I am one of those people who “musterbates,” with the refrain “I must do this, I must do that” constantly running through my brain. Not that I actually do all the things I think I should be doing – usually I just fret about them – but it is difficult for me to just take a day and go somewhere and do “nothing”. With a three-day weekend, though, it seemed a shame not to get out of town for at least a few hours.
But we did and I’m glad. Our original intention was to follow the 92 County Walk around the exterior of the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, but it was too cold and windy for outdoor activities so inside we went. (FYI – from the underground parking lot, there is direct access to not only the ISM but also the NCAA Hall of Champions, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indans and Western Art, and the White River State Park, and the Indianapolis Zoo is nearby as well.)
Neither of us had been to this museum before, and we were pleasantly surprised by some of its features:
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One wall of the Great Hall is the facade from an actual elementary school that stood near the current location of the museum
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A Foucault Pendulum, suspended in the center of a circular staircase, demonstrates the earth’s rotation
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The Gronauer Lock, a Wabash-Erie Canal lock that was discovered near New Haven, is on display along with artifacts unearthed during its recovery.
And there are the usual: IMAX theater, prehistoric fossils, paeans to industry, etc.
Serendipitously, one of the artists featured in the Evolving Imagery gallery was someone PJ actually knows, so we enjoyed that special connection while perusing the exhibit. And when we stopped at the cafeteria for a cup of coffee, the urn was empty so the cashier fetched me a cup “from in back” and it was very good coffee, maybe from the L.S. Ayres Tea Room next door.
So, while it was not exciting or extreme or wild or crazy, our little outing was refreshing. And sometimes that is all one needs midwinter in Indiana.
