A Lady in London

It’s not often that my travels take me to Indiana. Aside from a Notre Dame football game a few years ago, I’ve never been to the state. But when one of my best friends from college planned a wedding in Indiana, it was time to head to the Midwest to celebrate and do a bit of Bloomington, Indiana sightseeing on the side.

I arrived in Indiana on Friday just in time for the wedding rehearsal at the Unitarian Church in Bloomington. After going over processions, recessions, readings, solos, and duets, the wedding party headed downtown.

It was only then that I got my first real glimpse of Bloomington. Having arrived with no expectations whatsoever, I found myself in a laid-back Midwestern college town set out on a logical grid pattern. A picturesque square full of shops surrounded the Monroe County courthouse, from where side streets rolled off in all directions. These were lined with lively restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and cafes.

One such establishment was the Irish Lion, a bar and restaurant where the wedding rehearsal dinner took place. The Irish Lion had an outdoor corridor between two buildings where several long tables were arranged for an al fresco meal. After having some cocktails in the classic hunting trophy-filled bar, we spent a warm evening enjoying dinner as the daylight slowly faded away.

After dinner the groom and his friends went to one of the local bars in Bloomington, but the bride and bridesmaids had something better in mind: ice cream. Not far from the rehearsal dinner was a Bloomington establishment called the Chocolate Moose. A traditional ice cream and burger shop, it had a sign and menu that looked like they hadn’t changed in 50 years. After lining up to place our orders at the window, rich milkshakes, ice cream cones, and sundaes materialized in front of us. They were delicious.

The next morning I had the opportunity to experience another unique Bloomington restaurant. This one was called the Green Bean, and I met a friend of mine from college there. Lisa and I hadn’t seen one another since our graduations from Brown and RISD, and I was excited to catch up with her. We enjoyed breakfast on the veranda of the cafe. It was set in an old house that had upstairs rooms which had been turned into a vintage clothing shop and an antique store.

From there Lisa took me down the B-Line Trail in the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD). The pedestrianized trail was recently built on a former railway line. It was flanked on either side by art installations, cafes, and small green spaces.

At the end of the B-Line was one of the highlights of my Bloomington, Indiana sightseeing: the Saturday farmers’ market. Rows of stalls selling fresh flowers, giant green heads of kale, bright butter lettuce, and sweet scarlet strawberries were complimented by a live band and vendors offering prepared foods.

We strolled around the market for awhile, taking in the scene, sharing some strawberries, and marveling at the Amish farmers behind many of the booths. After my friend left, I stayed on and bought a delicious lentil and plantain tamale from a stall called Feast.

Moving on, I walked past the courthouse and down Kirkwood Avenue, a street which led to Indiana University. The academic institution was what brought my friend and her fiance to Bloomington in the first place, and I was interested in exploring its campus.

I stolled by a myriad of shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and cafes on my way to the university’s iconic Sample Gates. Passing through them, I found myself in a lush green space filled with pink and red flowers, green lawns, and tall trees. I might have mistaken it for a forest had there not been a smattering of historic limestone buildings present.

I spent some time wandering around the IU campus, stumbing across pretty gazebos, an old church with a small cemetery, and a number of large academic buildings that housed various educational departments.

Eventually I returned to where I was staying to collect my bridesmaid dress and meet the wedding party at a nearby hotel. We spent a quick hour getting ready and then headed to the church for the wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, and afterwards we returned to the IU campus for photos.

Later that night we went to the Bloomington Convention Center for the wedding reception, where we ate, drank, and danced until midnight. My friend had a bluegrass band playing for the evening, which was a lot of fun.

The next morning we were all up early to meet the bride and groom for a post-wedding breakfast. As I made my rounds at the buffet, my inner expat was overwhelmed at the choice of classic American breakfast foods. I piled my plate with biscuits and gravy while eyeing the waffle maker, the cinnamon rolls, and the oatmeal. I was going to have to come back for seconds.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to eat much more than I had taken on my first round. At 9:30am, I was off to Indianapolis airport for my flight to Chicago. I was sad to not have more time for Bloomington, Indiana sightseeing, restaurants, and of course, wedding celebrations. My friend will be there for another year, though, so I might just have to go back and visit her sometime.