Thread by @Chris_arnade

So begins my cross Indianapolis walk (from beltway to beltway), in a strip mall with lots going on

Metaphor alert!

Ps; once again, Indianapolis is another reminder just how diverse, most of “ fly over America” is

Just next to the Family Development Services is the check cashing place. Great

A+ name

Them damn midwesterners and their, uh, array of stores catering to the lived reality of large & diverse resident immigrant groups

Indianapolis has a Limelight nightclub also. Just like NYC. Take that urban elites!

No credit needed

Feels like this style brick wall used to be everywhere at one point 80s?).

American cities are far more diverse than most know, but I still wasn’t expecting to find these in an Indianapolis strip mall

Ps; the huge strip mall just across the busy road has even more stores for an Arabic speaking population

Found a sweet smal breakfast place the locals just love

There is a lot of hurt in this country

I like fish!

Feels like the cart collecting crew did their bests, then just eventually gave up

Scooter Parking Only

Right next door to Fat Cat Bar

Yes there is a strip mall bar called Sakitumi, yes it is already open, & no I won’t go in. Yet

Really sweet neighborhood of smaller well kept homes

Just me being artsy

Across the street from each other

Metaphor alert!

In middle class African American neighborhood. Reminder (to mostly my conservative friends) just how important religion is in these communities

this cart has a face. You can’t tell me otherwise

These two buildings are straight out of Hospital central casting.

Christo lives on!

Wait. Indianapolis has/had a monorail??!!!!

What in gods name

Guess the canal makes up for this

This is an absolute hot mess

This can’t be right. And you call yourself the heart of America?

Last tweets hard on downtown Indy. But, architecture aside, it has a very nice, friendly, & spacious vibe. And this park is nice.

This kinda came out of nowhere

Ps: for those asking, I do talk to lots of people on my walks, but don’t include them In these live tweets, because not really fair to them given this is mostly silly off the cuff stuff.

Include the talks (in some form) in my longer pieces

Don’t wanna be that guy all the time, but it is amazing how colorful & cool things are if stop and look

Including old Vern’s

Both wanna and don’t wanna know what’s going on here

Give this pole a rest!

Driver, who stops to let me cross (a real rarity), yelling out window after I gave him a thumbs up — “Oh, I am an asshole, but I try to be a considerate asshole”

Metaphor alert!

Neighborhood just dramatically changed. Amazing how quickly & often that happens (not only in Indianapolis)

Three miles of a street pocketed with all the usual signs of addiction & desperation, of people tweaking on sidewalks, then boom, artisanal brewing companies

There are some pics I can’t pass up, even if they don’t say anything

It was a brutal sidewalk free car intense last mile, but there it is. My goal. Done. Across Indianapolis From beltway to beltway. 19 miles all told.

Thanks for all the kind words. Going to go have a beer.

Please subscribe to my Substack, where I write longer pieces about these walks. (& will eventually post something about this and other walks in Indianapolis)

intellectualinting.substack.com/p/walking-amer…

Also. I wrote a book about my ten years hanging in various parts of America many live in, but few visit

amazon.com/Dignity-Seekin…