If you’re still scratching your head over how Indiana lost a big game and sole lead of the Big Ten in under one second—less time than you’ve already spent reading this post—then check out Buzzfeed’s frame-by-frame analysis of that final, unforgivable play, and trust that Cody Zeller will never let that happen again.
Joani Crean has a pretty stressful week ahead with high-pressure IU games against Purdue and Michigan before the family leaves for New Orleans. Forget scanning the Assembly Hall crowd for Meg Ryan; we’ll be looking for the feisty Mrs. Crean and Crimson in the stands now—and in the Superdome this Sunday.
Martha Hoover knows when to leave a good thing alone—two words: cinnamon toast—and when to make a good thing even better. So when the Broad Ripple location of Petite Chou (823 Westfield Blvd., 317-259-0765) closed for repairs after (have your Facebook page open, please) this awfulness happened, she took the opportunity to improve the restaurant’s flow and give the place a romantic makeover.
The downtown canal was supposed to be used for transportation, but the city ran out of money in the 19th century before fully realizing the vision. Nevertheless, 21st century Naptowners have found ways to use the water, and the IUPUI Regatta is our favorite. Tomorrow’s canoe-race festival gives us a reason to lounge on the north basin’s large terrace steps, which we usually jog or bike past, thinking, One of these days, we’re going to hang out on the steps and watch the world go by. The regatta—one of downtown’s best free festivals all year—is the perfect time to make good on that promise. The event has gotten so big after just four years, it attracts 112 teams, thousands of spectators, and live bands, and it even has its own app. It also answers that burning question: Would you contract a skin disease by falling into the canal? The verdict appears to be no—members of the IUPUI swim team actually stand chest-deep in the cold water to position the boats, and so far, none of them have gotten E. coli. “It may seem gross because there are a lot of different things floating around in the canal, like leaves and bugs and other squishy things, but it is such a help to those who plan the regatta that it is definitely worth it,” says Elizabeth Bourgeois, a swimmer taking her fourth plunge in the canal tomorrow.
As a committed downtowner, I like to believe that Indy is the state’s cradle of cool. Sure, Bloomington mounts a serious challenge, and lately I keep hearing surprising things about Fort Wayne, but I never considered Carmel—stylish, yes, but not exactly hip—a hotbed of progressive sensibilities. Yesterday, I had to reconsider. Amid the news that the Indianapolis City-County Council has proposed domestic-partner benefits for municipal employees (28 years after Berkeley, California, became the first American city to do so), the Star pointed out that Carmel already has domestic-partner benefits in place.
If you can’t get the city’s visionaries to attend your dinner party, go to theirs instead. Chew on This events are intimate dinners hosted by some of Indy’s biggest thinkers, and anyone can attend for just $20 (food included). Organized by Indiana Humanities, the events have been taking place—and selling out—for a couple of years, and the next one, Aug. 22, is filling up, too. As a main course, Indiana Humanities is serving up conversation about the Pan Am Games, held 25 years ago this month, a time when the city found itself at a critical crossroad. The table talk will focus on “what we decided to do in that era to bring the city back, what worked, what didn’t, and how we can carry it forward in the post-Super Bowl era,” says Brandon Judkins, programs director for Indiana Humanities.
Monday, Aug. 6, marked the six-month anniversary of our collective Super Bowl hangover. It seems like just yesterday, doesn’t it? Come to think of it, wasn’t the weather the same yesterday as it was that whole week in February? Remember the abundant and unnatural global-warming sunshine? That ZipLine? Those adorable football-shaped cake pops at Peyton’s party?
Editor’s Note: For our August 2012 issue, we shared the scoop on 31 courses, activities, and more that can improve, enrich, and even save your life. Now, see local experts demonstrate their fun and timely skills that we featured. [We will add to the videos throughout the month. Full feature package in the August issue on newsstands statewide and available digitally here.]
I believe in the power of small, incremental change, but I’m really inspired by big, bold, visionary change. This is a really exciting time to be here. I feel good about our direction, but from here, things could either be okay or they could be kind of fantastic. To keep doing what we’re doing only gets us so far. What’s missing is a world-class public-transit system.
Those old Doc Martens you haven’t worn since the 1997 Lilith Fair are back in style again—if only for this weekend, the final showings of Rent at Footlite Musicals. (For the record, wearing them to the theater would amount to a tribute, not irony. And rain on your wedding day is just bad luck.)
