Saturday
We shook off our dining hangover and bounded down the stairs for breakfast. We enjoyed visiting with the other guests, most of whom were perplexed as to why we would spend our hard earned money seeking lodging less than 30 minutes from our home. Among us were two teachers, an assistant school principal, an architect, a scooter salesman and two students. They hailed from Florida, Ohio and Illinois. We discussed local sites over a breakfast of eggs, fruit and waffles.
After breakfast, we bundled up for our adventure. Our first stop was the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument. We opted to pay $1 each to ride the elevator to the Observation Deck since we were still full from breakfast (and Thom E was wearing new shoes. I'm not bitter.). We enjoyed the view of Indianapolis and wondered why we've never done this before. How many times have we driven around the circle? Walked around the circle? Too many to count.
The monument was dedicated in 1902 and offers all the romantic possibilities contained in "An Affair to Remember," with the notable improvement that your hair will not be whipping in the mind. The observation deck is enclosed, although the window washer appeared to be on sabbatical.
We also toured the Civil War Museum located beneath the monument. It was a fascinating study of Indiana's role in this chapter of history. The museum is free, so be sure to stop by the next time you are leaving another important downtown destination......like the South Bend Chocolate company.......or Emmis, where you can make faces through the glass at radio personalities.
Lunch time already. We walked to City Cafe, primarily because they are known for sourcing food locally. This "shotgun" style restaurant has no more than 16 tables filled with happy diners. They serve breakfast all day on Saturdays, so we tried the Roast Beef Hash, eggs and homemade cinnamon rolls. HEAVEN. You must, must try this place!
After lunch, we visited the Indiana War Memorial (http://www.in.gov/iwm/). If you walk up the steps on the North side of the building and turn around, you will notice a very Washington D.C. like plaza. It was breathtaking, actually. The real treat was inside the memorial, though. This FREE monument has a gorgeous auditorium, stunning shrine room (top floor), and thought provoking depiction of war and conflict. Hoosier veterans are prominently featured, including databases where you can research your friends and loved ones that have served in the military. This self-contained history lesson reminded us of the value of the freedoms we enjoy. It was also a reminder of how far we've strayed from our roots, in some cases.......like the Victory Garden. We say bring back the Victory Garden! Check out these WWII era posters.......
We rounded out our Saturday touring with a self-guided tour of the Marion County Central Library. The glass to limestone building juxtaposition still troubles me, but the inside is fabulous. The top floor, facing South, has a great view of the city! We also enjoyed seeing how many kids were there enjoying the library!
We went back to Stone Soup Inn and changed clothes for dinner (enter Thom E's other pair of new shoes. Grrr.......). We enjoyed an early reservation at R Bistro . Owner/Chef Regina Mehallick is a wonderfully talented chef who prioritizes using local foods. The trendy building is no match for the fresh, clean taste of her cuisine. We had a hard time choosing just a few items to try, because they all sounded so great! Our absolutely delightful meal started with a refreshing salad of oranges, jicama, pine nuts and feta cheese and a seared sea scallop with celery root and grapefruit sections. The mark of a truly good meal is that each course is better than the previous one. We then enjoyed mushroom and goat cheese crepes and Maple Leaf Farms Duck with sweet potato hash......yummy. We finished the evening with chocolate soup and Red Velvet cake. There could not have been a sharper contrast to our Friday evening meal. And, thank you to Ariel for the phenomenal service!
The evening concluded with a visit to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for a performance with Michael Feinstein. The full house was treated to an evening of Frank Sinatra music in the historic Hilbert Circle Theater. We had a marvelous time and would encourage you to check out the performance schedule if you haven't been there lately.
We returned to Stone Soup Inn and composed the following Valentine, "Dear Indianapolis, We HEART you."
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