A map that stereotypes Indy?

Good Friday Morning. This is Fishers Digest. We are officially less than 30 days from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing 🎉

In today’s digest:

• A wild user-generated map
• Hotel Nickel Plate is now open
• O’Charleys will not be a Chik Fil A, instead….
• Weekend preview

This issue is 1,359 words, a 4-minute read.

The Digest

This map tells you how it is 🤔

As Bloomberg puts it “it’s hard not to give in to the curiosity about how people who know your city would choose to stereotype it.”

Hoodmaps is an open-source map where anyone is free to contribute and leave a tag or color code for an area. The bigger the text size and the darker the color on the map, the more people voted and agreed with the submission. Some tags I got a big laugh out of:

• Has IU gear but didn’t go to IU
• You moved here before you knew the school ratings
• You would have money but too many kids

Check out the full map here.

P.S I love you all — but pls don’t email me if you don’t agree or get offended by what’s on there. I didn’t make the map, and the internet will do what the internet will do.

Welcome, Walk-On’s Sports Bistro

It’s been a running joke in this newsletter that the old O’Charleys near Target on 116th should become a Chick-Fil-A. It looks like Walk-On’s beat them to it.

If you think they sound familiar, they are! They recently had a location in downtown Indy but wanted to move it. Fishers won! They’re a scratch kitchen serving cajun favorites and your typical bar foods.

They officially open on Monday, May 6 with a ribbon cutting at 10:45 am if you want to join in.

141st/SR 37 – What to know

It’s weirdly hard to get solid info on everything construction. So if you’re a business or person who travels here often, read on:

The season to hope for is this Winter. Fishers finally said yes to $38m with a respectable contractor to finish building a roundabout. Making east → west traffic possible again. They say it saved a few million by waiting two years. Construction won’t start until Allisonville is open at 146th Street, roundabout construction. Ya know, so traffic armageddon doesn’t happen. Hopefully this ends up being the good ending everyone’s looking for.

Why Trust Wins*

Trust is present from the moment you work with Kelly and his team. When selling your home, you want a realtor who will review an offer and give you their honest opinion—not for them. You want a realtor who will work with a buyer’s agent to use strategies to maximize your proceeds and get you the offer you want. You want a realtor who at the end of the day, only wants what’s best for you. 

If that all sounds about right to you, make sure to reach out to Kelly Dather if you’re thinking of selling your home or ready to sell it. The Kelly Dather Real Estate Group | KW Indy Metro Northeast | Fishers, IN | 317-827-2066

The Happenings

Weekend preview 📆

ICYMI from Tuesday’s issue, these are all this weekend:
> Saturday is the 5k for Parkinson’s at Saxony
> 3rd annual tuba masterclasses are this Saturday at Paige’s Music
> Grand opening of Anastasia Musical at Carmel Civic Theatre

🎥 Midwest Hollywood

Movie junkies: The 21st Indy Film Festival is going on now through Sunday at a few theatres downtown. Featuring over 90 independent shorts, documentaries, and more in every genre.

Opening Day for the Piazza Geist Market 🎉

Winter markets are leaving and summer markets are coming. This Saturday is the official season opening of the Geist Piazza Market. Come get your fill of fresh produce, meats, jellies and more. Coffee is on the house.

Springtime in Paris Fishers

There’s nothing quite like springtime in Paris, and Le Macaron is celebrating with a special after-hours wine-tasting event! Their resident sommelier will walk you through six elegant French wines, all perfectly paired with your favorite Le Macaron treats.

Vintage Clothing Market 👖

Stop by 5000 E 216th St, Noblesville IN this Sunday from 11 am to 6pm. You’ll find 20+ vendors buying, selling, and trading vintage clothes from the 70s-90s.

Give your teddy bear a vacay 🐻

Sometimes we all need a break. Even your stuffed animal friends. So why not give it to them?

The Indiana DNR is hosting a teddy bear camp from May 13-24. Every day, they will take your 5-12 year-old’s stuffed friend and take a picture of it all over the state. The 500 Speedway, state parks, museums, and more. And when they’re finished, they’ll earn the prestigious “Indiana Junior Preservationist” certificate. The idea is to help warm kids up to the idea of travel while being educational.

This program is free to Hamilton County residents. Just fill in this form and drop it off at the state museum with the stuffed camper.

📲 Want to see your business here? Email me to get a highlight. It’s free!

Nothing in this section is sponsored. It’s just something you should know.

Rapid Fire Hits

Quick headlines and things to know from all around 🌐

In 2022, Fishers had a 117–page housing study done. It’s extensive and covers more than you can probably read in one sitting(Fishers Gov)

Two new roundabouts are coming to Fishers. 96th Street/Cyntheanne Road and 131st Street/Howe Road. Construction will start and complete next year. 80% of the cost is being covered by IMPO (Fishers Gov)

Fishers took care of business vs HSE for the boy’s volleyball mudsock trophy. (Fishers Athletics)

Quick reference guide for athletic summer camps happening at HSE/Fishers (HSE Athletics)

Some jerk lit an IndyGo bus on fire and completely burned it down. $2m in damages. Thankfully, no one was hurt. (Fox 59)

Here’s the scoop on the GOAT bar in Carmel re-opening on May 4th. (Axios)

Here’s who the Colts drafted last night. (ESPN)

Last week’s recap

Here’s what readers clicked the most last week 🏆️

• Info on Memento Zero Proof closing
• Piazza Geist Market opens this weekend
• Maps of Indy, going back to the ‘30s
• Fishers Touch a Truck event
• Indy’s timeline for completing their part of the Nickel Plate Trail

Local Business

Hotel Nickel Plate is now open

The Hotel Nickel Plate is now officially open. It’s on 116th Street in downtown Fishers, right along the Nickel Plate Trail. A month ago, they gave me a private tour and everything, I mean everything, is train-themed at this place. There are train murals on every floor, on almost every wall. The rooms have custom pillows, and the cabinetry looks like it was pulled off a train. They really leaned into it.

They also opened their new restaurant and bar called Derailed. Reservations for the Nickel Plate Hotel are now open.

A local musical

Every Tuesday, Fishers Digest highlights the theatre scene. One reader, Frank, went to one this week and had a fantastic time—so good that he sent a note to share with the community of what you should know for the musical. Take it away, Frank!

A timely distraction: Following a Total Eclipse of the sun, a strange and unusual plant appears in a garden store. The musical Little Shop of Horrors chronicles the escapades of this plant and his caretaker, while testing the limits of how far we will go to chase our dreams. Written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin fame, this fun play is currently running at Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) through May 19.

Oh, and whatever you do, don’t feed the plants!

Thanks!

If you found something useful, please share this with someone who is flying in for the Indy for the 500 next month.