Don Lawler Linear V by Jarrett Hawkins Don't Forget Us by Nathan Pierce Counterpoint by Dale Enochs Skyward By Ben Pierce Cape Girardeau Finish By Terrence Karpowicz American Bison by William Arnold Most of the art on temporary and are on loan. They are periodically rotates after usually a couple of years of being on display. The American Bison is one of the few permanent pieces. I have gave most of the pieces their own review page that you can check out. They must have learned from Ken N's previous review and have since added information plaques for each of the sculptures. You can also find information about them on the White River State Park website This pieces are located in the center of the park, so viewing them from your vehicle is not an option. You have to park to check them out. There is limited street parking within walking distance of the sculpture and there is the White River Park parking lot and garage that are available to park so you can get out and take a closer look. The bridge is awesome for running and you can get an awesome view from there. It is pretty straight and smooth and connects the Park with the Zoo. This is an awesome trip to see free art in a beautiful park, surrounded by fresh air and gorgeous greenery. I highly recommend checking this out. I must admit, that I will probably not be a long trip, you could probably get about 30 minutes to an hour out of it. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the park's other wonderful attractions or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There are 3 Awesome Museums (Indiana State Museum, NCAA Hall of Champions, and Eiteljorg Museum), that you can check in the area that could easily fill an itinerary up.

Love that you are greeted by this welcoming mural as you enter the city from the West. A welcome…read moreaddition to the rather drab West side of town and generally lacking murals. It is bright and blue, reminding us of Indiana's state flag. It covers the entire side of the building which is quite large. One drawback is that there are parking spots alongside this building causing the view to be obstructed rather frequently. Still eye-catching even with parked cars. I have stopped and taken pictures of my out of town friends in front of it and they love this little souvenir.

This used to be a really nice mural. However, it has been written on graffiti on tore up looking…read morejust does not do it justice. I hope that they paint over it and give it the respected deserves.

It was a nice day in January so, I decided to take advantage of it and go for a stroll. There was…read moreno better place to do it than the Cultural Trail. That is when I stumbled across this gem. This is part of the 12-part series Glick Peace Walk. It was made possible by the generosity of Gene and Marilyn Glick and was installed in 2010. With the exception of two, the walk runs along a section of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail on Walnut Street, between Meridian Street and Capitol Avenue. There is metered street parking of the streets that run perpendicular to the walk and you may be able to find some areas to pull into, if you are not going to be long. The walk celebrates the lives of individuals who made peaceful contributions to humanity. It honors luminaries that made peaceful contributions to humanity. This luminary garden, as it is referred, is dedicated to Jonas Salk. Salk is one of the lesser known honorees on the walk, but still is very important. He was a virologist and medical researcher who developed the polio vaccine, which almost completely eradicated the disease (99%). The garden was designed by Rundell Ernstberger Associates, RLR Associates and Circle Design Group. The garden also has an informational placard that has a brief summary of the Salk's accomplishments, a small bench to sit on and a curved surfboard shaped piece, made of glass, aluminum, with Anthony's face on it that illuminates at night. It is eye catching, especially with it lined up with the other 10. I really like these luminaries and what they stand for. They are eye catching, ascetically pleasing, and educational. Definitely worth a peek. It looks great for being almost 15 years old and the area is adequately maintained. This is definitely a spot to check out. I would not make a special trip for it, but if you are in the area, traveling on the cultural trail or at the Main library branch, it is definitely worth a peak. It not only gives you the opportunity to stretch your legs and get some fresh air, but you can also learn a little too.

The Glick Peace Walk (Cultural Trail) has a collection of ten islands that are located on Walnut…read moreStreet between Meridian Street and Capitol Avenue including a luminary & information kiosk about Jonas Salk.  The installation was added in 2010 as one of twelve (total) to celebrate the achievement through peaceful means by contributors to our country. The installation uses glass, aluminum, and lighting along with an informational kiosk about Salk and a timeline embedded in the concrete beneath.  Instead of writing about all the great things Salk has done, I will simply direct you to the kiosk. Review #1807

I get my kicks off Lockerbie Square Historic neighborhood with or without a flea market but it…read morecertainly takes this charming district to the next level! From the canopy covered streets filled in with cobblestone to the weaving alleyways filled with flowers, Lockerbie is one of those spots I take out-of-towners for a stroll. During the annual, one day street market, the neighbors pull together to set up front yard sales, bring in a few local food and artisan vendors and fun mosying entertainment like Pork & Beans New Orleans brass band. It's really fun to see the varying decor of the neighborhood through the items being displayed for sale. While there, don't miss out on visiting the James Whitcomb Riley Museum.

