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If you’ve ever needed an excuse to pamper your pooch, there is no better way than taking Fido to Indy’s gourmet bakery for dogs. The Three Dog Bakery is simply a delight for canine and human companion alike. One foot through the door and you and your loyal quadruped will be tantalized by the sweet aroma of yummy cookies. It’s difficult to remember that none of the goodies are for human consumption!

The most striking feature of the Three Dog Bakery is at the back of this downtown Indianapolis store. Follow your dog’s nose up to the gleaming glass-covered counter displaying a remarkable range of gourmet treats. All of the Pooch Pastries are made with natural ingredients and are available for puppies and adult dogs, with reduced calorie formula foods for those weight-watching pups.

Owners Scott and Stacey Petcu highly recommend the Peanut Butter Cookies, which are packed with 100 percent peanuts and contain no additional sweeteners

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For the fresh foodie, this place is Indy’s one stop shop for local produce. Goose the Market offers everything from meats and cheeses to breads and wines, plus a small café that offers sandwiches, soups, and even Gelato. You can grab a pint of your favorite local downstairs, or visit the wine cellar and select a great bottle of wine.

This neighborhood market sits on the corner of 25th and Delaware and evokes the old world style of a downtown market, so don’t expect to find certain vegetables when they are not in season.

Consider Goose the Market to be the meeting place for Indiana’s finest foods. With a little help from local suppliers like Fischer Farms, Good Life Farms, Upland Brewing Company, Traders Point Creamery and Apple Family Farm, the Goose stocks its shelves high.

Cheese – So passionate about their cheeses, Goose have selected 12 of their favorites for you to try, including chèvre, big blue veins

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For a day with a difference, why not try Climb Time Indy, an entertaining climbing facility in Indianapolis that is sure to provide a great day out? Whether you are a seasoned climber or a novice, this gym is a safe place to experience the thrill of rock climbing.

Climb Time Indy offers a wide range of difficulty levels, from very easy to extremely difficult, and has over 4,000 different climbing holds to choose from. If you are a nervous beginner and want to start slowly, then you can practice at your own pace. There is a separate area for members and a space to practice your rappelling, or “abseiling,” as it is often referred to by veterans.

Providing more than 8,000 square feet of climbing surface, Climb Time Indy is the place to learn a new skill. All equipment like harnesses, ropes and shoes are available to rent for a small fee, and there are no age restrictions. If you are a little more confident and want to do some “

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Although not quite as spacious as the Central Perk, this charming Broad Ripple coffee shop certainly has oodles of charm, and is a favorite haunt for locals. Hoosiers are known for supporting their local independent establishments, and this coffee Mecca is perfectly located just off the Monon Trail.

Established in 1997, the Monon Coffee Company is Indy’s java joint to grab and go before work, or to just spend some downtime on a comfy sofa over a relaxing cup of coffee and a homemade pastry. The Monon Coffee Shop is the place to go for business meetings because of the convenient location and the free Wi-Fi on premises. The prices are much more reasonable than your typical coffee shop chain, and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. During the warmer months, there is also a small seating area at the front of the coffee shop.

Their selection of coffee brews is extensive and exciting, with many of their own creations on the menu. If you are looking

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It’s finally here - Indy’s one-stop ice-cream shop at the best possible location, lovingly nestled against the Monon Trail.

While this wooden building is perhaps best remembered as the Monon Railway's Broad Ripple train station, until 1959, and then as the Whistle Stop Deli, it has now been shrewdly resurrected by owners of “Brics” – the Broad Ripple Ice Cream Shop.

Ideally located at 64th and the Monon, this chilly sensation with its warm, pristine space and modern décor, features all mod –cons and even genuine crockery. No plastic bottles or cups here either, just glassware bottles designed for recycling, and a water station for filling water bottles of passers-by.

