Block reminder

Just a friendly reminder, if you plan to book a room in one of our hotel blocks now is the time to act! The block rate expires this wednesday (one month from the wedding, yikes!)

Thinking outside the block ...

Most of you are aware of our hotel block options (if not, look to your left, they're right there!), and there are plenty of rooms left in all the blocks at the moment, but for those of you who might be looking for other lodging options let me suggest Hotwire.

Now, Hotwire is a bit of a travel gamble because you don't get to see the actual name of the hotel you've booked until you've already paid for it. This, however, is why you can get such a great deal on a really nice room. For example, a quick search this morning for rooms in downtown Indy for June 12-13 brought up a 4-star hotel for $75/night. There are only four 4-star hotels in downtown (the Canterbury, the Conrad, the Marriott, and the Omni) so you can be certain it's one of those. I'm sure the regular room rate for these hotels is more like $175-$200 a night so talk about a steal!

If you decide to use Hotwire I would suggest limiting your search area to Downtown Indianapolis and also employing the "3-star and up" filter (so you don't end up in the totally sketchy Days Inn downtown, it's pretty bad.) I have personally used Hotwire for hotel rooms in the past and it's always worked out great!

Indianapolis Downtown Parking Part Two

This post contains information about overnight parking in downtown Indianapolis. For day-only parking see Part One.

If you are staying at the Embassy Suites overnight self-parking in the attached parking garage for $20/day with unlimited in/out privileges. The entrance for this garage is on the north side of Washington street, between Illinois and Capitol.

If you are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, overnight self-parking is available in the Express Park Garage at 20 N. Pennsylvania, 1/2 block south of the hotel. This is a different garage than what is currently listed on the Hilton Garden Inn website. The hotel will be changing to the Express Park garage as of June 1. Self-parking rates for this garage are $14/day with unlimited in/out privileges. Valet parking is also available for $22/day.

Other parking garage options can be found on the Indianapolis Downtown website. In general, overnight garage parking in downtown Indy runs about $15-$20.

Tulips Three Ways

Several of my tulips bloomed today and I thought I'd take the opportunity to practice my flower arrangements. Hooray for spring!

Indianapolis Downtown Parking Part One

This post will cover some day-only parking options in Downtown Indianapolis. Overnight parking will be covered in part two.

Option 1: Street parking.
There is a limited amount of street parking available in Downtown Indianapolis on a first-come/first-serve basis. Parking at meters is free on the weekend but, depending on what else is going on downtown, it can be difficult to find a spot. If you are going to try for street parking I recommend checking out Illinois and Capitol streets between Maryland and Ohio. Market street between Illinois and Capitol may also be a good bet, and some angled parking spots are available in front of the State Capitol building, immediately west of the theatre on Washington Street.

Option 2: Garage parking.
There are many parking garages downtown. One of the more economical garages for short-term parking is the Sun Garage at the Circle Center Mall. Enter this garage from Washington or Maryland streets, between Illinois and Meridian. Rates start at $1.50 for up to 3 hours, $3 for 3-5 hours, and $6 for 5-6 hours. The Sun garage closes at 2 am.

Option 3: Surface lot parking.
There are a number of surface lots in downtown Indy, some attended, some with honor parking. Most generally charge $5-$7, cash only. One such lot is located at 15 East Washington street, between Meridian and Pennsylvania, about 3 blocks from the theatre. Overnight parking is typically not allowed in these surface lots.

A garage to avoid: The Capitol Commons garage at 10 S. Capitol (entrance on Washington, just across from the State Capitol building) is one of the most expensive garages downtown, charging $5 for the first 20 MINUTES, and $15 for the first hour. Don't park here, unless you want to get gouged! :)

For an interactive map of parking and other downtown attractions click here.

Coming soon- overnight parking!