Back From Indy
I spent this weekend in Indianapolis at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute National Leadership Conference.
First, I'd like to thank Gary for doing a more than proficient guest blogging job this weekend! I think Gary should at least consider starting his own blog, but we'll see. And like Gary, I'm stoked about Scalia coming to campus Friday.
The topic was "Russell Kirk and the Prospects for Conservatism," and I'll have a post (or two) on the specifics of the conference later. I'd like to quickly go into my general thoughts on Indianapolis, a city I hadn't been to before.
Unlike the cities here on the East Coast of which I am infinitely more familiar, Indianapolis feels young. It was founded in 1821 as the capital city of Indiana, and I think it is a magnificent city. The State House is gorgeous, and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (left) is breathtaking. The grandeur it possesses reminds me of some European monument erected in early modernity.
We had an excellent view of the monument from our hotel room window, and it became a comforting sight over the course of our stay. We managed to walk around it and visit the Civil War Museum in it's base, which is a very worthwhile (and free!) attraction.
Indianapolis, from my vantage point, seemed to have little sprawl, with little shack houses and open green areas within a ten minute drive of downtown.
The city itself is pleasant, with streets wide enough to be called avenues or boulevards in other towns in the East, similar to those I found in Houston. This was accompanied by wide, generous sidewalks, which made strolling downtown a pleasant experience on the whole.
I regret that I did not have more time to explore the city, but the taste I did get whetted my appetitive to return. Downtown was great, and we saw some of Julian Opie's interesting street art.
We attended 8AM Mass at Saint John the Evangelist Church, which boasts of being the 'original Catholic parish' of Indianapolis and is a beautiful church besides.
The only dark spot of the trip was trying to come back. Our original flight was canceled, and we made it on the last non-sold out flight because that flight's plane was being repaired. Slightly harrowing, but the folks at the Indy airport were pleasant and helpful.
First, I'd like to thank Gary for doing a more than proficient guest blogging job this weekend! I think Gary should at least consider starting his own blog, but we'll see. And like Gary, I'm stoked about Scalia coming to campus Friday.
The topic was "Russell Kirk and the Prospects for Conservatism," and I'll have a post (or two) on the specifics of the conference later. I'd like to quickly go into my general thoughts on Indianapolis, a city I hadn't been to before.
Unlike the cities here on the East Coast of which I am infinitely more familiar, Indianapolis feels young. It was founded in 1821 as the capital city of Indiana, and I think it is a magnificent city. The State House is gorgeous, and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (left) is breathtaking. The grandeur it possesses reminds me of some European monument erected in early modernity.
We had an excellent view of the monument from our hotel room window, and it became a comforting sight over the course of our stay. We managed to walk around it and visit the Civil War Museum in it's base, which is a very worthwhile (and free!) attraction.
Indianapolis, from my vantage point, seemed to have little sprawl, with little shack houses and open green areas within a ten minute drive of downtown.
The city itself is pleasant, with streets wide enough to be called avenues or boulevards in other towns in the East, similar to those I found in Houston. This was accompanied by wide, generous sidewalks, which made strolling downtown a pleasant experience on the whole.
I regret that I did not have more time to explore the city, but the taste I did get whetted my appetitive to return. Downtown was great, and we saw some of Julian Opie's interesting street art.
We attended 8AM Mass at Saint John the Evangelist Church, which boasts of being the 'original Catholic parish' of Indianapolis and is a beautiful church besides.
The only dark spot of the trip was trying to come back. Our original flight was canceled, and we made it on the last non-sold out flight because that flight's plane was being repaired. Slightly harrowing, but the folks at the Indy airport were pleasant and helpful.
Labels: Travels
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