Brics overloads its shelves with 40 flavors of Sherman's hand-dipped ice-cream (Shermans is a Michigan-based ice cream company that, like tradition Baskin-Robbins ice creams has a higher-than-traditional milk fat content).&n

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A hub for residential and commercial interior designers and contractors seeking quality natural stone and ceramic tile, Mees Distributors is also an inspiring showroom for do-it-yourselfers. 

Park your car and take a tour of the building’s exterior with sparkling stonework and exquisite carvings of Cincinnati scenes and icons.  Walk inside and be dazzled first with the mosaic star on the showroom floor and then beautiful tile everywhere.

The many, many stone samples and tiles for sale easily overwhelm visitors but it’s exciting for consumers to see the rich variety stone and tile available.  Friendly salespeople are there to assist customers and will show you how to read the price code and learn what’s in stock and what must be special ordered, but basically the staff will leave customers on their own to discover their preferences.

Mees Distributors grew from twin brothers, Howard and Stanley Mees’,

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On a side street of MainStrasse Village in Covington, take a short walk from the square’s fun and food, toward the Clock Tower. From April through October, the clock gives an hourly mechanical show of the legend of the Pied Piper, but before, or just after the clock strikes the hour, go to the building on the corner, and follow the footpath. Take the stairs, go in the street door, turn to the right, and then enter the Magic Shop.

It’s not much to look at.  A glass countertop displays scarves, cards and magic wands. Tricks and books and novelty items stuff the shelves and display racks. It’s cluttered and crowded, but there’s magic amid the chaos.

Owner and Magician Artie Kidwell appears. He’s been doing magic since he was five, and he’s eager to help both novice and professional magicians. His store houses all the latest in the art of illusion, along with vintage tricks honed from esta

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In the world of big business where making money is the name of the game, it’s good to see a local establishment stepping up to the plate using its powers for good, not evil.

Named after first Indianapolis lawyer, abolitionist, senator and farmer, Calvin Fletcher, Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company is a relatively new coffee shop set just south-east of downtown Indianapolis. It's aptly named because this unusual coffee shop seeks to promote the building of relationships within the community in which they live and work. Diligently working to provide a high standard of products, they donate all of their profits to organizations and charities within the Fletcher Place neighborhood that serve local and national needs.

Since September 2009, the coffee shop has seen an increase in revenue as the word gets around. As the only coffee shop in the historic Fletcher Place area, they offer their premises for neighborhood meetings and events,

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A portrait lasts generations, captures personality, speaks of tradition and represents the ideal version of a person. Stop in the portrait studio of award-winning artist Carol Strebel, owner of StrebelArt, and see the results of her passion for portraiture.

"People are endlessly fascinating,” she says. “My primary interest has always been people. I think my gift as an artist is to bring life to people on canvas, and I strive to convey emotion and mood in my work."

Multiple easels line the work area, often filled with canvases of clients’ work in progress. There’s also the model stand, lights and various equipment Strebel uses to capture her models. “People always tell me what fun they had through the whole process -- from consultation to photo-shoot, to seeing the sketch, doing the color study, visiting the painting as it progresses and to finally owning the completed portrait. Some of them change their outfits

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Full of elegance and charm, a stroll down the cobblestone avenues of Lockerbie Square will undeniably conjure up the past grandeur of Indianapolis’s oldest surviving neighborhood.

The area originally took its name from the Lockerbie family who came to Indianapolis in 1831 and later began to develop the district. With many of the early Lockerbie Square residents of German descent, the neighborhood also became known as Germantown.

The housing demand of the late nineteenth century saw Lockerbie Square flourish. However, those times were long forgotten after the turn of World War I when many wealthy residents moved northwards and left the inner city. Lockerbie Square fell into disarray and the buildings were either abandoned or forgotten. It was only during the 1960s and 1970s that the square finally became restored to its former elegance, and began to thrive once more.

Only a stone thrown away from downtown, this near eastside area can right

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Every building tells a story, and occasionally we stumble across a row of buildings that could claim to write a book of them. Tucked away in the middle of a shabby eastside district of Indy is a collective of buildings that characterize fine architectural examples of the Victorian, Edwardian, Colonial, and Eastlake era, to name just a few.

