Signing off from the Farmer's Market

The farmers market is humming with early spring excitement. The last of the winter greenhouse carrots and kale. We are out of the JW and soon on our way back to Lafayette, biding adieu to our CCCC/ATTW families. Thanks to all of you who stopped one of us during the conference to tell us you had used our recommendations, and thanks as well to everyone who looked at the site. We ended today with over 1500 unique hits, and we call this social media experiment a success. Google never did approve our request to monetize the site (ie, have ads), but we will be making a modest contribution to the grad student travel budget in lieu of Google ca$h. We hope you enjoyed your conference and the city of Indianapolis we've called home for the last decade, and explored the city and its amenities beyond the downtown conference strip. Happy and safe travels to all!

Twenty-tap has 38 taps

Hmm. Where to eat Friday night?

We've been enjoying Indianapolis so much the daily posts have fallen away. After a perfectly acceptable stroll through the Indianapolis State Museum, we met up with friends and headed north to SoBro, the realtors' title for the area south of Broad Ripple. There's some information in the pages section about other places in the neighborhood. We went to Twenty Tap, a beer and burgers place that now has 38 taps. Why not call it 38 Taps? The cost of stationery, I'm guessing. And Twenty Tap, or 20Tap, just works alliteratively as well as branding.

We finally got to share the huge plate of deep-friend cheese curds with a crowd large enough to enjoy them and put a proper dent on the gigantic plate of lava-hot liquidy cheese with garlic and chimmichurri aioli, and an embarrassingly gravy-soaked boat of vegetarian poutine. Oh my. The vegetarian udon across the table looked amazing, and was apparently good enough that it was not shared. The menu has been updated: more variety and sandwiches but they have not lost their burger focus and the service was attentive without making anyone feel rushed. And on Thursday, we waited 20 minutes for a table, but then were left to enjoy the wrap-around booth that could have easily accommodated 10.

But the beers! The list is religiously updated daily. We had Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, Two Brothers Monarch, Rogue Brutal IPA, and Schlafly's Firkin American Pale, which is a "real ale" version of the dry-hopped APA: natural carbonation and a ton of sediment done with 19th century precision.

Twenty Tap     5408 N. College Ave       317-602-8840

Twenty Tap, with 38 beers on tap (I know, I know; the name stuck before the number of taps was finalized). Many of the beers are Indiana local brews, with regional Michigan, Chicago, and nearby offerings supplemented by others from the coasts, Colorado, and Europe. Beer types range from hoppy IPAs to lagers, stouts, ciders, and oddities. Selections change often.

Twenty Tap also has great food with something for everyone. They have an impressively good selection of burgers, including traditional beef, veggie, chicken, and turkey burgers. We like the Wrath and the Tex, but the classic is a simple, outstanding cheeseburger—and all are good with homemade, crispy fries. The blackened whitefish sandwich packs a spicy punch, which is nicely tempered if you have the good fortune to enjoy the sweet potato bisque as the soup of the day. The entrée salads or the simple side salad are always fresh and take advantage of seasonal produce. The cheese curds are decadent, and they’re large enough to share … try to finish an order yourself and you'll likely be too full to eat anything else! Twenty Tap takes pride in sourcing local ingredients, and prices are affordable.

Tapas: Wednesday dinner

BARcelona Tapas       201 N Delaware St       317-638-8272

There's a location in St. Louis, so this isn't strictly local, but the menu was a happy find to please a beer snob, foodie, and vegetarian. It is possible to please vegans with the spiced cauliflower, fried artichoke, and even vegan paella. They claim vegan friendly and delivered. Plus, the special was lamb chops, and so the eatery can satisfy a variety of needs. Highly recommended; good beer list and drinks menu. Small plates were generous portions and eminently shareable. The Spanish Tortilla (a spiced potato omelet) and the cheese plate were both excellent.

Happy to see a diverse staff and clientele. Happy hour, wine, sangria, and cocktail menus available. We will return on our own if not during Cs.

Directions:

.9 miles from the JW Marriott: 

Head north on S West St toward S Washington St

Turn right onto S Washington St

Turn left onto Indianapolis Cultural Trail

Slight right to stay on Indianapolis Cultural Trail

Turn left onto N Delaware St Destination will be on the right

Directions through Google: check local conditions and yadda yadda yadda.