Things I liked: - Shady sidewalks for a hot day…read more- Pork n Beans brass band bringing the party to random back alleys - occasional good finds - great Lockerbie neighborhood and houses to check out - Mass Ave restaurants and coffee just steps away to grab before or after your garage sale adventure This was a fun, low key weekend morning activity. It paired perfectly with a coffee outing at Coat Check and a stop by the library on the way home.

Glock Peace Walk Liminary of Abraham Lincoln is a decorative public art mile marker in downtown…read moreportion of Indianapolis Indiana. My family and I were in town for the weekend my daughter cheer Competition held inside the Convention center. Over the two days while waiting between performances and awards ceremonies me and sometimes my family walked the surrounding areas and explored as the public art scene here is plentiful and creative. We came across This piece while finding a parking garage. Pretty unique way of honoring the former president of the United States.

The Glick Peace Walk is dedicated to individuals who achieved greatness through peaceful means…read more There are 12 luminaries honored in all and they each have their own small sculptural gardens. Ten of the luminary gardens are located along the cultural Trail. This is one of the remaining two that are not. It is located at the southwest corner of Washington and Illinois streets, out side of a cafe window. It is a nice little set up. The luminary was designed by Rundell Ernstberger Associates, RLR Associates and Circle Design Group. It has an informational placard, a small bench to sit on and a curved surfboard shaped piece, made of glass, aluminum, with Lincoln's face on it that illuminates at night. It is awesome looking and the area is well maintained. I really like these luminaries and what they stand for. They are eye catching, ascetically pleasing, and educational. Definitely worth a peek. There is metered street parking available in a reasonable walking distance and there is also commercial garages nearby. This is not a long stop. So, to have the best use of your time, I would recommend making this part of a larger itinerary or checking it out as a secondary stop on your way to another downtown attraction or appointment.

This work is was painted in 2015 as a collaboration by Arts Council of Indianapolis and Angie's…read moreList employees. It is part of the city's Vibrant Corridors program. The mural is a neat piece depicting a woman standing under an open book with letters falling out. There is a pile of letters at the woman's feet and the words "the drawing is far from perfect". The woman in the mural is based off a photograph of Charlotte "Pink" Cathcart, a 19th to 20th century Indianapolis resident, that wrote a manuscript titled "Indianapolis From Our Old Corner". That book has served as a source of information about the city during her time. In addition to random letters scattered about the mural, you will also find silver silhouettes of ornamentation and windows from several architectural structures in the neighborhood. The only color in the mural is basically the letters. The mural is located on the side of the now vacant Datsa Pizza building, overlooking its parking lot. The mural is beginning to show signs of wear and fading. I would see this mural as more of a 3.5 rating, but that is not an option. There is metered street parking available on the street the mural is on, but I would probably just park in the parking lot to park, get out and take a closer look. That is what I ended up doing. As with most murals that I have reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You could also do a strategic slow roll drive by and get a half decent look. That is how I first noticed it. Anyway, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Who was Ms. Pink and why does she get a mural? Well, Ms Charlotte "Pink" Cathcart lived in the…read morearea of this mural late in the 1800's and into the 1900's. She kept a manuscript of the changes in her neighborhood that was later published by the Historical Society called "Indianapolis From Our Old Corner". It has become a "go to" guide for research and history buffs about the changing face and feel of the city. The mural, painted by members of the Department of Public Words in 2015, shows an image of Ms Pink based on a photo she had included. The mural shows letters surrounding her to become her skirt. The grayish background has white silhouettes of window panes she noticed in the area. The words "the drawing is far from perfect" refer to a note she sent to a friend. At the top of the mural is an open book where the letters fall from. Seems like she was a Yelper before Yelp was invented! Review #1775