Indianapolis – Page 22 – commonplacebook.com

Indianapolis Aerial Photography

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Using Indianapolis’ official City website, Indygov.org, you can view maps of Indianapolis much like mapquest, and aerial photographs dating back to 1935 that allow you to view the whole city and also to zoom in close to see, for example, the roof of your house.

The initial view of Indianapolis shows a map with a toolbar above and a list of layers over on the right. If you check off “2003 Aerial Photography” the map switches to aerial photos of the city, and you can click anywhere in the map to zoom into that spot. If you click on the pushpin icon in the toolbar, a pop-up window lets you enter a street address, which is then pinpointed on the map. Doing this first helps you zoom to the exactly location you’re looking for.

If you want to see Aerial photography from the past, go to the drop-down menu on your lower left below the layers list and select “aerial photography” and the layers list will change to a list of years. Click on the year you want to see and click “refresh map” and you will see your zoomed in location grow younger before your eyes.

I did this for my own house and could easily see in 2003 my old car parked behind my house. I stepped back through the years (my house was built in 1894) and watched the landscape and streets around my house change through the years.

You can also print out or e-mail maps, which means you can pinpoint your house and send a party invitation complete with street names filled in directing people to your abode. You can also measure distances between two locations, and a half dozen other uses I haven’t played around with yet.

Hidden Indy: Broad Ripple Dam

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Just east of Westfield Boulevard and north of Broad Ripple Avenue is the Broad Ripple dam, a wooded area of the White River that’s fenced off and not accessible, just north of the Broad Ripple pumping station. On a sunny summer day a few years back, my friends and I climbed up the painted wall next to Westfield Blvd., shimmied through a hole in the fence, and hiked back through the woods to the dam.

Hidden Indy: The Catacombs Beneath Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Back in the early nineties, my friend Dennis Williams was a Franciscan friar. We met doing volunteer work, and once we were working on a fundraiser together and we needed folding chairs. Dennis asked the staff of Sacred Heart Church (one of the oldest and the only Franciscan church in Indy) if they would donate the use of some chairs for the fundraiser. Dennis didn’t mention until we were in the church that we were going down into the catacombs beneath to retrieve them.

We took one set of stairs into a basement area, and then another set of stairs further down, into a series of tunnels cut into the rock and dirt that wind around underneath the church. Dennis knew where he was going, but I quickly lost my bearings and would have been in trouble if I didn’t have a guide.

The tunnels were musty and creepy, even more so because tucked into nooks and crannies in the tunnels were statuary from the church, antique furniture, old church pews, and the gaudily painted equipment for their bingo/casino nights. Dennis claimed that there were tombs in the catacombs, but I’m not sure if that was true, or if he was only saying that to creep me out.

We eventually found the cache of wooden folding chairs and made our way out, and none too soon for me. I purposely chose not to volunteer to return the chairs.

PLEASE NOTE: I was in the catacombs with permission, and this was over ten years ago! Since that time the church has had a catastrophic fire and restoration, so it’s possible that the catacombs don’t exist or are empty. Please don’t get it into your head to go and visit.

Hidden Indy: The Mystery Tao on Delaware

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Back in the early nineties, I lived in the Marleigh Apartment building in the 1400 block of Delaware in downtown Indianapolis, which is in Old Northside neighborhood. Across the street was an impressive array of old Victorian houses with all the gingerbread and other bling they put on houses back in the 1800’s. I used to walk down the street and daydream about owning one of them. One day on a walk, I stumbled across something really strange.

Book Review: Indiana Curiosities

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 4, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Indiana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff, by local media celebrity Dick Wolfsie. You’ll enjoy this book even if you don’t live in Indiana — and you’ll definitely enjoy it if you do. Packed with the odd and unusual, this book was filled with surprises even for me, and I’ve lived in Indiana for almost 20 years. Strange things you’ll see along the road, folks who collect or build weird stuff, bizarre legends and history… Dick Wolfsie explains them all with both wit and respect, and turns in a first-rate book that you should have with you on any daytrip you take around the Hoosier state.

Giant Red Arrow Coming to Indianapolis

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 3, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

A 750-pound, 10-foot-high, 18-foot-long and 8-foot-wide red arrow will travel around Indianapolis to major events throughout the year, to highlight arts and sporting events, building projects and other big attractions, according to Grant County’s Chronicle Tribune, which provides a list of events where the giant red arrow is scheduled to appear. There’s also a list on the Indianapolis Convention and Visitor’s Association site.

Indy Star’s “2005 hotlist” is really not that hot

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 3, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Star put together a list of “what and who will be noteworthy in the Indianapolis arts scene this year.” And it’s a big yawner, to say the least. My favorite noteworthy event is that Deer Creek (I refuse to use the corporate name for the concert facility, and you can’t make me) is getting another gateway and expanded roads to ease traffic snarls at the venue north of Indianapolis. I’m not denying that it needs to happen, but is it one of the hot events of 2005?

We’re getting some new movie theaters, a couple of Broadway shows are coming to town, Herron Art School is moving, geeks are coming to town for a Star Wars convention, blah blah blah.

Honestly, I think it’s the Star’s fault. I know that Indianapolis isn’t this boring.

The only thing I thought was really interesting is that we have a public arts program (headed by Mindy Taylor Ross) that works with Indy’s Cultural Development Commission to plan and fund public art projects. Last year they increased their funding by $200,000, put together an artist’s registry, and created an arts competition that will put create a public arts project for this year. Nice.

IMA Closes for 4 Months

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 3, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Museum of Art will be closed through May 5th while the ongoing $74 million construction project is completed. The project includes a three-story gallery pavilion, a special events pavilion and a glass-enclosed entry pavilion, as well as new and expanded galleries and a fine-dining restaurant.
The Lilly House & Gardens will remain open through the spring on Wednesdays through Sundays, so for those of you who love to picnic on the grounds or enjoy the beautiful 26-acre gardens in the spring time, you will still be able to visit.
On May 6th, the Museum will re-open with a three day celebration including special exhibits and galleries.

Mini-Marathon Sells Out Early

Post author:HFM
Post published:December 13, 2004
Post category:Indianapolis

From the Indy Star: “Officials at the 500 Festival announced today the 2005 half-marathon has sold out at the earliest date in its 29 years of running.
The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, which will be held on May 7, will have approximately 30,000 runners and walkers, officials said. The cap was reached today, with some paper applications yet to be processed.
The race sold out several weeks ahead of last year’s record pace. Terry Powers, spokesman for the 500 Festival, attributed the early sellout to continuing strong interest in the nation’s largest half-marathon, plus high demand last year.”

Apparently We Missed A Really Big Party

Post author:HFM
Post published:December 9, 2004
Post category:Indianapolis

Indianapolis Police are looking for a disgruntled former beer delivery driver who, after being fired from his job, stole the delivery truck he drove and parked it on the west side of town. The trailer, which had contained 14,000 cases of beer, sat open for six weeks while people help themselves to the contents. Police discovered the location of the truck after someone attempted to sell a pallet of beer to a liquor store.

Police said they were surprised that there was still beer left in the truck when it was discovered on Wednesday.