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I don't really care how they cut the pizza as long as it doesn't taste like card board crap. I've tried Chicago, NY, California and St Louis styles but what am really curious about is Detroit style pizza.
On another note, if one is not happy with themselves then they won't be happy anywhere else. Indy has grown on me over the years. I've learned that it is pretty reasonable and not so extreme compared to other places I've been to. A city is what people make it. That's you and that is me. I lived in 3 countries and have been around the world to know what's what. At the end of the day (as my English girlfriend puts it) it's what you make of your life in (insert city).
Now are we like this? nope. (at least not yet for you hardcore urbanite folks)
Some suburbanites won't care for this but that's okay
Are we like this? yep. This is one of many attributes about Indy that's good enough for me. As a person who has traveled the world Indy has come a long way since I've been here off and on since 1998. The Cultural Trail is a huge plus in my book and in some ways reminds me of what you'll find in the Netherlands. It's all about quality. Some people might hate it but I absolutely love it.
Monument Circle is my favorite public space outside Times Square-NY and Jackson Square-NO (not counting public spaces in other countries)
Photo notice: all of them were actually shot by an unhappy person in Indiana.
Last night my friends and I went to a locally famous pizza place in Michigan City where the pizza is cut into long pieces in a shape similar to breadsticks.
I've always noticed how reserved and unfriendly people in Indy are too. I'm from there and grew up there, but now live in Seattle. Seattle's known for reserved, cold people too, dubbed "The Seattle Freeze". Yet I find it to be no different than how people acted in Indy. I'm a bit reserved myself so I guess I never minded it that much, but still, much of that reserved nature was learned from all my years spent in Indy, not here in Seattle. People in Seattle IMO seem nicer whereas people in Indy seemed uber cliquey, least they were in the northern parts of Indy where I lived.
I think also it's not just in Seattle and Indy people act that way, it's just northern states in general. Northern states are cold and grey in the winter, there's some Scandinavian descent in some of these states, and just in general the culture is like that. I have noticed how warm the people were in southern states, but as someone else already said, I think it is sort of fakey friendly. Plus I don't like strangers on the street being overly friendly/social cuz sometimes I just want to be left alone. People saying "Hello" on the street is fine but I just don't like people all up in my business every time I walk into a store or something. That would annoy me. I guess it really just depends on the kind of person you are and what you're used to. I don't think people from the south would like ANY northern stares for this reason (course there's always exceptions).
I grew up on the east side of Indy until i was a teen, and then my family moved south to NC because of the Western Electric/Bell break up.
I'm 45 now, and although I've met some pretty nice folks, you are still thought of as an outsider, even if you you've been here 30 years and you've slightly picked up an accent.
People seem to act friendly here, but sometimes its just a put on to find out about you, so they can talk about you later on.
Being nice to your face and talking smack about you behind your back is one of those stereotypes that's more true than not.
I find it humorous and mostly don't take any offense when I witness in action.
Most of my closer friends here have also been midwest transplants or from other parts of the country.
In a weird way my experience here has been similar to that of the OP.
During my entire time here, mentally I still feel like a Hoosier, and romanticize the notion of moving back to Indy.
Its the mindset that I miss. Every time I visit Indy and see my old friends, cousins and other that I may encounter, I feel like i'm my old self again. Maybe people are being nice to me because of my association to friends and family there?
Heck, last time I visited Indy I met 2 really cool girls out one night, and they called me up for drinks a few more times while I was there.
I find Hoosiers and most Midwesterners in general to be pretty friendly and 'matter of fact' while being polite, and speaking their minds.
They may not smile or wave at you as a stranger, but I take that as 'minding ones own business' and not forcing themselves upon you.
I actually like that , compared to someone being overly nice and forcing syrupy sweet fake politeness.
I find that people in Indy tend to have a lot of personal character and seem to be more intellectually curious about things, hobbies, ' can do' attitude,etc than in the south. Perhaps that comes across as cocky, IDK.
