USA Guide
The Great Lakes
Downtown
The nerve center of Indianapolis's spacious, relaxed downtown is the reasonably tasteful Circle Center shopping and entertainment complex. Suspended over the busy Washington and Illinois intersection, the spectacular Indianapolis Artsgarden is an eight-story glass rotunda illuminated with twinkling lights. A performance and exhibition space, it doubles as a walkway to Circle Center and several downtown hotels. One block north, streets radiate from Monument Circle, the starting point for a lengthy series of memorials and plazas dedicated to war veterans. Many visitors climb the 330 steps of the renovated 284ft Soldiers and Sailors Monument (daily 10am–7pm; walk up free, elevator $1) – the tiny elevator can seldom cope with the demand – but in truth the view of the city from the top is nothing special.
Five blocks east, starting at New York and East streets, the serene tree-shaded Lockerbie Square Historic District is a small enclave of picturesque residences that were home to nineteenth-century artisans and business leaders. Small wood-frame cottages line the cobblestone streets, many of them painted in bright pinks, blues, and yellows, and fronted by ornately carved porches.