What do you think of Indianapolis? (Marion, Washington: how much, dangerous, move)

[AG505]

Lived in indy my whole life (32 years) and grew up down town Indianapolis. I'm from the west side and my wife the east side of town. Both of our children were born here and have gone to public schools. I think indianapolis is about average and plan to move in the next couple of years mainly due to schools.

Good/bad is subjective and is based on personal opinion and experiences. One good thing for indy is the housing costs which are much cheaper than several other "big" cities (Chicago, Cincinnati, Charlotte, etc.).

[smoking357]

Boring, fascist (no, really. Whatever the Colts, Eli Lilly, or any other company want, they get), bland. No delis or markets. Snoozer downtown. Vast swaths of Marion County are war zones. Crime is rampant. They worship cops and authority. The roads suck. They made the place in the middle of nowhere, and they still couldn't build the city on a grid. Many, many, of the roads are one lane in each direction - see Allisonville, Westfield,
Spring Mill, Ditch, Township Line, blah, blah, blah. The place has little charm, Lockerbie and Zionsville are about it. There is no reason to visit another side of town, as all four sides are copies of each other, Red Lobster, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc. The city runs from any local establishment and only trusts its chain food.

Dull, dull, dull. The entire city revolves around the Colts.

"Who dat?" Colts fans.

If you must go to Indy, go here: Zydeco's 317-834-3900 Mooresville, Indiana

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by smoking357

No delis or markets. Snoozer downtown. Vast swaths of Marion County are war zones. Crime is rampant. They worship cops and authority. The roads suck. They made the place in the middle of nowhere, and they still couldn't build the city on a grid. Many, many, of the roads are one lane in each direction - see Allisonville, Westfield,
Spring Mill, Ditch, Township Line, blah, blah, blah. The place has little charm, Lockerbie and Zionsville are about it. There is no reason to visit another side of town, as all four sides are copies of each other, Red Lobster, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc. The city runs from any local establishment and only trusts its chain food.

There is good criticsm that spurs conversation, and there is baseless whining. ^^^ This falls into the baseless whining category.

If you think Indy is not based on a grid, you are a buffoon. If you think there are no local places to eat, you don't get out much.

[smoking357]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

There is good criticsm that spurs conversation, and there is baseless whining. ^^^ This falls into the baseless whining category.

If you think Indy is not based on a grid, you are a buffoon. If you think there are no local places to eat, you don't get out much.

It isn't based on a grid, and if you didn't go to an Indy school, you'd know enough about Geometry to be able to trace a line and see that there are very few straight streets that run from one side of the city to another. Go here: maps.google.com, and get to work. Show me how Indy has a minor through street every four blocks and a major through street ever eight blocks. Riiiiight.

And don't change the subject to help your failed argument. You know I didn't say there were enough places to go to eat. You can find scores of chain restaurants all over Indy. What you can't find is a preference for, and a surfeit of, local restaurants. Your own pathetic area, Fountain Square has, what, Santorini and the Peppy Grill, though you're three minutes from Downtown. And do brag about the Peppy Grill. I'd love to hear that. Despite having promise, Fountain Square still looks like a hellhole and always will. And, folks, avoid Indy's South Side. Nothing happens down there. It is dull; everyone goes to dinner at 5:30 - 6:30.

Don't talk up Indy. It shows just how little you know. Folks, this is what you get in Indy. The residents are really, really, bitter, and they're very defensive about this hellhole.

If you try to tell someone in Indy how to do something better, you'll be met with: "If you don;t like it here, why don;t you just leave?" They don't know any better, and they're very resentful of people who do.

With the exception of Grand Rapids, Indy is the dullest 1 million+ city area in the Midwest.

Oooh, oooh, oooh, I just remembered. Many Indy people really and truly think they're the 12th largest city in the U.S. They say that they're bigger than Boston, San Francisco and Atlanta. Serious. It's funny.

Wasn't it great how the Colts lost?

