Best Of Indianapolis 2018 — City Hacks
Pacers And Fever Games
On StubHub, look for spots in the first seven rows for Pacers games. Those seats are the only ones with access to the LightBound Courtside Cafe, which the players run past on their way to the court. Then make game night easy by having dinner there—the NBA has named Bankers Life the second-best arena for fan experience, and the food (including a spot-on poke bowl with pork belly instead of tuna) is a big reason why. During Fever games, the restaurant is open to everyone.
Concerts
It’s a long shot, but Do317 gives away a pair of tickets to nearly every big concert that comes through town, as well as a slew of other fun events. Register online and cross your fingers until the week-of, when drawings occur. With an average of 500 tickets handed out per week, chances are your name will come up eventually.
Airport
The vacation buzz dies in customs and immigration at a busy airport, where several planes land at once and you panic about making the connection. That doesn’t happen at IND, so if you’re going to Cancun, one of the few nonstop beach destinations from here, pay a little extra to avoid a layover.
Beer
Downtown’s Tomlinson Tap Room, run by the Brewers of Indiana Guild, is the only place in the state that sells growlers from more than one brewery. Other taprooms might serve beers from their brethren, but by the growler is illegal. Tomlinson, though, can send you into the weekend with craft suds from any of its 19 taps.
Downtown Parking
Skip wrestling with the automated machines. Just $2 for up to three hours, the Circle Centre garages are still the best parking deal in town. But do yourself a favor and download the ParkMobile app for easy meter parking and lower your anxiety by a factor of 10. Finally, be ready for an e-scooter ride from a distant spot by creating Lime and Bird accounts. Now.
Urban Living
Of all the places to live downtown, Market East (nexus: intersection of Market and Alabama streets) has the most everyday services within a block or two. Over the past year, two more luxury apartment buildings—The E’laan and 360 Market—have joined the Artistry in providing perfect living solutions for Indy natives and transplants joining the ever-growing tech and business sectors downtown. Then came the massive new Whole Foods (complete with an actual bar), Orangetheory Fitness, a Starbucks with amazing outdoor seating, the brand-new $9 million Lugar Plaza and its cool bench swings, and (soon) another location of Martha Hoover’s Public Greens. There’s also an IU Health doctor’s office inside Artistry. Plus, you’ve still got quick access to City Market, the YMCA there, and all that Monument Circle has to offer. Anything not right at your doorstep is a quick e-scooter ride away.