Woodruff Place, as this area is known, was designed between 1872 and 1873 by James Orton Woodruff. His vision was to create an affluent residential area of the inner city abundantly decked with parks, lush boulevard lawns, flower urns, and grand statues and fountains. Devised to feel like an escape from the city without ever leaving the city, Woodruff Place was Indianapolis’ first suburb.

Take a pleasant stroll around the neighborhood and you will notice that it is divided into three drives - East, West, and Middle that run north-south. Cross Drive naturally crosses over them, with beautifully ornate water foun

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Dwindling financial resources and the near-depletion of what was once a rainy-day fund of more than $2 billion is turning the preview of this January’s biennial session of the Indiana Legislature into a slug-fest nearly six months before lawmakers convene.

“I can’t even imagine the conflict that’s going to occur when the two houses (of the legislature) get into session next year,” one prominent long-term staff director for two powerful state legislators told HelloIndianapolis in an exclusive interview. “It’s bad enough when one party is controlling both the House and the Senate. We should be hoping that the House turns Republican, only if to save the sanity of the people that work for these elected officials. Otherwise, it’s going to be a blood bath, and the people of Indiana are going to be the losers.”

Indiana accumulated an additional 9 percent in tax revenues in July compared to the same time a year ago, but t

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It’s not often that the Circle City is the venue for the premiere of a motion picture from the likes of Rob Reiner. But Indianapolis made a little bit of film history on August 4 with the Hilbert Circle showing of Reiner’s film, Flipped, starring Callan McAuliffe, Madeline Carroll, Aidan Quinn and Rebecca DeMornay.

Don’t tell Hoosiers that Rotten Tomatoes, so far at least, has given the film only a 25 percent positive “Tomatometer” rating – the thousands that thronged to Monument Circle downtown to get a glimpse of the Hollywood ensemble who flew to Indianapolis to participate in this showpiece sponsored by Heartland Truly Moving Pictures were overwhelmed by the experience.

"I make films about human beings that live on earth, there are not a lot of explosions, there's not a lot of CGI [computer-generated imagery]. It's about real human beings with real feelings going through the things that we all go through.”

Fl

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This year at the Idiana State fair is "Year of the Pig."  Today was the start of the 17 day run of what is sure to be a great time filled with fun, exhibits and festivities.  Among some notable events this year are the biggest hog competition and the high school marching band competition.  The recent cooler temperatures will hopefully allow for a turnout like last year, which saw almost a million people.  So kick off the tradition, go grab some greasy fair grub, and enjoy all the Indiana state fair has to offer. 

This year will be the year that the inaugural Big Ten football championship game will take place in Indy.  This will bring in thousands of people to the state and generate millions of dollars.  Several cities put in bid buy in was Indianapolis that got it this year. This is only a one year bid so next year a different city will host the event.  Indy already hosts multiple other noteable sports events including the Big Tens mens and womens basketball tournaments, final fours sparatically, and is also set to host the 2012 Super Bowl.  The game will be set for December 11 at Lucas Oil Stadium, and is expected to generate at least ten million dollars.  Hosting the event will bring positive exposure to the city as well as the event. 

Indiana's own John Mellencamp announced tour dates for the first leg of the No Better Than This Tour. It starts Oct. 29th in Bloomington, then continues with four other stops in Indiana in four weeks including two in Indianapolis, one at Clowes Hall and one at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  The other two cities apart from Indianapolis are Fort Wayne and South Bend Tickets go on sale this Saturday.  Mellencamp is famous for the exhilarating shows and performances. Keep your eyes open for this one.  

At the most recent meeting on the subject which occured yesterday, it was stated that hourly rate will double going from 75 cents to a dollar and a half.  This increase if  funds for the city would go to repair sidewalks and streets, and install meters accepting credit cards in the downtown and Broad Ripple areas of Indianapolis. 

