Indianapolis Star, The (IN)
March 31, 2006
Author: Kelly Kendall

Sometimes it's the little things about a city that end up defining your trip: the crazy cab drivers, the perfect pizza, the fruitless quest for aspirin at 3 in the morning.

Here's the stuff we'd want to know about Indy if we were visiting:

1 Where to find Wi-Fi hot spots: Monument Circle is one, and a list of other Downtown locations with wireless Internet access is at www.indydt.com/wire lessinternet.html.

2 Where to buy stuff in the middle of the night: CVS, 1744 N. Illinois St., (317) 923-1491. Hit Downtown's only 24-hour pharmacy for emergency goods. Other CVS stores closer to the city center close at 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. Another good source for the basics: O'Malia's Food Market, 320 N. New Jersey St., (317) 262-4888, but it closes at 9 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. the rest of the week.

3 Where to shop, eat and poke around: Massachusetts Avenue, home to five theaters, along with tons of independently owned restaurants, bars, shops and galleries. Get a printable district guide at www.discover massave.com (under "About Mass Ave"), or just start walking. A few of the highlights: Scottish specialties like haggis plus an array of vegetarian entrees at MacNiven's Restaurant, 339 Mass. Ave., (317) 632-7268; sun-dried tomato pesto torte at Hoaglin to Go Cafe & Marketplace, 448 Mass. Ave., (317) 423-0300; mod and eclectic home decor at At Home in the City, 434 Mass. Ave., (317) 955-9925; the more than 62 beers at the Rathskeller, a few steps from Mass. Ave. at 401 E. Michigan St., (317) 636-0396; and nightly jazz at the Chatterbox Tavern, 435 Mass. Ave., (317) 636-0584.

4 Where to park: Get a guide to more than 66,000 Downtown parking spots organized by attraction and region at www.indy dt.com, the Web site for the tourism group Indianapolis Downtown Inc.

5 Where to mingle: There's no shortage of sports bars here, but for times when you'd rather have a cosmopolitan than a Coors, head one block west of Conseco Fieldhouse to the area that's become Martini Bar Central. Four cool ultra-lounges have opened in the past year in the 200-300 block of South Meridian Street.

See the bar list on Page V19.

6 Where to get coffee, besides Starbucks: A couple of the more linger-worthy Downtown coffeehouses are the Abbey, which often has live music nights, 825 N. Pennsylvania St., (317) 269-8426, and Corner Coffee, which boasts free Wi-Fi, 251 E. 11th St., (317) 916-9805.

7 Where to work out: Hoofing it from your hotel to Conseco Fieldhouse not enough of a workout? A one-day gym membership is $6 at the Indiana University Natatorium or $12 at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport. The Natatorium offers passes to its fitness center, aerobics classes or swimming pools; it's at 901 W. New York St., (317) 274-3518, www.iunat.iupui .edu. NIFS offers lots of classes, including aerobics, cardio kickboxing and mat pilates, plus plenty of exercise machines in its 65,000-square-foot fitness center. NIFS, 250 University Blvd., (317) 274-3432, www.nifs .org.

You also could join joggers and bicyclists on the Canal Walk, approximately 1 1/2 miles of gardenlike oasis just a few blocks from the center of town. A good place to start is the Indiana State Museum, where an outdoor steam clock toots out "Back Home Again in Indiana" every 15 minutes. It's at 650 W. Washington St., (317) 232-1637, www.in.gov/ism.

8 Where to go for great city views: For a free gander, head up to the Observation Deck at the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St. (you'll take the service elevator, just east of the main elevators, and will have to clear security, so leave pepper spray and such behind or have it confiscated). It's open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday; call (317) 327-4343. Lots of people head to the top of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in the center of Monument Circle. Or have a drink while enjoying 360- degree views of the city at the Eagle's Nest, the revolving restaurant at the top of the Hyatt Regency hotel, 1 S. Capitol Ave., (317) 231-7566. Dress code is "smart casual," as in sport coats and no jeans or sneakers.

9 Where to get a massage and manicure: The eminently efficient Studio 2000 is an Art Deco oasis on Monument Circle, discreetly tucked above the Starbucks next to the Hilbert Circle Theatre; call (317) 687-0010 or go to www.studio2000 spa.com. Or get your sugar scrub a few blocks away from the city center at Complexions Salon & Day Spa, 735 Mass. Ave. (317) 423-9000, www.complex ionsspa.com.



Call Star reporter Kelly Kendall at 317-444-6466.
Edition: FINAL EDITION
Section: SPECIAL SECTION
Page: V26
Index Terms: Arts & Entertainment; LIST; INDIANAPOLIS DOWNTOWN; Visitor's guide to Indianapolis
Dateline: 01) Indianapolis - Marion County
Copyright (c) The Indianapolis Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Record Number: ind96666253