[Drover]

I believe there's a bridge somewhere missing its sub-resident.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by smoking357

It isn't based on a grid, and if you didn't go to an Indy school, you'd know enough about Geometry to be able to trace a line and see that there are very few straight streets that run from one side of the city to another. Go here: maps.google.com, and get to work. Show me how Indy has a minor through street every four blocks and a major through street ever eight blocks. Riiiiight.

Actually, I didn't go to school in Indianapolis. I am not from here. And yes, the city layout is based on a grid. Now, it isn't a perfect grid, especially since places like Washington Township were not originally part of the city.

Originally Posted by smoking357

And don't change the subject to help your failed argument. You know I didn't say there were enough places to go to eat. You can find scores of chain restaurants all over Indy. What you can't find is a preference for, and a surfeit of, local restaurants. Your own pathetic area, Fountain Square has, what, Santorini and the Peppy Grill, though you're three minutes from Downtown. And do brag about the Peppy Grill. I'd love to hear that. Despite having promise, Fountain Square still looks like a hellhole and always will. And, folks, avoid Indy's South Side. Nothing happens down there. It is dull; everyone goes to dinner at 5:30 - 6:30.

You can find scores of chain restaurants all over every city. That is not an Indianapolis phenomenon. As far as my neighborhood that you through under the bus, in Fountain Sqaure, we have: Siam Square, Nasia, Luxor, Smokehouse on Shelby, Shelby Street Cafe, Red Lion Grog House, The Naptown Restaurant (formerly known as Deano's), White Rabbit Cabaret, Imbibe, and the Brass Ring. Come down here sometime, you might learn something about what there is to do here. Oh, and the aforementioned Peppy's if you want 3am pancakes.

Originally Posted by smoking357

Don't talk up Indy. It shows just how little you know. Folks, this is what you get in Indy. The residents are really, really, bitter, and they're very defensive about this hellhole.

If you try to tell someone in Indy how to do something better, you'll be met with: "If you don;t like it here, why don;t you just leave?" They don't know any better, and they're very resentful of people who do.

It sounds like you are bitter my friend. I never claimed Indy was a utopian society and that you should leave. Quite the contrary, I think you should travel south of 86th Street and explore. If you don't like it, then leave. I say that as someone who has left other places behind I didn't like, I would encourage you to find your own utopia. I don't say that as someone who hates you are is angry at you; and I certainly do not say it as someone who thinks Indianapolis is a utopia.

Originally Posted by smoking357

Oooh, oooh, oooh, I just remembered. Many Indy people really and truly think they're the 12th largest city in the U.S. They say that they're bigger than Boston, San Francisco and Atlanta. Serious. It's funny.

I know people like that. While it is a skewed thing to say, that is not unique to Indianapolis (or untrue). Louisville, another wonderful city by the way, disregards what the census tells them just so they can claim they are the 16th biggest city in the country.


***** I should note, that every city has its detractors who claims the residents who defend it don't know any better. Even Chicago. Such is life.

[domergurl]

ok smokie ... so, Indianapolis isn't your cuppa joe ... and where might a better place be in your view???

[smoking357]

Originally Posted by domergurl

ok smokie ... so, Indianapolis isn't your cuppa joe ... and where might a better place be in your view???

Any one million+ city in the Midwest, excepting Grand Rapids and Dayton (which may have slid out of the club) is better than Indy. From Pittsburgh to St. Louis, from Minneapolis to Louisville, almost all the cities beat Indy.

Of course, if you've traveled, at all, you should know this.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by smoking357

Of course, if you've traveled, at all, you should know this.

Of course, because nobody else here has traveled around the Midwest, and everyone else thinks like you.

[smoking357]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

Of course, because nobody else here has traveled around the Midwest, and everyone else thinks like you.

One of the great problems you'll encounter in Indy is that someone from Indy will look at better but not respect it as better.

All too often, Indy people use Indy as a benchmark.