Indiana is indeed the RV capital of the world!
Hoosiers like to venture out and bring their stories and experiences back home to share.
While It may be hard stike up a superficial relationships with people, I've found that the freinds that do stick, tend to be life long loyal sort.
I've been away for 30 years and my best friend in Indy is still my best friend!
As far as the food in Indy being bland, The midwest has always been a big meat and potatoes region, but last time I checked , you can eat just about any cuisine under the sun there these days in Indy.
When I was growing up, It was mostly chain restaurants, but there were a few local mom and pops places too
Lotus Garden, a Chinese place in Greenwood, which is still in operation, 70s style decor, order off the menu type place.
I dont think its around anymore, but there used to be a Tibetan restaurant in Bloomington called the Snow Lion, ran by the Dalai Lamas brother!
I think it was only one of two tibetan places in the whole country.
As far as Pizza, all kinds are availabe. Chicago style, NY style, St.Louis style, thin crust to the edge style (cut in squares)
There is also the Indiana classic breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, which hardly exists outside the state, with the exception of Iowa. Man I gotta have one every time i visit.
I think I appreciate Hoosier culture more as an adult than when I was a teen and also being removed from it.
Different places have different vibes and not everyone is gonna be in tune with it.
I think region wise, New England, the South, Midwest, West, PN West are actually more like different countries within a large country. Its hard to expect another region of the country to be like where you are from.
I also think life can get boring anywhere when you are still in high school.
Last edited by Midwest1960; 03-23-2014 at 06:23 PM..
I grew up on the east side of Indy until i was a teen, and then my family moved south to NC because of the Western Electric/Bell break up.
I'm 45 now, and although I've met some pretty nice folks, you are still thought of as an outsider, even if you you've been here 30 years and you've slightly picked up an accent.
People seem to act friendly here, but sometimes its just a put on to find out about you, so they can talk about you later on.
Being nice to your face and talking smack about you behind your back is one of those stereotypes that's more true than not.
I find it humorous and mostly don't take any offense when I witness in action.
Most of my closer friends here have also been midwest transplants or from other parts of the country.
In a weird way my experience here has been similar to that of the OP.
During my entire time here, mentally I still feel like a Hoosier, and romanticize the notion of moving back to Indy.
Its the mindset that I miss. Every time I visit Indy and see my old friends, cousins and other that I may encounter, I feel like i'm my old self again. Maybe people are being nice to me because of my association to friends and family there?
Heck, last time I visited Indy I met 2 really cool girls out one night, and they called me up for drinks a few more times while I was there.
I find Hoosiers and most Midwesterners in general to be pretty friendly and 'matter of fact' while being polite, and speaking their minds.
They may not smile or wave at you as a stranger, but I take that as 'minding ones own business' and not forcing themselves upon you.
I actually like that , compared to someone being overly nice and forcing syrupy sweet fake politeness.
I find that people in Indy tend to have a lot of personal character and seem to be more intellectually curious about things, hobbies, ' can do' attitude,etc than in the south. Perhaps that comes across as cocky, IDK.
Indiana is indeed the RV capital of the world!
Hoosiers like to venture out and bring their stories and experiences back home to share.
While It may be hard stike up a superficial relationships with people, I've found that the freinds that do stick, tend to be life long loyal sort.
I've been away for 30 years and my best friend in Indy is still my best friend!
As far as the food in Indy being bland, The midwest has always been a big meat and potatoes region, but last time I checked , you can eat just about any cuisine under the sun there these days in Indy.
When I was growing up, It was mostly chain restaurants, but there were a few local mom and pops places too
Lotus Garden, a Chinese place in Greenwood, which is still in operation, 70s style decor, order off the menu type place.
I dont think its around anymore, but there used to be a Tibetan restaurant in Bloomington called the Snow Lion, ran by the Dalai Lamas brother!
