Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i Indianapolis Monthly

Parental Guidance As a parent, I have zero tolerance for my kind—particularly anyone who has ever chimed in with overly personal inquiries during the Q&A portion of a school open house, coached a youth sport with the zeal of Bob Knight, or posted hourly Facebook updates on the advances of a bug’s blitzkrieg through the household digestive tract. These people are the worst; so, too, is the mother I recently spied at a high school band concert, where she practically cat-called during a drumline encore—an unbridled display of enthusiasm customarily followed by undergarments fl ung onto a stage. I sense most types like this suff er from the same defi ciency: a life of their own. Yet, some parents don’t have to look too far for a donor: Their kids…

THIS YEAR, Penguin Books began rolling out a series of 40 Shakespeare plays with covers illustrated by Indy artist Manuja Waldia, who got the job fresh out of school. In 2014, Waldia, a Milwaukee native, was interning with Interactive Intelligence in Indianapolis and using her free time to sketch one object per day. Some were animated GIFs, like a fl ickering menorah and an ax chopping logs. When the creative director for Penguin Random House saw her enchanting online collection of 90 icons, he asked Waldia to produce a Macbeth version as an audition for a freelance gig. Now the 24-year-old is in the midst of churning out four or fi ve sketches for each book cover, working on a couple of side projects, and declining requests to design tatt…

THE THREAD NOW OPEN Shop goods from favorite local boutiques like Addendum, House of Z, Nurture, Chatham Home, and more at The Fashion Mall’s The District at Keystone pop-up through January. NEW LINES Retro rewind, anyone? 19nine (19nine.com) reissues basketball shorts from Indiana college hoops teams, while Throwback Threads shirts sold on Facebook front nostalgic venues like Melody Inn, The Vogue, and The Patio. MAKE YOUR LIST Check out our holiday gift guide, online now. In fact, check it twice. —LESLIE BAILEY Get the Hot List of great buys in local boutiques every Wednesday at Indianapolis Monthly.com…

MICHELLE FACOS slid her hand out of its moose-leather mitten and exposed it to the blistering Arctic air. With it came the rush of inspiration. Moose leather had been too stretchy to be used for clothing until tanning advances in the 1990s, but the material that Facos felt at a Swedish trade fair on that frigid day in 2004 had a soft, supple grain. And she had a project. Facos is the co-founder and chief designer of MooseBooties, a Bloomington-based baby shoe line. Her stepdaughter handmade the first pairs, and Facos—currently an art history professor at IU—sent them to friends in colder climates, who fell in love with their warm, flexible design. “They really liked how soft the fleece was, and the fact that most infant shoes made from leather…

W HEN I WAS growing up, I was taught that when people asked how I was doing, I should say “fine,” even if I wasn’t. “They’re just asking to be polite,” my parents said. “They don’t need the details.” My Aunt Doris never got that memo. When people asked how she was doing, she told them everything, describing at length her trials, which were endlessly fascinating to me. At the age of 6, I was convinced that I, like Aunt Doris, suffered from menopause. I had all the symptoms—a general weariness, and I sweated a lot. Other than that, I was in excellent health, which was good, since my parents couldn’t be persuaded to take me to the doctor unless I had a bone sticking out of my skin. Even…

Our streets are an embarrassment. Meridian-Kessler is full of $500,000 houses, but the pavement there looks like the surface of the moon. The Colts. Jessica “Figgy” Figuero, originally from Indy, was an early breakout star on the current season of Survivor—but only because she hooked up with one of her tribemates and immediately became a target. That’s terrible gameplay. Plus, neither had brushed their teeth in days. The serpentine line at the TJ Maxx in Castleton. Overheard: “I want to hit these people with a LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE sign.” Given how cool the INLightIN digitalprojection festival turned out in August, the promotion seemed lacking. We didn’t hear about it until a week before. While word did get out and the crowd was bigger than any since Super Bowl XLVI, organizers…

Indy artist Manuja Waldia is the talent behind sharp new Shakespeare covers coming soon to a bookstore near you, p. 20  Straight No Chaser  THE GROUP STARTED HARMONIZING WHILE STUDENTS AT IU. David Roberts, Steve Morgan, and Randy Stine, all founding members of Straight No Chaser in 1996, still perform with the group today. Stine got “the call” from the CEO of Atlantic Records in 2008, and that’s when things really took off . ITS NAME IS TAKEN FROM THE 1967 THELONIOUS MONK ALBUM. “But it also represents what we do,” says Roberts. “We’re on stage, giving it to the audience straight. There are no fi ll tracks, no instruments—just our voices.” HONESTLY? THERE ARE CERTAIN HOLIDAY SONGS THEY NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN. For Roberts, that would be Mariah…

