When it comes to Midwestern sensibility, it doesn’t get any blander than Indiana. I used to think that about my home state of Iowa, and then they shocked everyone and approved gay marriage. (Corn apparently makes you wildly progressive.)
When we arrived in Indianapolis this week (in the midst of a winter storm, mind you), I was less than thrilled. One fourth of the country had been virtually shut down because of massive winter storms on the East Coast. Somehow our flight managed to arrive on time and unscathed. (It was a Valentine’s miracle.)
I was so unfamiliar with Indianapolis; I had to do some quick reconnaissance. I had no idea it was the 14th largest city in the U.S. I imagined landing on a teeny little runway on the outskirts of a cow pasture. Boy, was I wrong. Indy has a brand-spanking new airport that is so shiny and polished, I had to sport my sunglasses. It still had that new car smell too. I think my videographer said it best when he commented, “Wow, look! They have a downtown here and everything. Indianapolis is really a TOWN.” Up until that point, I was still a little unsure of what I was getting myself in to.
Other than D.C., Indy has more monuments than any other place in America. I saw none of them, however. We were trapped in suburbia in sub-arctic temperatures all week. The first night we got in to town, the crew and I ventured out (briefly) for a nice dinner. (Indy boasts one of the Top 5 seafood restaurants in the U.S., despite being utterly landlocked. I had to see it to believe it.) Imagine our surprise when we were the ONLY diners in the establishment the entire evening. Folks in Indiana apparently aren’t as hearty (or hungry) as a seasoned TV crew. We had four waiters catering to our every whim. And, yes, my shrimp scampi was to DIE for.
Because Indy is so centrally located, it’s a huge hub for shipping. That book you ordered from Amazon probably came from Indianapolis. Same for FedEx. It’s a distributors Mecca. And while I didn’t see a single one in three days, it’s also the corporate headquarters of Steak ‘n Shake. Everyone was pleasant and polite, even though the town was moping about their recent Super Bowl loss.
I could probably live in Indy. It’s got a big city feel with a small town mentality. Heck, the cheesefest “Saved By the Bell” was supposedly set here. If it’s good enough for Zack and the gang, it’s good enough for me.