Most meters run until 6 pm but with the new city plan this would extend to 8, 9 or 11 p.m. depending of the area.  The hourly meter rate which have not increased in 35 years could start to take place by the the end of this year or early next year.  The city has made a formal request for proposals to oversee almost 3,600 parking meters, two city garages, three downtown garages, two state owned parking garages and a surface lot. 

Ryan Widmer will face his third murder trial in early 2011 for the drowning death of his wife, Sarah Widmer.

The third trial comes after Judge Neal Bronson recently decided he would not grant a motion to acquit Widmer following the second trial, which ended in a hung jury.  The first trial actually ended with Widmer’s conviction, but the guilty verdict could not stand after evidence of jury misconduct was discovered.

Apparently, jurors conducted their own home experiments and used the results to reach their verdict.  Part of the trial hinged on the fact that Sarah Widmer’s body, allegedly pulled from the bathtub by her frantic husband, was dry when rescue workers arrived.  Jurors timed their own air-dry time, but the legal system dictates that only evidence presented in court be used in the decision of guilt or innocence.

Two other developments complicate Widmer’s trial further.  Prosecutors claim they have a confession f

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The health care company Eli Lilly is utilizing more than 9,100 workers for the "beautification" of a large stretch of interstate 70.  They will be cleaning up the highway and planting a huge number of flowers and trees.  The date set for the closure will be Thursday, October 7th, and will be closed down from 6 am to 6 pm.  National traffic is be re routed  southbound on I-465 and local traffic will have to use U.S. 40 or 10th street to get downtown.  So on October 7th give yourself a few extra minutes to get where you need to go.

The crowd stood at Riverfront Stadium.  The count was 1-1.  T.V.s transfixed baseball fans throughout Cincinnati and across the nation.  Hit King Pete Rose crouched low and swung.  Flashbulbs popped.  Everyone cheered.  Hit 4192 flew to left-center field. 

Pete Rose topped Ty Cobb’s record with that famous single on September 11, 1985.

A few years later, Pete’s actions made him infamous.  His gambling habits led to charges that he bet on baseball.  An offense deemed, rightly or wrongly, as one of the worst offenses a baseball player could commit, ever since the “Eight Men Out” of the Chicago White Sox intentionally threw the World Series of 1919 to win a bet.  So, Pete Rose was banned from baseball because of gambling.

Still, the Cincinnati Reds wanted to honor their hometown hero Pete Rose for his amazing record.  The organization petitioned baseball commissi

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Look!  Up in the sky!  No, down on the ground.  It’s no bird, or plane.  But it is Superman.  Walking.

Superman’s taking a walk across the country and he’s stopping in Cincinnati.  In a 12-issue series, the Man of Steel is reconnecting with his adopted roots, meeting everyday people, and helping them out as he travels across the U.S.  His first two stops took him to Philadelphia and Detroit, and now he’s headed to Cincinnati, according to The Source, DC Comics' official online blog.

It’s still a secret about what the superhero will do in Cincinnati, or what landmarks he might visit, but comic book aficionados seem fairly certain about why he’s visiting the Queen City—it’s our Union Terminal.  Superman fans say that the iconic art deco Union Terminal building served

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Streetcar few Desire

The Cincinnati Enquirer recently reported the findings of a poll conducted by New Jersey-based SurveyUSA about the proposed Cincinnati streetcar.  According to the poll, 48% of the respondents called the streetcar line “a waste of taxpayer money,” and another 20% said “it’s a risky project.”  

At a time when the city faces paying for pensions with disappearing funds, and budget constraints threatening basic services, many believe a streetcar is an unnecessary expense.   Additionally, people argue that the proposed streetcar from downtown to the university area of Clifton, a route already served by the financially struggling Metro bus line, won’t be used.  And then there are those that say that the streetcar will simply never be built, and those naysayers (46% of the people polled) point to our infamous “tunnel to nowhere” that once promised to be a subway

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