THE STEAM of locomotives now swirls in the sleepy streets of Atlanta with the arrival of a classic holiday-time depot, Mr. Muffi n’s Trains. The litt le store that could, formerly located in Carmel, specializes in the craft of layouts, designs, and accessories for model trains. The shop sells small-scale versions from all eras—but particularly railroading’s pre–World War II heyday—that run on a three-rail track, called Hi-Railers. In other words, owner Steven Nelson and his customers (including David Lett erman) are serious collectors, spending hundreds of dollars on a single engine. But it doesn’t cost anything to admire the store’s elaborate setups, complete with that familiar chuggachugga sound and a curl of smoke, or the 300 diesel and electric steam-engine models that carry price tags up to $2,000 and represent…

Black Market introduced its Black Market Rum Society earlier this year, allowing members to sample the restaurant’s 100-plus rums—from aromatic, cask-aged, English-style spirits to the more vegetal Frenchstyle rhum agricoles—and earn merit badges for doing so. “We encourage people to look at rum as more than just something you throw into Coke,” says co-owner Ed Rudisell, who has reached an enviable level of expertise on the tiki topic, having traveled to distilleries and festivals around the world to sample the best. “The Rum Society is meant to connect people and turn them into rum geeks,” says Rudisell, “and to be a lot of fun.” 922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757, blackmarket indy.net…

THE AMBITIOUS packaging of downtown’s hot new knockout, Salt on Mass, began months before its debut. Well in advance of the soft opening and VIP sit-down, the 200-seat seafoodand-steak restaurant anchoring a snazzy mixed-use development along Mass Ave presented itself as a fully formed establishment, in food-styled photos and interior shots showing off floor-to-ceiling windows and a sand-dollar color palette. Then came the socialmedia videos as polished as Nike ad campaigns: Here was a place where handsomely bearded men laughed over generous pours of wine, bartenders shook rose-colored cocktails, and glistening, sea-salted potatoes slid dramatically from a chef’s seasoned skillet. It would be nice if such a place existed—a gorgeous lounge of a restaurant with a sure-handed chef and adventurous menu smack-dab in the middle of a buzzy neighborhood. The…

THE SCENE opens in a desolate city. Faded posters from Going All the Way and Hoosiers hang throughout town, but the studio lights shipped to places like Pitt sburgh long ago. The camera pulls back to reveal a woman surveying the streets she left behind in her youth for a career in show business. If only they gave producers a reason to come …, she thinks to herself. Down the road, a few state senators cast sideways glances at her as they enter the Statehouse. A storm gathers in the distance. As the opening to a movie, it may seem a litt le hokey. But a real-world drama along those lines is coming to a legislative session near you. Once competitive in fi lm and television production, Indiana has fallen…

NEW BOOKSTORE With an eye for classic book art and the perfect accoutrements for your library or drawing room, Laura McPhee at Pen and Pink has been winning over the literary set online and at local art fairs for several years now. This July, she brought her growing collection of custom LP-bound notebooks, book-cover journals, and other literary bric-a-brac to a darling old house just steps from Garfi eld Park. Since then, she has been adding vintage sheet music, school posters, and antique bookends to her stock, not to mention hardbound editions from a host of onetime Hoosier publishers—an esoteric selection perfect for the discriminating reader. 2435 Shelby St., 317-372-6465, penand pinkvintage.com Custom Clothier Suit-maker Andrew Porter walks into a Chick-fi l-A and introduces himself to author John Green. One…

DEC DOWNTOWN INCLUDES Fletcher Place, Fountain Square, Mass Ave, Mile Square B’s Po Boy CAJUN Known for its po’ boys in crusty, airy bread from New Orleans, B’s brings laid-back bayou cooking to Fountain Square. The chickenand-sausage gumbo comes laden with meat and green peppers in a rich stock filled with just the right amount of delayed heat. Loyalists take it easy on the savories to leave room for housemade beignets. Lunch and dinner daily. 1261 Shelby St., 317-916-5555, bpoboy.com Bazbeaux  PIZZA As we watch some of Indy’s most celebrated restaurateurs open pie places all over town, we haven’t forgotten where we first found artichoke hearts and goat cheese on our ’za. Bazbeaux has changed little since 1986, when it opened in Broad Ripple, and it hasn’t really needed to.…

