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 Friday, August 22. The weather’s hot and humid and gross, but Karissa and I are still going to SoBro at College and 52nd St. We agree that trying to see all of SoBro in two hours won’t work. So, we’re sticking to a single intersection for this trip.
The first stop is lunch, and our immediate options at 52nd include Taste, SoBro Cafe, The Aristocrat, and La Mulita.
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We pick La Mulita, Delicia‘s sister, lunch-crowd restaurant. (There’s not much outdoor signage for La Mulita to be seen from the street, so if you decide to try it, look for Delicia instead.)
Once inside, though, we’re immediate impressed. La Mulita has an open, rustic looking interior with gorgeous lighting, and plenty–but not too many–happy eaters.
Seated and already feeling good about our choice, Maurice, a manager at La Mulita and a bartender at Delicia, comes over to say hi because I’m taking so many pictures.
We talk to him for a few minutes, decide on our food, and are completely sold on this place before we even place our order: chips and salsa ($3), a Mexicano hot dog for me ($6), and a pick 2 with a pork cemita and steak taco for Karissa ($7.50).
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There are no words for how much I love this hotdog. All beef, wrapped in bacon, topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, and caramelized onions. I’m planning my trip back in the middle of my first bite. Karissa feels similarly. We can’t believe this place isn’t packed.
We eat almost in total, awe-inspired silence, then settle our tab, say a quick goodbye to Maurice, and start making our way to LUNA Music across the street. But we’re completely waylaid by this charming cement lawn T-Rex at the Habig Garden Shop.
Back on track, we run across College and into LUNA, a long-standing staple for music lovers all over Indianapolis. We cruise the CDs, cassettes, posters, but when we get to the vinyl, Karissa and I acknowledge we don’t know much about actual records.
So, I stick my head in the back office to see if my friend Dan’s working today. He is. And he indulges all of our questions about how the sound is different on vinyl and how the needle on a record player works and what you have to do to take care of albums. And yes, it turns out that Jay-Z releases on vinyl, but maybe not Brittany Spears. (Dan also tells us about some in-shop shows that are coming up soon.)
You guessed it, Dan is awesome.
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We also get the scoop on what’s happening on the southwest corner of the intersection by the Red Key Tavern, a Kurt Vonnegut haunt favorite. Rumor is that the Red Key is getting a facelift and the space next door is going to be a frame shop. Maybe not the sexiest thing in the world, but a frame shop is definitely better than empty, which is what the space has been for some time now. And who knows, maybe it’ll be surprisingly awesome.
While there’s still actually a lot to see at just this one intersection, our last stop for the trip is the Parisian inspired periodicals boutique Print_Text owned and operated by our friends Ben and Janneane.
We step in to this little shop to see endless stacks of the most beautiful magazines on tables and benches and chairs and shelves. It’s unlike anything we’ve found in Indy, but we’re hopeful it’s a harbinger of lovely things to come–and they’re certainly in good company being around the corner from LUNA.
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Ben walks us through the organized stacks showing us his favorites and pointing out how the shop is divided. Fashion here. Literature and politics over there. Food in the back corner. Architecture and art and design. You name it. Each publication has a unique look and feel and weight and it’s impossible to not want to touch every single one.
Huckleberry, the store dog, responds well to affection, and after a couple scratches behind the ear, he follows me everywhere. Not too demanding, just right there at my heels ready for more.
There afternoon is wearing on, though. So, I grab the unbelievably cool magazine from Abu Dhabi to buy as a gift for a friend. And Ben generously sends us off with a copy of Driftless to share with anyone who visits us at our office in the Stutz.
Karissa and I head back out into the heat, grateful that the rain has held off, still talking about the lunch we ate at La Mulita. Where should we head next?
