CLEVELAND TO INDIANAPOLIS

BEAUTIFUL OLD ROUND BARN IN RURAL INDIANA

I GOT OFF THE MONOTONOUS INTERSTATE AS I ENTERED INDIANA, STOPPING AT RICHMOND TO CHECK OUT MY FRIEND JAME'S HOMETOWN THEN CRUISING THE OLD "NATIONAL ROAD" INTO INDIANAPOLIS. THERE ARE MANY CLUES TO THE OLD GLORY OF THE PRE-INTERSTATE MAIN ROAD AS EACH SMALL TOWN HAS CAREFULLY RESTORED THEIR NOTABLE BUILDINGS AND OTHERS STRUCTURES SHOW CLUES OF HAVING BEEN OLD TAVERNS, INNS, OR PRE-WWII GAS STATIONS AND MOTELS.

DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS IS QUITE BUSY AND HAS BECOME A CENTER FOR CONVENTIONS AND SPORTS EVENTS WITH SHINY NEW VENUES, BUT THE SKYLINE COULD BE "ANWHERE USA."  I FOUND THE MOST EXCITING DOWNTOWN BUIDING TO BE THE OLD CITY-BLOCK-SIZED POWER STATION WHICH SEEMED ALIVE WITH LOUD BELCHES OF STEAM AND FREQUENT FREIGHT TRAINS RUMBLING BY ON THE ORNATE ELEVATED TRACKS THAT CUT THROUGH THE PROPERTY

MUSEUM FOUNTAIN

INDIANAPOLIS ART MUSEUM

THE INDIANAPOLIS ART MUSEUM
A MODERN COMPLEX SITUATED IN A BEAUTIFUL 100 ACRE PARK ABOUT SIX MILES NORTH OF THE DOWNTOWN. THE PERMANENT COLLECTION IS LAUDABLE, BUT NOT AS HIGH IN QUALITY AS ON VIEW AT THE CLEVELND OR ST. LOUIS MUSEUMS.

I FOUND A TOTALLY DISREPUTABLE LOOKING PLACE TO EAT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN CALLED "JOHN'S STEWS". IT WAS A FORLORN NEIGHBORHOOD BAR STANDING ALONE IN A SEA OF UNKEPT EMPTY LOTS THAT WERE ONCE MAJOR INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS IN A WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD.  OVERCOMING SECOND THOUGHTS, I ENTERED AND WAS DELIGHTED WITH A LIVELY BAR/RESTAURANT CRAMMED WITH MEMORABILIA AND FRIENDLY, BUT WISECRACKING STAFF.  THE HUGE BOWL OF STEW

WAS WELL WORTH THE SEARCH AS IT WAS BRIMMING WITH BIG CHUNKS  OF TENDER BEEF,  CABBAGE, POTATOES, ONIONS AND CARROTS COOKED TO TENDER PERFECTION AND CHOCK FULL OF WONDERFUL FLAVOR WITH A GOOD BLAST OF CHILE PEPPERS.  BIG SLICES OF BREAD WERE PROVIDED TO WIPE UP EVERY TRACE OF THE RICH BROWN GRAVY. I DIDN'T EVEN SAVE A TASTE FOR BUNGEE.

INDIANAPOLIS MAIN ST AT DUSK

AS THE SUN SET ON DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS I HEADED BACK TO THE MOTEL, NOT WANTING TO BRUSH MY TEETH AND LOSE THE LAST REMNANTS  OF AMAZING STEW FLAVOR. TOMORROW WE HEAD ACROSS ILLINOIS TO MARK TWAIN'S HANNIBAL, MISSOURI ON THE MISSISSIPPI.