Museums and Attractions

Indianapolis has several nice museums, a few within walking distance of the conference hotel.  The Indiana State Museum (where one publisher will host a party on Thursday night) is a nice space on the canal.  As its name implies, the museum focuses on all things Indiana--displays about natural history, history, commerce, and famous Hoosiers.  Not all exhibits are Indiana-related:  we geeked out over a Star Wars exhibit last spring.  The architecture is quite nice, featuring Indiana limestone, and sections of the exterior showcase each of Indiana's 92 counties.

The museum has an IMAX theatre and several decent and reasonably priced restaurants.  The old L.S. Ayers Tea Room is an historical replica of the tea room in the original flagship department store (like Macy's or Marshall Fields).  Many people can't stop raving about the chicken velvet soup, which is a little rich for us.  The Market Cafe features locally grown, casual dining options.

Indiana State Museum with the Canal Walk in foreground

Next door is the Eiteljorg Museum of western art.  We've never actually been there (not sure why), but we hear it's a decent museum with exhibits focusing on the West and Native American art.

Nearby is the White River State Park, connected to the canals and featuring lots of green space and an outdoor concert space.  The Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens (indoor botanical gardens) are open year round.

Baseball fans will appreciate Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, a AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  While tours are not available until April, when the season starts, a nice view of the ballpark is visible from the JW Marriott.

IMA Sutphin fountain

The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is within driving--not walking--distance.  The IMA is worth the trip, and rumor has it another publisher is hosting a party there on Friday evening.  The IMA is free unless you'd like to see one of the special exhibits, and it recently opened a design wing featuring modern and contemporary furniture, housewares, and so forth.  We really enjoyed a special exhibit featuring Ai Weiwei (one of the best exhibits we've seen anywhere), and we often stop by to look at the Asian art, Georgial O'Keefe paintings, Japanese prints, and a Calder mobile.  The grounds of the IMA are quite nice, especially during spring and summer months when everything is in bloom.  Visit the Lilly House and gardens, the greenhouse, the nature park featuring trails.

View of the IMA glass atrium entryway

The Children's Museum is also a drivable destination.  It features the usual science, cultural, and nature-related exhibits, and it's great if you've brought your children with you or if you want to bring out the child in you.  The gift shop has a large selection of educational toys.

Curious Dino peeks into the Children's Museum

Access

I just uploaded my (many, many) slides to the NCTE Connected Community site after viewing the Access Committee's 7 minute video on create accessible materials.  It seemed literally the least I could do to create at least a gesture towards accessibility for all those scholars wanting access but unable (or struggling) to make sense of the conference during the chaos of the meeting itself. And in an important nod to Universal Design, I benefit because I've often felt overwhelmed and sat through a presentation I had not really wanted to because, well, I had made it to session G18, and who knew where session G8 really was anyway?

Not that I did not find hypothetical session G18 valuable. It just wasn't what I had been seeking.

That said, there were only 2 sets of materials, mine and Elizabeth Tomlinson's Client Proposal and Project Assignment Sheet for session A26 listed under Professional and Technical Writing. Tammy and Stacy Nall have their panel's materials posted. G33-- The Stories We Tell: Narratives, Institutional Discourse, and the Public Documents of Writing Centers. They are under Writing Programs (Writing Centers). Only 61 total resources listed at first. Now there are 68! Yay!

It seems the least we can all do is put our presentations, even in draft form, up on the NCTE site. Jay Dolmage and the CCCC Access Committee have made this useful Accessibility guide available as well. 

BrewIndy

Indiana On Tap aka @IndianaOnTap tweets the latest brewing news, including news that 3Floyds and Sun King have been included on a recent list of the worlds' best stouts, while the Tomlinson Tap Room sponsored by the Indiana Brewers Guild is an oasis of local craft beer in the Downtown area. Located upstairs at the City Market, you'll likely find me (Michael) at the Tomlinson at different times during the conference.

Indiana has not been shy about joining the craft beer revolution. And there are many places downtown to enjoy craft beer--and specifically Indiana local brews. Look for Indianapolis locals Sun King, Flat 12, Bier, Black Acre, Broad Ripple Brew Pub, Brugge, Cutters, Daredevil, as well as this recent IndyStar report of new and noteworthy Indiana brewers opening right now, as you  read this.

