Living, Finding the Basics —
Indianapolis Survival Guide
Grocery Shopping
- O’Malia’s: This is the only supermarket downtown, located on the corner of New York and New Jersey. It’s pretty small and a little expensive, but also convenient. Marsh recently purchased the original O’Malia’s, which helped lower prices and get more selection all around. This is a great place for fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, and any of your everyday needs.
- Kroger: There are Krogers all over the place. Popular ones are located on W. 38th St. just past I-465, Crawfordsville Road and I-465, and at Keystone and 65th. Kroger is pretty cheap, and you can save even more with one of those keychain swipee things.
- Meijer: There are also many Meijer stores, specifically one located at 38th St. and Moller. This Meijer is opened 24 hours a day, which is convenient for late night breaks and such.
- Marsh: Lots of Marshes around – 38th St. and I-465, Crawfordsville and I-465, 82nd and Allisonville, 62nd and Keystone, etc. This is the best place to go for fresh produce and also the best place to go if you want to spend all your loan money on Wheat Thins.
- Target: A really nice one at I-65 and Southport Rd. on the south side, one on 86th St. near Castleton Mall, and one on 82nd St. a mile west of Keystone.
- Wal-mart: 86th and Michigan Rd. and I-69 and 96th (both with Sam’s Clubs), Keystone and 71st, etc. Cheap food, long lines.
Health and Fitness
Try to channel your failure into something positive like working out that way if you don’t do well you’ll at least have a killer bod. – Class of 2009
As you’ll learn in medical school, being fit is good for you. Here are some options:
- Daly Center Workout Room: This workout room is available to all medical students. It’s located next to the lockers in the student lounge and requires your student ID to swipe in. It’s small but convenient. If you don’t require much to work out, this is free and you can use the private showers in the bathrooms too.
- IUPUI Natatorium: A world-class pool is available to you for 20 bucks a semester. Hours are limited. It’s located on New York and University just south of the IUPUI campus. Your 20 bucks will also give you access to a really small weight room with bad hours. For 35 bucks you get access to the Polaris room which is where the IUPUI athletes work out and is a larger, fully stocked weight facility with better hours. You can register in the basement of the Nat, and bring your student ID. You can also take advantage of open gym, which is held many weeknights (they’re always changing days, so beware) and brings out Indy’s finest ballers. Get there early if you want to play more than one game.
- NIFS – National Institute for Fitness and Sport: This is the nicest place to work out, at least in the downtown area. They have an indoor track, countless treadmills/elliptical machines/bikes/steppers, a very large weight room, a large nautilus section, free lockers, and the old Market Square Arena basketball court. Members get discounted/free classes on everything from yoga to salsa to spinning to Ryu-Te, and have access to trainers, body fat testing, etc. Occasionally, you’ll run into visiting NBA players or the sort. The only downside is the lack of a pool. As a student you’ll pay 37.50 a month and you’ll have to pay an initiation fee, too. The facility is located just south of the Natatorium on University as it curves east. Also ask about a 2-week free trial membership.
- YMCA: There are 11 of these around town. The closest one to campus (about 1.5 miles away) is the Athenaeum, which is located downtown between Michigan and Mass Ave. The rates here are very low. Prices are adjusted to your income, and since most of us do not have incomes and are living off of Sallie Mae or other lenders, we qualify for the lowest price bracket, which is about $26 a month with a $41 initiation fee. Make sure you bring in a list of your loans and how much tuition is at IUSM with you, so that you’ll qualify for this rate. The YMCA also gives great discounts for family memberships.
- Cardinal Fitness: If you’re looking for a cheap, no-contract gym with several locations around Indianapolis, check out Cardinal Fitness. This is a good gym for those living in Broad Ripple. After an initiation fee, you’ll pay only $20/month.
- Other: Many people choose to forego any gym membership, as many apartment complexes offer small workout facilities. There’s also LA Fitness and Bally’s Fitness centers around town.
Running: One very popular place to run is along the canal downtown. It’s a pedestrian-only path follows the scenic waterway through downtown Indianapolis, and is a hot spot for rollerbladers, joggers, walkers (with and without dogs), and especially ducks. It is 1.5 miles from end to end. Other locations include the Eagle Creek Park trails on the west side, Northwest Way Park, White River Greenway, Whitewater State Park, the Monon Trail, Butler University Campus, and the outdoor track at the Natatorium.
Biking: People bike along the canal, but it’s not that long. You could do your best Lance Armstrong on the Monon, which stretches through the city from 10th St. near 65/70 all the way up to Carmel (a good 15 miles or so) or try the paved bike trail that follows the White River Greenway and passes through Riverside Park. There is also a bike club that meets at Bike Indy up on the north side near the Keystone Mall.
Intramural Sports: Soccer, flag football, volleyball, rugby, lacrosse, basketball, etc., you can sign up for them all depending on the season through the Natatorium (274.3518) Sign up early as space is usually limited and fills up fast.