I'm Crafty!: NYC 2015 -- On to Indy

We made 500 miles today. Our target departure time was 6 a.m., and we were on the road by 6:10, stopped for a breakfast sandwich, and hit the Avenue of the Saints by 6:20. Traveled through three states today—Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.

On I-74 in Indiana the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on. Oops, we forgot to have the car serviced before we left, not realizing how many miles we had driven since early April--like about 4,000! So I looked up Jiffy Lube in Indianapolis on my Smartphone, made a call to check it out, and lucked out picking the one of the three that was on the route to our hotel.

Their advertising is spot-on. They really do get you in within 10 minutes and out about as fast!

We drove through downtown to our hotel, past Lucas Oil Stadium. Our hotel is near the IUPUI, the Indiana University of Purdue Indianapolis. This area has been revitalized with plantings and sculptures. There are warehouses but also new apartments for students.

The university shuttle.

Interesting sculpture with glass and metal.

I thought it looked like string. I touched it, and it WAS.

Going...

…and coming back.

Being adventurous eaters, we always like to try restaurants that the locals recommend. The desk clerk said we should try Yats, which features Creole cuisine. It wasn't too far away, so we decided to walk about 3/4 of a mile. It was just like we were back in Louisiana like last summer. Etouffee--yum. It was only $5 for rice, etouffee, and bread, but it was served on Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils. However, they were the REAL Cajun flavors we love. Carl had crawfish and mine was chicken & chorizo, both served over rice. If you’re in Indy this coming July for the National Elks Convention, Yats has 3 locations in the city. Oh, just like in the South.

The walk back helped us work off the calories. Fortunately, there were benches along the way for a brief rest now and then. We crossed a bridge over picturesque Fall Creek.