Indy Redux

Ever use words that you don't know the meaning of?  Yeah me too.  I think redux means "re-do" and even if it doesn't, I'm going with it anyway.  

Indy!  This is my 6th trip to Indy I believe. Truly I'm losing count and that's cool to me.  This trip was born out of a want to see my boy MJ, his Xavier Muskateers, Hinkle Fieldhouse and also another chance to hang out in my favorite city.  

The trip got much better when big Chap himself decided to drive down from Milwaukee and join in the fun.  Shootaround Friday night in Hinkle was awesome. There's a decidedly different feel at night in that building versus during the day:

Yeah, I agree.  Putting 9,000+ fans in there changes the feel too. 

In true Hoosiers fashion, I took this photo just to make sure the FT is 15ft:

And it is. Or at least it looks like it is.  

Where'd we stay you ask?   Great question.  Arrangements for lodging weren't made until I passed through DCA on the way up to Indy.  I was torn between the Indy Hostel and trying Air BNB for the first time.  I went with the BNB and had a fantasic experience.  Our host was Chanh and regrettably I didn't get a picture, but here she is from her Air BNB:

Ok so you're unfamiliar with the Airbnb process? That makes two of us.  This being my first experience with the service and app I didn't really know what to expect.  My understanding that people can rent homes from folks that are out of town or can rent rooms while the owner is in town.  Chap and I experienced the latter.  Chanh was an amazing host.  I arrived around 5:15pm on Friday, she greeted me and showed me around her home and introduced me to Ruby, one of the sweetest Pit Bulls I've ever seen.  Such a great dog. 

Chanh is an extremely peaceful person and open about her lifestyle which includes meditation, yoga, and an extremely simple life.  Part of her house rules on Airbnb says, "Imagine staying at your best friend's house."   That is exactly how I'd describe staying at her house.   Sitting and talking with her this morning was amazing.  Discussing meditation, journaling, work, the world and more was a reminder that's what I love most about traveling.  Being able to talk with people I would normally not get to meet and to find out about their lives is one of the joys I've discovered in traveling.  

I'm bouncing all around here but I don't care.  So, the game.  Amazing. Xavier was fantastic and is a true top 5 team in my opinion.   They have weapons all over the floor and can play 10 guys.  They will be tough in March and April.  Hope to see them in Houston 

Not sure why but the lights hanging down from the rafters fascinated me hence the picture of them above. 

I have been in Hinkle before and seeing a game is truly something I'd recommend.  This was a big game for Butler.  However the reality is they haven't had much luck against Xavier over the years.  Fans still showed up and were loud until Xavier took over.  

Hanging out at night in Indy has always been enjoyable for me and this trip didn't disappoint.  Broad Ripple has a lot to offer and Lupe Fiasco was playing there last night which may have been a reason things were a little more crowded. We got to meet a high school hoops coach from up there too.  Good dude.  Oh and I got to see my boy Chris too.  Haven't seen him in almost a year since he left Columbia.  Catching up with him was good.  

No trip to Indy would be complete without me posting pictures from the airport.  Has to be one of the most beautiful airports in the country

I also went through my first plane de-icing

Oh and the food.  Yes.  The food.  Weber Grill again for some grilled coffee(it's not really grilled but everything else there is just about.  At least I don't think the coffee is grilled.  Who knows)

Cafe Patochau this morning with Chap was great too.  Might be the most packed restaurant I've seen.  We literally had people standing around our table just waiting to have their named called for a table. 

I also saw some pretty cool leadership related things around Hinkle.  

Since this is the most random post ever, let me see what I can find.  Oh yeah, I had to be prepared for several different scenarios for the Region finishes in girls and boys basketball.   Now I did, in fact, use my laptop in airports and on the plane.  But it was amazing how much business I could conduct on my phone.  Here were the final standings for the boys:

So in summary:  Indy didn't disappoint again.  Getting to see Matt and Xavier play in Hinkle was awesome.  Getting to stay at Chanh's house was incredible.  Meeting some locals and seeing the city was great.  And being able to do it all with Chap made it all the better.  

If you haven't seen Indy, just go.  Pick a weekend.  And go.  

And for extra points, stay with Chanh and tell her I sent you.  

See you soon Indy!