I think it was only one of two tibetan places in the whole country.
As far as Pizza, all kinds are availabe. Chicago style, NY style, St.Louis style, thin crust to the edge style (cut in squares)
There is also the Indiana classic breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, which hardly exists outside the state, with the exception of Iowa. Man I gotta have one every time i visit.
I think I appreciate Hoosier culture more as an adult than when I was a teen and also being removed from it.
Different places have different vibes and not everyone is gonna be in tune with it.
I think region wise, New England, the South, Midwest, West, PN West are actually more like different countries within a large country. Its hard to expect another region of the country to be like where you are from.
I also think life can get boring anywhere when you are still in high school.
When ever I'm in different regions of the country I appreciate the local cultures for what they are. I have been a transplant in many areas of the country. Regardless of region you're going to have some who are more reserved to their local culture and are not as open to other regions. I wouldn't wish Indy to become something it's not like I wouldn't want Chicago to be like NYC or it just wouldn't be Chicago. The same with New Orleans. I wouldn't want it to be like another place. As for a classic pork tenderloin sandwich...I have one name. Mug N Bun.
As someone who grew up in Kentucky and now lives in Southern California, I can attest to the fact that both areas have a ton of Midwestern visitors and transplants. I've also lived in Louisville, KY (which is a Midwestern city, and I don't care what anybody says, even though there are Southern overtones) and Cincinnati. So I like to think I know a little something about the Midwest.
Honestly, I'm not surprised by the OP's experiences in Indianapolis. The Midwest isn't my cup of tea in general, although some areas have friendlier populaces than others. Indiana has some of the nation's least welcoming people, in my experience. A standoffish and "odd" group, although southern Indiana (with the exception of Evansville for whatever reason) isn't as bad.
I found the people of Louisville to be "reserved" to the point of being rude. Cincinnati isn't much better.
I returned to Indiana, Indianapolis specifically, in 2008 after being gone for 20 years.
I was horribly disappointed. Why?
People I interacted with were just as narrow minded and racist as they had been when I was a child growing up. I found them unfriendly and unwilling to open up to "outsiders", despite the fact that I wasn't an outsider - I had just been gone for 20 years.
When the President was elected in 2008, I had to go to great lengths to hide my political affiliation from my employer, as all I heard around work were racist comments and references to lynching.
I grew up on the Southside, which if you are from around here, you know was a very, very segregated area. I can recall a friend's mom who taught at Tech who would have some of her students come visit her on the weekends to work on projects with her. I never understood why they were so adamant about leaving before it got dark.
I can remember seeing cross burnings on more than one occasion as a child.
I came back in 2008 assuming that these attitudes were probably long gone, and that people were more open minded and progressive. I discovered otherwise.
Maybe I just ended up with a small pocket of Fox News watching, small minded idiots, I don't know. What I do know is that things didn't appear to have changed significantly in 20 years, which is why I gladly left.
Oh - and I had some serious issues with Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the lack of sunlight in the winter months, too. Ugh.
I returned to Indiana, Indianapolis specifically, in 2008 after being gone for 20 years.
I was horribly disappointed. Why?
People I interacted with were just as narrow minded and racist as they had been when I was a child growing up. I found them unfriendly and unwilling to open up to "outsiders", despite the fact that I wasn't an outsider - I had just been gone for 20 years.
When the President was elected in 2008, I had to go to great lengths to hide my political affiliation from my employer, as all I heard around work were racist comments and references to lynching.
I grew up on the Southside, which if you are from around here, you know was a very, very segregated area. I can recall a friend's mom who taught at Tech who would have some of her students come visit her on the weekends to work on projects with her. I never understood why they were so adamant about leaving before it got dark.
I can remember seeing cross burnings on more than one occasion as a child.
I came back in 2008 assuming that these attitudes were probably long gone, and that people were more open minded and progressive. I discovered otherwise.
