We spend a lot of time making sure the people we meet know all about what there is to see and do around Indianapolis. And sometimes we decide we should see and do those things, too. Here’s what that looks like:
It’s midday on a Wednesday in January. Normally, we reserve our field tripping for Fridays, but today I decide to kidnap our intern Rachel and call it a field trip because I need a passable excuse to try the new Mimi Blue Meatball place. Lucky for me (and intern Rachel), the the north end of Mass Ave has more than its fair share of cool.
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We start at the meatball joint. Walking in right at noon, we’re immediately in love with this place. I mean, you see those giant globe lights?
We’re seated and our waitress Megan explains how the menu works. Not all that unlike ordering sushi, we write directly on the menu. We mix and match meatballs (there’s a veggie one!) and sauces and end up getting two sliders each and sides to share.
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While the seating feels a little snug, Rachel and I agree that the food completely makes up for it and then some. And once we’ve more or less licked our plates clean and have sufficiently high-fived over our good food luck, we pay and are off to Homespun, which is literally right across the street.
With so many local and handmade wonders, Homespun’s already a regular stop for both of us, especially around birthdays and such. Because, in case you didn’t already know, Homespun totally has the single, best selection of greeting cards in Indianapolis. Or that’s we think, anyway.
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Even if you hate cool greeting cards, though, this store’s got all sorts of other stuff. Some of it’s wearable. Some of it’s useable. Some of it’s edible. And no matter how deep or shallow your pocket book is, you can find always something sweet, quirky, or just plain old perfect here.
I read the cards and Rachel buys a t-shirt, and we then head next door to check out Pattern. (Note: I’ve never been before and am anxious that I’m not fashionable enough for it and will feel wildly out-of-place.)
We step into the store and are immediately greeted by Jeremiah–who, as it turns out, has been a big part of Pattern for years–and he’s so stinking nice to us.
Yep, I’ll just go ahead and add my assumption to the ever-growing list of things I’ve been wrong about: Pattern is not intimidating. And when I grab a price tag on one of the beautiful black cocktail dresses, it reads $35. Turns out I get to be wrong about thinking this place was expensive, too.
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Jeremiah explains all kinds of things about Pattern to us, but the part we definitely want to be sure you know about is this: if you walk into Pattern looking for a specific sort of something and they don’t have it, they’re totally happy to point you in the direction of another Indy-based store that does. So, in addition to being fashion geniuses, they’re in the business of knowing who carries what around Indianapolis (credit to PRINTtEXT for that table filled with fashion mags). Awesome, right?
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Actually, this place is so awesome that we end up staying and talking to Jeremiah for too long. Which means now we have to rush off so that we’ll have a quick second to duck into Indy Reads Books before heading back to the office.
But if you’ve ever been to Indy Reads Books, then you know that even if you only have a quick second like us, making the stop is worth it.
Filled with mostly used copies, the store still offers some carefully curated new publications, too. And proceeds go to support the adult literacy programming offered through Indy Reads. You can now officially feel good superior when indulging that book-buying fetish. I know I do!
No time for buying today, but I’ll be back soon, even if it’s just because I need a passable excuse to go back to Mimi Blue Meatballs.
