Indiana update

[Gothgrrl]

We made it safely, but what a long road trip.

It has been almost a week here. The locals are all pretty friendly. I haven't ventured out much, I need to get one of those Tom Tom. I have such bad sense of direction. So far it has been okay. I still miss California, but am excited that I finally got to see New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas. I really liked the people in Texas. Very friendly and polite.

So far it has been cold here. It even snowed a little. I think about 1 inch or so. I also got to experience some loud horn going off for about 5 minutes. It was very annoying until hubby's friend said it's a tornado warning. I said that from now on I'll be sleeping in the basement.

Anyhow, I just want to thank you all for the advice. I will let you know more as I adjust to this new adventure.

 

[JewelFreak]

Glad you made it to foreign shores in one piece, GG. It will take some adjustment -- new places always do, and in many ways the different areas of this country are almost like different nations. Do keep us up on your adventure!

--- Laurie

 

[Gothgrrl]

Thanks JewelFreak. Right now I'm just trying to fit in and get used to this move. It was hard when we left our empty home in No. Cal. Even though it was a small home, I thought hubby and I would grow old there.

On a happy note, the place we are staying has 2 bathrooms. Our old home had only 1. It is a 2 story and I always wanted a 2 story. Well, not anymore. I keep hitting the back of my ankle as I go downstairs. I now have a bruise the size of a dollar coin. Just think, I will have some shapely legs soon. tee-hee.

 

[dragonfly411]

Gothgirl - Please get ANYTHING BUT a Tom Tom.... they're awful. Seriously. I have used it all of four times.

1) We went to Disney. Instead of taking us to the gates, it took us to the employee entrance. I am not DAISY DUCK!

2) We went to get my new truck. The city we needed was East of Orlando. Tom Tom tried to take us west to go East.

3) We went to Islands of Adventure. Once again Tom Tom took us to the staff entrance to the park.

4) We went to a concert in Tampa. Tom Tom did not take us to the concert arena. Tom Tom took us to a staff entrance to an air hanger at the international airport.



I'm glad you made it ok though!!! I hope you settle well.

 

[zipzapgirl]

I am originally from Henderson, so I grew up in the area. Glad to see you are settling in well. I was thinking about some of the things I enjoy about going back home and thought I might share them with you, in no particular order.

German West Side culture - There are a lot of people with German heritage on the west side of Evansville - they still have a German program at some of the high schools - and there are a few restaurants that play on this culture. The Gerst Haus is a beer hall and in the summer there is a biergarten as well.
Eastland Mall and the area around Target - The city of Evansville isn't that large, but because it is the central point for the surrounding area, there are a lot more stores there. Things go on sale a lot and it doesn't feel crowded and crazy like it does shopping in a major metropolitan area (except Christmas!). I actually do a lot of shopping when I am home because sales tax is lower, deals are better and it is lots less stressful (I live in NYC metro area).
Festivals - There are great festivals several times a year. Huge fireworks and fun at the Freedom Festival around the 4th of July (and you don't have to worry you won't get a spot, unlike more crowded places). The West Side Nut Club throws the Fall Festival in October(?). My personal favorite is the WC Handy Jazz festival in Henderson in mid-June. They bring in about 4 days of great live bands to the waterfront park and it is almost all free. Henderson is only a 20-30 minute drive, by the way
Casino Aztar - Not for the casino, but because they often have live bands and activities going on. If you want to go out on a Sunday night, this might be one of the better bets since the options get limited after a certain time.
Real Estate / Cost of Living - If you haven't noticed already, your money goes incredibly far towards housing in this region and living costs are low for food, groceries, clothing, furniture, etc.
Down to Earth People - The best analogy I can come up with is that people are much more practical in this region and "everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time". People will be willing to help you and they will not usually have any ulterior motives other than just being nice. It can be disconcerting to people who have grown up in more metro areas, but once they get used to it, they really enjoy it.
Other - University of Evansville has a beautiful campus, especially when the leaves turn. There are lots of parks and nature preserves (Wesselman Woods, Angel Mounds - which was an indian site and is also great for flying kites) in the area and renting a little shelter house for a cookout party is cheap and easy. Burdette Park has a great water park/pool area. Newburgh has a really cute waterfront with a nice restaurant (I forget the name) and some cute little antiques stores and boutiques, which might make for a nice afternoon outing. Louisville is only about 1.5 hrs away, if you need a change of scenery. Roberts Stadium is the main entertainment venue and they get in some pretty big acts. There is also a theater troupe called the Repertory People of Evansville who put on a series of local plays each year in the downtown old courthouse. There are lots of haunted houses at Halloween (the most macabre was always at the mental hospital(!) - insert joke here).

Keep us updated on your acclimation

 

[iugurl]

I understand about the cold! Tuesday or Wednesday (can't remember) it was 70+ degrees. Then Thursday it started dropped down to 30 degrees. WTF!? lol It is crazy. I am a little farther north than you, closer to Indy.

 

[monarch64]

I understand about the cold! Tuesday or Wednesday (can't remember) it was 70+ degrees. Then Thursday it started dropped down to 30 degrees. WTF!? lol It is crazy. I am a little farther north than you, closer to Indy.

You and I are probably quite close, then, Iugurl!!!

Gothgirl, Zipzap listed lots of great things that I had forgotten about E-ville. It is really a nice little town and people are very friendly. You will be just fine there, and I'm glad to hear you gained a bathroom--that will be so nice! You will get used to the stairs eventually, and yes, they will tone your legs! Whoo hoo!

If you ever feel like getting out of town, the little historic town of Madison isn't too far away from you, also on the Ohio River. I believe you can still tour several of the historic buildings and mansions there and it's pretty cool if you're into history or you just want to have a nice little day trip. Louisville is also close enough to you and has some fab restaurants.

Here's hoping you feel at home in your new surroundings very soon, best of luck transitioning! You'll do great!

 

[Gothgrrl]

Dragonfly411...thanks I will remember to get some other GPS.

Zipzapgirl....thank you for all the suggestions. They all sound fun. I love going out to festivals, music and food. I just went to Easland Mall. It's very nice. There is only one thing I need to find, and that's a Peet's coffee place. I don't care for Starbucks. I know a lot of people like 'em, but I find the coffee too weak. I like really strong coffee.

Also the locals are all really friendly. So far everybody seems so polite and proper.

iugirl....I just talked to some of my friends back in CA. Seems like they are having some nice clear days. I am already home sick. I just miss my life in CA. Everything's so different here. Not in a bad way, just different. I'm finding out a lot of stuff I'm used to, they don't have it here in Indy.

Monarch64...thanks...I'm trying real hard to adjust. It's funny that hubby already feels at home. He said the only thing he will miss about Ca. is the weather. Boy this man can adapted to just about anything.