Maybe I just ended up with a small pocket of Fox News watching, small minded idiots, I don't know. What I do know is that things didn't appear to have changed significantly in 20 years, which is why I gladly left.
Oh - and I had some serious issues with Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the lack of sunlight in the winter months, too. Ugh.
RM
You'll run into those small minded and bigoted people almost anywhere. In 2008, Marion County voted for Obama by a margin of over 60%, he had a pretty decent majority in the Indianapolis area. Indy used to be an extremely conservative city for its size, that is changing. As I said, you'll find those people in a lot of places, you were probably just in a bad area or with a bad group of people.
Even the northern suburbs, though having republican mayors, are pretty open minded when it comes to progressive ideas like urban mass transit, usually an idea pressed by democrats.
You'll run into those small minded and bigoted people almost anywhere. In 2008, Marion County voted for Obama by a margin of over 60%, he had a pretty decent majority in the Indianapolis area. Indy used to be an extremely conservative city for its size, that is changing. As I said, you'll find those people in a lot of places, you were probably just in a bad area or with a bad group of people.
Even the northern suburbs, though having republican mayors, are pretty open minded when it comes to progressive ideas like urban mass transit, usually an idea pressed by democrats.
I think a great deal of it has to do with education, and most, if not all, of the people I refer to had nothing better than a high school diploma and weren't terribly intelligent to begin with.
I figure that karma's a b*tch, and they'll eventually find that their small mindedness will be their downfall.
I returned to Indiana, Indianapolis specifically, in 2008 after being gone for 20 years.
I was horribly disappointed. Why?
People I interacted with were just as narrow minded and racist as they had been when I was a child growing up. I found them unfriendly and unwilling to open up to "outsiders", despite the fact that I wasn't an outsider - I had just been gone for 20 years.
When the President was elected in 2008, I had to go to great lengths to hide my political affiliation from my employer, as all I heard around work were racist comments and references to lynching.
I grew up on the Southside, which if you are from around here, you know was a very, very segregated area. I can recall a friend's mom who taught at Tech who would have some of her students come visit her on the weekends to work on projects with her. I never understood why they were so adamant about leaving before it got dark.
I can remember seeing cross burnings on more than one occasion as a child.
I came back in 2008 assuming that these attitudes were probably long gone, and that people were more open minded and progressive. I discovered otherwise.
Maybe I just ended up with a small pocket of Fox News watching, small minded idiots, I don't know. What I do know is that things didn't appear to have changed significantly in 20 years, which is why I gladly left.
Oh - and I had some serious issues with Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the lack of sunlight in the winter months, too. Ugh.
RM
Indianapolis is a large sprawling microcosm of the people of Indiana. In other words, its a spectrum of tolerance to intolerance, conservatism to liberalism, racism to pluralism, homophobic to proud .....etc etc. There are pockets of this city that are stuck. The only thing that i know will change that is for those of us who have chose to stay, keep on persevering. On one hand the change in this city is frustratingly slow. On the other hand, it is so much better and moving along extremely well.
I guess i don't see the same city others see or rather I chose to see the good. I do not tolerate racism, bigotry, homophobia, holier than thou attitudes, and uncaring attitudes. I feel that the sentiment of tolerance is becoming the majority attitude in Indianapolis.
My experience the night of the 2008 election was at a bar on the northside of the city. The bar I was at is notoriously loud and has room for 100's of people. There are pool tables and TV's on all the walls showing sports of every kind. Since it was election night, one of the TV's in the main room was on one of the networks (not Fox) showing the returns. when it was clear that Obama was going to take the election, the bar got progressively more and more quiet. The manager started switching over TV's to watch the coverage. By the time President Elect Obama took the stage in Chicago, the bar was silent and everyone was watching. In all honesty (and to your point) the friends I was sitting with couldn't believe we were in Indianapolis at that moment.... It was a HUGE sea change in attitude imo.
As for Seasonal Affective Disorder .....ugh, this winter was a bad one.
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