Weekend in Indy - The Start of a New Normal

Back in January, we planned a weekend in Indianapolis to take in the revelry of the Big 10 Men's Basketball Tournament. Scott only likes to go when it is hosted in Indianapolis, as the city and its numerous hotels, restaurants, shops and other attractions make it super convenient and fun for the visiting fans. The Bankers Life Fieldhouse sits in the heart of the city, accessible to all the amenities Indy has to offer.

We never imagined the tournament would eventually be scuttled all together due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday evening, as the first games were being played, I was stunned to learn the remaining games would be played without fans. Even with this turn of events, we decided not to cancel our hotel reservations and headed out of town for a weekend getaway.

I'm glad we went, as now we're all under a stay at home directive with only essential businesses open. Instead of watching basketball, we walked around the city, ate a lot of really good food, visited a museum, did some shopping and reconnected with old friends who were also in town. Overall, a very nice weekend away.

Friday afternoon - sunny walk along the Canal Walk.

This walk took us around the Indiana Statehouse and the USS Indianapolis National Memorial Monument.





We ate at St Elmo's Steakhouse, Nada (cool taco place), The Oceanaire Seafood Room and I decided to take photos of all the cool bars at these restaurants. I called it my Indy Mini Bar Series.






We visited the Eiteljorg Museum, a gorgeous showcase of Native American and Western Art.

And yes, it was snowing!

I was particularly drawn to a special photography exhibit, the work of Horace Poolaw


So even though there was no basketball, we enjoyed our weekend away. We hope the businesses impacted by current closures make it through.

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Shanghai Nights Along the Bund

If you have limited time or a long layover in Shanghai, a visit to the Bund is highly recommended.

As I noted in my previous blog post, I traveled to Inner Mongolia in China for work. I chose to connect through Shanghai (vs Beijing) to take advantage of a visit to that city. I last visited China in 2006 and spent a day and a half in Beijing, so Shanghai would be a new experience for me.

Due to my work schedule and available flights out of Wuhai, I had a very short turnaround in Shanghai - about 17 hours - not ideal, but more usable time than the 12 hours I had on my inbound flight, especially since I was no longer jet lagged.

I arrived back into Hongqiao airport around 5:30pm, got a taxi and was checked into my hotel around 7pm. I decided to head out to the famous Waitan waterfront, commonly referred to as The Bund. As evening had already descended, I knew the night skyline against the water's edge would be a great place for photos and people watching. Full disclosure - I was tired and hungry from my travels, and considered eating in the hotel restaurant and going to bed. I'm glad I pushed those thoughts away.

I grabbed a taxi from the line of cars in front of the hotel. I sensed my driver's disappointment that I only wanted to go 5K down the street to one of the most crowded areas. I think the cabbies feel pinched by the shorter rides and would prefer to take their charges out to Pudong airport. Or maybe more people use the Uber equivalent (DiDi) for these casual rides. Regardless, my driver dropped me off at edge of the crowds on the south, forcing me to walk a bit, but I didn't mind.

I found the stairs up to the river's promenade and knew I had made the right decision to get into the cab - the view of the sparkling modern skyline across the river to the west took my breath away.


The distinctive and modern blue Oriental Pearl tower anchors the view, punctuated by constantly changing designs displayed on the other skyscrapers from the electronic lightshow. As a contrast, the buildings on the east side of the river were uniformly lit to enhance their traditional European architecture and design.


The promenade undulated with the crowds taking in the sites; lots of selfie action along the river made for great people watching.


I had to partake in the selfie taking....


I performed a search for places to eat and google recommended an Asian fusion restaurant close by. However, I didn't realize the restaurant would be located in one of the neoclassical buildings that look so bank-government-ish, so I wandered around the side streets of Huangpu district, along with a gazillion other tourists. I finally found my way back to the riverside, and found the restaurant, Hakkasan, located right in Building 18 on the Bund.

While the restaurant features tables with a view of the Bund skyline, without a reservation, I opted for the kitchen view over a seat at the bar.

Truthfully, I find this sort of table view to be more interesting and unique, as I watched the bevy of activity in and out of the kitchen

I chose the Crispy Duck salad. I love Peking duck and this dish offered up a great combination of greens and the duck I craved.


You can't visit a port city without sampling the seafood. The sea bass did not disappoint


Finally, a view of the building's staircase.


I thoroughly enjoyed my meal in this upscale and contemporary setting, perfect to close out my evening in Shanghai.

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A Bit Out of My Comfort Zone

I recently asked a stranger if I could take his photo, an act outside my comfort zone. I gave myself a mental pep talk before mustering up the courage to ask - I knew if I didn't ask, I would regret it later.

Meet Robert, our highly animated, funny and super knowledgeable server at a local BBQ establishment, The Black Dog Smoke and Ale House.



It was my first visit to this restaurant, known for its burnt ends, double baked potato casserole and long wait times. Case in point - the restaurant opens for lunch at 11, we arrived at 11:05 and found all the seats taken. The facility is indeed tiny, which, of course, adds to the experience. We ended up waiting 25 minutes, but the food was worth it.

Robert made our experience even more special and he graciously agreed to have his photo taken a couple times - yup, his grin says it all.