Check out the City Market from our Downtown entry:
City Market & Farmers' Market 222 East Market St. 317-637-6814
For an affordable lunch, head east to City Market. Saturday morning from 8am until noon it is the site of the Indy Winter Farmers' Market, with hot breakfast sandwiches, fresh baked breads and croissants, whatever produce can be coaxed out of the winter fields, and locally-made granola. A Taste of Philly offers soft pretzels. Mauricio's Pizza is the second of three pizza makers Michael will eat at in Indianapolis (Giorgio's is at the airport). Check out the offerings at the link above. After noon, the Tomlinson Tap Room opens on the second floor with beers from the Indiana Brewer's Guild on tap. That's probably where Michael will be Saturday afternoon. It's .7 miles from the Convention Center. Head north on Capitol to Market, turn right and walk to the market which will appear on the left.

City Market's food stalls are open on weekdays and provide affordable, local quick-meal options for downtown workers (and conference goers).

Flat12 and Sun King are among my favorites: Sun King earned deserved national attention during the Superbowl and Flat12 is creative and boundary-pushing. Here's what I say on the Holy Cross page of this very website:

Sun King Brewery 135 N. College Ave. 317-602-3702
Sun King's Osiris Pale Ale is a major part of the local beer scene and been noticed by the national micro-brew community, winning numerous awards at competitions local and national. This location is the main brewing facility and only offers tastes of the week's freshly brewed beer, growler fills, kegs, and cans. Look for Sun King around town, and it's worth the trip for beer geeks and hop heads.

Flat 12 Bierwerks 414 N. Dorman St. 317-635-BEER
Flat 12 is the new up-and-coming brewer downtown, offering a wider variety of bigger beers--higher alcohol, bolder flavors, experimental barrel aging, and more. This facility is the main bierwerks and brewery. Pints are available for purchase, tastes are generously offered, and growlers are filled. There is a great outdoor beer garden if the weather cooperates, and it gets quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights with local hipsters and hopheads.

And if you're feeling peckish, Smoking Goose's Dorman St smokehouse usually has freshly flown in oysters and their own charcuterie to munch on:

Smoking Goose 407 N. Dorman St. 317-638-MEAT
Smoking Goose supplies smoked meats to better restaurants in Indianapolis and further afield to Chicago, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and Louisville. They usually have three or four styles of (pork) bacon plus lamb, beef, and duck bacon, as well as a variety of sausages, cured meats, and charcuterie.

Last Minute Downtown Indy Hotels

You waited until now to book your room? Oh, that roommate thing didn't work out? Well, check this out:

Hotels

Tripadvisor has current reviews of the 17 major downtown hotels and 3 B&Bs. If downtown Indianapolis were a clockface, the Convention Center would sit at its center. Nine to 11 is the Museum Campus.  At 11 is Marriott Place. It consists of four hotel brands: The new JW Marriott was built for the Superbowl, and glows Colts Blue. It has a large lobby bar for meeting up as well as a sports bar. Connected to the JW by a second floor bridge is a Courtyard, Fairfield, and Springhill Suites.

The Marriott and Westin are at high noon. Embassy Suites, Hyatt Regency, and the Conrad Hotel are at one o'clock. The Conrad is on Memorial Circle, the center of the city, and there are only 4 Conrad Hotels in the US (26 worldwide). At three o'clock is the Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, and Omni Severin. The Omni is in the old train station, and you can sleep in an old train! At four Crowne Plaza at Union Station Hotel.

At six, directly south of the convention center, is Lucas Oil Stadium. Southwest of the Stadium at 7 is Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Suites, and Staybridge Suites. 

I have no idea if there are rooms available in an of these. Really. I'm not a travel agent. But ...

While these are all walking distance to the conference venue. On the rare occasions when we stay overnight in Indy, we have enjoyed the Indianapolis Marriott North, which has limited availability as I write this. The Marriott site recommends numerous properties to the northwest, north, and northeast of downtown, requiring a bus ride or drive downtown, in Carmel, Fishers, Castleton, or near the Airport. The bonus for staying near the airport? Take a free hotel airport shuttle to the terminal, then board public transportation headed downtown, the #8 buss, for $1.75.