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One of the best things about having friends visit is that it forces me to clean my house. (OK, actually, my husband does much of the cleaning.) Having company also prompts us to do a bunch of little projects—hanging art on the wall, touching up the trim paint, trimming the front hedge—that might otherwise be put off for a few more weeks (or months).
Such was the case last weekend when some old friends came to Indianapolis in part for the WonderRoad music festival at Garfield Park, which is just a few blocks from my house. These are three friends I worked with at The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne in the mid 1990s who remain my closest confidants.
We get together regularly, although they hadn’t visited Indianapolis as a group since just before the pandemic. And having them here again was a catalyst not just for cleaning the house but also for appreciating my neighborhood and the city. Seeing places through their eyes and their enthusiasm for the things we did was infectious.
They arrived on Saturday afternoon—a little too late to head to the Talbot Street Art Fair, which is one of my favorite events but ended at 6 p.m. So instead, we headed to the Bloombox Festival, a music and crafts event that takes place at the Harrison Center, just a few blocks from the larger art fair.
Bloombox, which ran until 8 p.m., proved the perfect stop. We all scooped up a little art. I bought a bracelet from Ohio-based artist Liz Stutzman and a McCormick’s Creek State Park print from Indianapolis-based Timberjack Goods & Provisions Co. My friend Kelly snagged some yard art—a metal cutout of an alien in a UFO beaming up a cow, made by Indianapolis-based Pittman Design & Fabrication. You have to see it to believe it—and you have to know Kelly to understand how incredibly appropriate this thing is for her yard.
From there, we headed to the downtown T.J. Maxx store, a regular stop when this group is in town. For whatever reason, they love the downtown T.J. Maxx, and it never fails to produce a fit of shopping frenzy.
We hit Taxman Brewing Co. at CityWay for a late and delicious dinner on one of the city’s best patios (except when a train screeches by on the tracks above).
The next morning included brunch at Easy Rider in Fountain Square (the avocado toast and chilaquiles are must-haves) and then a swing through Snakeroot Botanicals, Square Cat Vinyl, Rooftop Fruit, Zodiac Vintage and Indy Reads before heading back to my house to change for the music festival.
These are shops I pass several days a week—and stop in now and then. But there’s nothing like exploring places with old friends to remind you to be appreciative of the places that make your part of the city special.
I felt the same way when we walked to WonderRoad, where our group loved talking about the houses in the neighborhood, was impressed by Garfield Park and complimented the setup of the festival, which was at the park’s historic pagoda and on what are usually sports fields.
It was so interesting to see the area set up for something different that I had to keep stopping to reorient myself. And it was fun to see an event so big taking place in a little neighborhood I’ve called home for some 28 years.
The weekend was a much-needed respite from work and everyday stresses. Just as important, it reminded me why I’m lucky to live in such a special city.•
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Weidenbener is editor of IBJ. Reach her at lweidenbener@ibj.com.
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