Saturday, April 7, 2012

Last Day in Indy: Part 3

You may want to read my last two posts to get up to speed on the events of the last couple of days.

Day 1: Dealers and Winos and Pimps - Oh, My!

Day 2: Dealers and Winos and Pimps Must Sleep In

My last post was written on the morning of the third and last day we were in Indianapolis. The plan was to get our van back that morning, see as much of the city as possible (now that we were mobile) and head back home. However, it did not work out that way.

I called at 9 a.m. to get an estimate of when they thought the vehicle would be done so I could get a cab and head in that direction. He said they were close to having it finished and they provided a free pick up service, so there was no need for a cab. HOORAY!!!

Since they were close to being done and we did not know how far from the car shop we were, we decided not to venture from the hotel. They could call at any time and we had no idea how long it would take them to get there.

The hotel requires checkout at 11 a.m., so we moved to the lobby. Kirsten surfed the web while I read a book. It was hard to relax knowing that every passing minute is another minute that we are NOT out enjoying the city.

The mechanic finally called at 12:30, but said it would take a moment for the driver to get to us, because he had just left for a 30 minute lunch. As soon as he got back, he would be on his way.

After 3 hours of leading me to believe the driver was going to show up at any moment, the driver calls to get the address and tells me it will take 30 minutes to get to us from the shop. He shows up 45 minutes later at 4:15. I learn from him that he was delivering a part out of state and was not on a 30 minute lunch. Had I known that, I would have hopped in a cab and had my vehicle back by 1 p.m. However, due their messing around and trying to cover for each other, we sat in a hotel lobby for 4 hours longer than necessary and missed half a day of exploring the city. We drove away in our van a few minutes before 5 o' clock and $600 poorer.

Finally back with our vehicle, we decided to visit the Indianapolis Children's Museum because one day a month they are open until 8 and it is free during that time. Plus, the other things we wanted to see were closed at this point. This seemed like a good plan at the time, but there were things we had not considered.

This children's museum is ranked as the best in the country by three different children's magazines and it offered free admission for only four hours once a month. This means that it is the most popular place in the state during that time and is the last place you want to be if you actually want to see anything. About 5 blocks from the museum, traffic stopped. In the next 30 minutes, we moved less than a half block. Everyone was trying to get to the museum. At the rate we were moving, we would never make it to the museum parking before it closed. Luckily, a person pulled away from the curb right beside us, so I nabbed that spot and we walked the remaining distance.

The last children's museum I had visited was more of a hands-on science center and it had been several years since I had taken my children. This place, while impressive, was designed for children. By children, I mean 5 to 8 year olds. My daughter is 16. We gave it a go anyway.

They had an Egyptian market for the kids to dress in Egyptian clothes and play like they were working in various jobs, There was a mirrored maze play area, lots of interactive activities and places for parents to sit while their children ran wild. I was most impressed by the LEGO exhibits.


However, what I hadn't considered was the thing I should have been most concerned about. There were children everywhere. Thousands of them. Because of the museum being free at that moment, the entire tri-state area showed up with their kids...and their grandkids...and the neighbor's kids. 

They were screaming and pushing and fighting and crying. It was awful. Parents were yelling for their kids to come back despite not having any idea in which direction they had run off to. Those parents that like to walk their kids on a leash spent their time trying to untangle from other safety minded parents. It was a complete madhouse. It was wall to wall screaming banshees.

Kirsten and I decided that even without the wailing midgets, this was not what we had in mind and decided to leave. Nothing on this trip had gone according to plan and it was time to give up. We vowed to return to Indianapolis on another day. Next time we would plan better.


PishPoshFor this post I am participating in the Get Fit! Challenge presented by Pish Posh. She is challenging her readers and other bloggers to write about an area in their lives to could stand improvement. Please visit her site.

29 comments:

  1. I hope you guys have better luck when you go back. Maybe you should try to avoid things that are free for a small amount of time? There might be better parking and less screaming children.

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    Replies
    1. The van breaking down threw off the entire trips. Hopefully, a functioning vehicle will keep us on track.

      Delete
  2. Hanging out in the hotel lobby is not an ideal way to spend a holiday.

    The mechanics part would frustrate me. They were trying to be professional and saving the face of their company, but yet did the opposite. Not the best business outcome.

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    1. All he had to say was it would be a few hours and I would have jumped in a cab. Problem solved. I let them know I was not happy.

      Delete
  3. Oh wow... I didn't think things like that happened in America! All the worse because it sounds like it was somewhat unexpected. So sorry you lost all that time sitting in the lobby when you could have been out exploring.

    The kid's museum sounds neat - but all the screaming parents... not so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was definitely the wrong time to be there.

      And bad customer service happens everywhere.

      Delete
  4. I don't understand how you are keeping it together. Had I gone through what you went through, there would be a great deal of profanity on my post.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I wasn't happy, but it was much better once I was actually back in my vehicle.

      And I never curse. Not on here or in real life. I used to, but got it under control years ago.

      Delete
  5. Great story. I can't wait for the second trilogy.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I'll try for a more positive one next time.

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  6. (Maybe the second trilogy will be a prequel?)

    Totally annoying situation. If you had your cell phone, why didn't you get out and go for a walk? You were near Lucasoil Stadium, right? I know you're not into sports, but a huge arena like that would have offered myriad photo ops...even the parking lot. "Our pretend tailgate party...without tailgate." Or maybe staged set-ups to photoshop into other photos...

    But I have a football-fan's brain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our original plan was to stay close and wait for the call. However, it was quite cold that morning and our jackets were in the van. Plus, carrying our stuff around got old really quick.

      I sound really whiny in this post. I think a small part of the issue was that we were worn out from the previous days events. I was collapsed in a chair and really didn't want to get up.

      Delete
  7. I hate it when plans don't go the way you want but hey, it makes a GREAT story!!

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  8. I think mechanics have the most ways of extending time of all occupations. You were lucky that it was just four hours! I've seen folks delayed for weeks.

    Here's hoping your next Indy trip is 200% better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. The van breaking down caused all the subsequent problems. My next trip should be much MUCH smoother.

      Delete
  9. I can. not. stand. when people dont just TELL me the stupid truth about stuff. And, I hate when people needlessly waste my time. I would have been livid with the van repair place. My imaptient ass would have been at the counter when they opened staring them down, though. Glad you made it home safe!
    Devan
    (thank you for not having captcha! Jen's hangs my computer up almost every time!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. If they hadn't been so far away, I would have been there. I was a too trusting.

      I hate CAPTCHA. I got rid of them as soon as I figured out how.

      Delete
  10. Oh well, at least you didn't get mugged. ;) Children at a children's museum...what a pain! Ha!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. There were about 50 times more than I expected. Very crowded place. I was ready to go back to the bad neighborhood.

      Delete
  11. Brett, I tagged you for a fun quiz! It'll be posted to my blog Tuesday, April 10th. Hop on over to check it out. No pressure, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whatever it is, I will be more than happy to participate. Thank you.

      Delete
  12. Oh my goodness! Count me out of anything involving wailing midgets.

    Get thee home!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree with Red, photo's would of been great. Your daughter is very pretty and might have given you ideas for more blogs. I have been to the childrens museum, free day or not, it's CRAZY!!! I hope for you both have better luck on the next trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We will be headed back that direction to try again.

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  14. That Lego looks amazing.
    If you ever get to England visit Legoland. Kinda like Disneyland but Lego.

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    Replies
    1. They had some really impressive Lego stuff there, but it was only a temporary display. I would love to see some of the big ones.

      Delete

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