If you are ever in the Champaign - Urbana, IL area (home to the University of Illinois), be sure to check out the Black Dog for a great BBQ meal.

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Black and White Days - The Diner

I like repetition. Repetition is just so darn orderly. Seemingly in control.

...start of Random Interlude - I admit to having control issues. Constantly working on it (let go, that is). end of Random Interlude...

So I snapped this because I liked the light fixtures above the booths. Yeah, that's probably not too apparent - I did the best I could given my short stature.


Photo taken at a local downtown diner. Every college town requires a 24 hour diner - where else can you get chili cheese fries at 2am after the bars close?

Not that I would know!

wink

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From A Japanese Restaurant

I'm playing catch up with the #POTW52 / Photo of the Week challenge. The concept is simple - take two photos a week, using the month's prompt as a guide. January's prompt is Black and White, which is probably why I'm behind. I find it hard to visualize Black and White while shooting.



I'm not quite sure what makes a Black and White photo "work" over a color photo, but I chose this one because of the varied shades of light illuminating the scene. We just sat down to dinner at a local Japanese Restaurant and the place was nearly empty. Five minutes later and these empty tables were full. It's a no-frills place when it comes to decor, but the sushi was delicious!

[sushi picture taken with my iPhone / Instagram]

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Dinner on the Prairie - Prairie Fruits Farm

Sunday evening, we experienced a unique treat - dinner on the prairie with friends.

Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery is an organic farm, promoting sustainability and locally sourced food. In addition to peaches, apples, berries, and other produce, they raise goats and make their own cheeses.

A couple years ago, they started offering Dinners on the Farm, featuring locally sourced food, served outside along backdrop of the farm and prairie.

We were invited to last Sunday's dinner and while we didn't dine outside (they have a pole barn now for the chillier weather), it was a wonderful experience.

We arrived an hour before dinner, to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and a tour of the farm and gardens. It was a perfect fall evening, a light breeze and warm for the end of October.


This is the dining area for the outdoor dinners. We are going to have to come back next season.

We got to see the goats. Lisa is the one responsible for arranging tonight's dinner. She's a great friend (and loves the goats).


We roamed around the gardens, encouraged to nibble from the plants. We gathered around these tomato plants and ate them right off the vine - there's nothing better than sweet cherry tomatoes.


Especially with some wine.


With the sun setting, we gathered inside for dinner. Tonight's menu - salad course with fresh goat cheese, honey-fried chicken, shells and cheese, braised broccoli and pecan tart for dessert.




Lively conversation ensued.


A lovely evening out with friends.




Oh yeah, after stuffing ourselves, we bought some fresh gelato and goat cheese. It's all gone now.

Linked to Wordful Wednesday at Parenting by Dummies and Seven Clown Circus

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Texture Tuesday - Table for Two

I took this picture in early August, while visiting relatives in New York. We dined at a quaint French restaurant.

The original:


And the version using Kim Klassen's Cracker Jack texture:


I used two layers of the texture:


I use PSE 6, which doesn't have the layer mask option, but as you can see, I was able to add a layer mask, using this action from Rita at Coffeeshop. Using the mask I removed the texture from the table area.

Posted on Texture Tuesday.

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The Final Stop Before Home - Beale Street

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn

Memphis is the mid point between New Orleans and home - a logical stopping point, especially when you enjoy music and food. We stayed at the Hampton Inn right off Beale Street, giving us easy access to the food, sights and music that makes Memphis, well, Memphis.

We learned from our experience in New Orleans and bought the kids a pizza and let them stay in the comfort of the air conditioned hotel room while Scott and I walked around Memphis in the heat.

First, dinner at King's Palace Cafe. The great thing about Memphis - it's known for its barbeque, but it's far enough south to have great Cajun food, too.
Get a load of the bar - fit for Elvis himself:


Then a walk up and down Beale Street, where music was playing in the alley next to King's Palace:


The rich history of music and the blues abounded in the souvenir shops.


A great evening of the hot Blues.

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Destihl Micro Brewery - Downtown

There's a new micro brewery in town, and Scott and I experienced it last Saturday evening. Opened since April, I only heard about it Friday night from my friend, Amy, during our Book Club discussions (yes, we DID talk about the book, but we talk about other stuff, too).

Located in the downtown section of our little college town, it's easy to miss because there's no big sign or awnings to draw attention to it, unlike this other establishment across the street:


But we managed to find it and really enjoyed the assortment of micro brews available:


The best thing - you can order a small 4oz glass to enjoy. This way, you can sample more than one.


Or, move up to the 8oz glass.


The micro brews are so fresh and perfect on our summer evening. The food was delicious, too. We'll be back, for sure.

edited to add - I'm linking up to Love that Shot - it's their birthday and they are running special link ups and giveaways all week. It's a great resource for photography.

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Scenes from Dinner

With my sister visiting, we went out for sushi.

We walked into the restaurant and we were transported out of the midwest. We faced an industrial scene with waves of neon and pulsating music. Oh, and the obligatory fish tank in every Asian restaurant, sans the koi:


The wasabi is so pretty, piped into flowers:


The arrival of the sushi:


Lychee Martini:


And since it is a "fusion" type of restaurant, I ordered a very non-Asian duck dish.


A great time out.

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