Suzanne Krowiak For someone who considers herself knowledgeable about the people and places making things happen in Indianapolis, freelance writer Suzanne Krowiak marveled at the depth of the underthe-radar talent she discovered while researching “Best of Indy” (p. 73). “Entrepreneurs and artists are now building their lives in town,” she says. “That makes this place more interesting for the rest of us.” Jon Wertheim As Sports Illustrated’s executive editor and a Tennis Channel commentator, Hoosier Jon Wertheim doesn’t cheer in the press box, but makes an exception for Carmel’s Rajeev Ram (“Tennis, Anyone? Anyone?,” p. 96). “His game is a marriage of Pete Sampras’s serve, Roger Federer’s sweeping one-handed backhand, and Stefan Edberg’s attacking instincts,” he says. Kim Schneider Freelance writer Kim Schneider came late to the sport of skiing,…

For a tree that stays fresh through Epiphany, skip the pre-cut options and channel your inner lumberjack. Axe, no. Bow saw, yes. Stop and smell the branches— really. Each variety of tree has a unique scent, such as the citrusy aroma of concolor fi rs. Consider your ornaments. Heavy decorations need the stiff er branches of varieties like blue spruce. On a budget? Look for fastgrowing pines. Ready to splurge? Choose slower-growing fi rs. Measure twice, cut once. Trees look deceptively smaller in the great outdoors. Plan ahead for transport. Giant tree + Mini Cooper = impossible physics. Want a silent night? Skip the busy weekends and come on a weeknight. (All is calm, all is bright.)…

WHAT TOYS ARE MOST POPULAR WITH KIDS THESE DAYS? For boys, trains are the No. 1 thing. In general, Barbies, Batman action fi gures, bicycles, and teddy bears top the list. HOW ABOUT GAMING SYSTEMS? Those are right up there in the top 10. If it’s the newest and greatest, they must have it. HOW DO YOU FINESSE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN’T ACTUALLY GIVE KIDS THE STUFF THEY WANT? My standard reply is, “We’ll see what we can do.” Sometimes, though, their parents will shoot down particular items, like pets, right on the spot. WHAT’S THE STRANGEST THING KIDS ASK FOR? Actually, it’s more like the saddest. They want a grandparent back who has passed on. Or they want a dad or mom who has been deployed with the…

HOW DO YOU JUGGLE A DEMANDING JOB WITH YOUR BLOG, RED’S SHOE DIARIES? The best compliment I ever got was from a client who said I smile with my clothes, even though I’m serious about my work. That made me so happy. WHERE DO YOU SHOP FOR PARTY DRESSES? I don’t like to go to department stores, because the dresses may be beautiful but they’re not unique. I like Ginger N’ Spice in Avon, Enza’s Boutique, and Nikki Blaine Couture, and often I will wear a dress that’s a few seasons old from Etsy or eBay. FAVORITE EVENTS? The Kentucky Derby. I won the fashion contest last year wearing a champagnethemed outfi t. I had saved a disposable miniature Moët fl ute and had it made into a hatpin. And…

THIS MODERN home in Zionsville’s village sounds entirely too good to be true: an environmentally responsible house without a furnace or central air that maintains optimal temperatures—year-round—while using a third of the energy of traditional construction. And yet it’s not some futuristic dream. Nearly 30,000 of these houses already exist in Europe and the Pacific Northwest. Cedar Street Builders hopes middle America is ready for the philosophy. This four-bedroom home, nicknamed Project 580, is a super-insulated, low-energy design built to a strict set of standards originally established by the German Passivhaus Institute. Last summer, it became the first house in Indiana to receive the rigorous certification. In its simplest sense, a house that has been Passivecertified is insulated to be as air-tight as possible—so buttoned-up, in fact, that body heat…

HOW DID THIS GET STARTED? I had read a story late last year about a woman named Dana Marlowe from the D.C. area who was collecting bras, pads, and tampons for women in need. I decided I was going to do a collection here, and my original goal was to send them off to her. But on my very first day, I received 99 bras delivered to my house— and they have not stopped since. I ended up calling Dana and we decided that we should keep them here. THEN THINGS GOT INTERESTING, RIGHT? I originally set out to collect 3,500 bras before December. I ended up meeting that goal in 88 days. Since then, I’ve exploded, and Support the Girls has become nonprofi t, and they’ve employed me as…

BIG NEW SALON You’ll go for a haircut, but you’ll stay for the serenity suite. Designed by Chris Stuart of local firm Luur Design, the interior of G Michael Salon looks like a cross between a sexy cocktail lounge and a Stanley Kubrick fi lm set. After relocating to IronWorks, the gorgeous salon’s business has taken off . But don’t worry: With nearly 20 stylists and operating hours six days a week, you can still snag an appointment. 2727 E. 86th St., 317-773-7700, gmichaelsalon .com NEW FITNESS MEMBERSHIP For some gym rats, only one facility, one class, one bike in the second row will do. For the rest of us, there’s Open Gym , a concept that has been popular on the coasts for some time and is now gaining…