Father’s Day in Indianapolis, a photo tour

21Jun/101

Father’s Day in Indianapolis, a photo tour

Full Bike Rack @ Henry's on East, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4

This past Sunday, was my first Father's Day. My wife and son had put together a large plan of things to do for the day. First, we started with breakfast @ Henry's on East who make a pretty good sausage and egg croissant. We did a lap around the block of Mass Ave, Park Ave and East Street before getting in the car to make our way to the next stop. Here are a few photos from our trip around the block.

Classic Car, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4

Our next stop, was going to be the IMA and it's new 100 Acres Art's Park. The grand opening was planned for Father's Day. However, we made a stop by one notable construction project going on located on the NW Side of downtown. The Fall Creek YMCA is being mowed down to make way for a brand new mixed use development. Here is a shot of the demolition progress thus far. There are still floor lamps and drapes hanging in each room. It looked like something out of post war eastern Europe...

Fall Creek YMCA, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4

After that, we headed over to the IMA. We arrived around noon-ish in hopes of beating the would-be crowd for the Grand Opening of the 100 Acres Arts Park. The park is located on the grounds of the IMA, but is considered a bit of a walk (especially if you have a stroller) from the main building. As such, the IMA was offering a shuttle from the main building, down 38th street and dropping off along the White River parking lot area.

IMA Trolley Shuttle, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4

We managed to fold down the stroller and pack in and make the short journey over. The trolley was merely a bus painted up to look like a classic streetcar. Too bad there isn't a REAL rail streetcar in Indy. Once we got off, and walked into the park, we were greeted by a TON of people and all sorts of festivities. There was a giant grasshopper greeting people right at the entrance.

Giant Grasshopper & my son, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4

As we went further into the park, most of the trailway was paved with some sort of clay. It was squishy and moist, but we were able to easily push the stroller along, even deep into the network of trails through the woods. We made it as deep as the visitor's pavilion where we took a rest and had some water.

100 Acres Visitor's Pavilion, Nikon D90 w/ Tokina 12-24 f4

After running into a few friends, Mark Cline of Fun-City-Finder, and Graeme Sharp of local blog A Place of Sense, we made our way back to the trolley pick up. What followed was a taxing wait in the very hot Indiana heat of the weekend. I could feel my pores going wide open as the swear poured forth! We managed to keep little Oscar cool with fans and when the trolley made it's way back, we got on and into some air conditioning; a welcome feeling indeed! The ride back however, was much longer. The roads in this area are designed in such a way that you cannot simpy turn back and go the roughly 1/4 mile back up 38th street to the IMA building. We had to take a 4 mile route back through some side streets with a stop at the Major Taylor Velodrome to pick up more people. By the time we made it back to the IMA, we were drenched in sweat and ready to get off! The large amount of people made for a stuffy ride back, but I wasn't complaining. Now, if we could just manage to find a way to get this many people on an IndyGO bus, we would be doing great! I leave you with a parting shot of your's truly all drenched in sweat riding the trolley back. Hope you all had a great Father's Day! I sure did!