wask.com/wkoa/lifestyle/travel/sns-indianapolis-family-vacations-tips,0,4431627.story
Helen W. O'Guinn
- Rush-hour traffic. If you're staying north, plan to head that way before 4:30 or wait until closer to 6. It's not as bad as most major cities, but who wants to eat up time crawling along the freeway?
- It's not without foundation that Roger Miller coined a line about rain in Indianapolis in the summertime. Bring your umbrella.
- And speaking of rain, there's also humidity, which makes winter's cold colder and the heat muggier.
- Be aware of the 16 percent hotel tax.
- Indy, with its grid design, is easy to navigate. Meridian is the north-south center street; Washington (the Old National Road) is the east-west one; and numbered streets run east-west north of Washington. I-465 rings the city.
- Ask a Hoosier. Proud of Hoosier hospitality, most residents are happy to answer any question at any time. Stop 'em in the streets for directions; if they can't help, they'll find someone who can.
- Visit one of the many parks. Garfield Park with its conservatory to the south, Holliday and Broad Ripple to the north, and Eagle Creek, one of the largest city parks in the country, complete with sailable lake, to the west. Plus there's ArtsPark at the Indianapolis Art Center with whimsical sculptures and the gardens at the IMA.
- See the natives. Drive north on Meridian to see stately mansions or cruise the near north side to see Victorian homes on tree-lined streets; there's neighborly cheer at coffee and sandwich shops.