Last Saturday I told you about my recent +5,000-mile tourismo in the American Northeast. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to show you some of the cool things I saw. Tonight I will introduce some of you to my first stop: Carmel, IN.
Caramel was a good place to stop distance-wise, but I really chose it because it is the headquarters for the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts and home to the NAME Museum. What I found in Carmel was a lot more than I had imagined.
Tucked away in north central Indiana, literally within sight of the Speedway, on Google Caramel appears to be little bedroom burb for Indianapolis. But there is a lot more to Carmel than a cursory appraisal would indicate.
From the map it appears to be a boring bedroom community to Indianapolis. But in reality Carmel is a beautiful and thriving community, with excellent schools and parks. A beautiful municipal complex around the city square, and perhaps the largest and most dynamic Arts District in Indiana.
Carmel Public Library
The City of Carmel has a thriving business community. According to the Director of Community Relations, more people come to Carmel to work during the day, than sleep there at night. The Meridian Corridor in Carmel has the second largest concentration of office workers in the state of Indiana, and some of the top corporate names in the United States, such as Delta Faucet, Thomson Consumer Electronics, and Conseco.
Fountian in Roundabout leading to the Arts District
At every level, Carmel seems to be growing and thriving -- one of the very few areas like that I saw. There seems to be a careful balance being maintained between business and community, and both are benefiting. In 1997 it had 32,487 citizens. By 2007 the population had more than doubled to 68,677. And while Carmel has grown from 12.5 square miles to more than 39 square miles, the quality of that growth has been well balances. They have managed to avoid the sprawling uglies that some cities created in a much shorter time.
Checking out the Carmel website shows one reason Carmel retains the small-town feel. Everywhere are opportunities and evidence of community political leaders seeking out ways to bring citizens in to participate in the community.
In the community features is information on CarmelCan! Carmel CAN! is a volunteer initiative launched by Mayor Brainard, to recognize and coordinate community volunteers. Through this initiative, citizens looking for volunteer opportunities will be matched up with those organizations that are in need of volunteers.
Each month, volunteers working at various community events or with community organizations are highlighted for their efforts in making the community a better place to live. Volunteer highlights and updates are given on Carmel’s monthly news show, "Connecting with Carmel" on Carmel Government Channel 16, the Carmel Newsletter, and the Carmel City Website!
Carmel also focuses on bringing neighborhoods together. The Carmel Neighborhood Association Network (CNAN) was formed in 2001 for the purpose of strengthening the community by creating greater communication between neighborhoods within the City of Carmel. Representatives from local Homeowner Associations and Carmel residents are invited to attend the meetings to learn more about the City’s policies and services, neighborhood covenants, crime watch, road projects and other relevant topics. The meeting concludes with an open discussion where residents are given the chance to ask questions or raise concerns to Mayor Jim Brainard, City Council Members, Department Heads or guest speakers.
Carmel, it seems, is led by someone who does not hate his constituents.
ARTS
Carmel Arts District
In short, I came to Carmel for the NAME Museum and headquarters. But I stayed, and may go back again, for the asthetics. The city has invested a great deal of thought and money in development. On thing in particular, the developing Arts District, is really striking. The pretty brick streets are lines with two-story rowhouses with shops downstairs and studio space above. On the surrounding streets, pretty, affordable apartment space for the artists and support staffs of the district. (A .pdf of the Arts District can be downloaded here and additional photos of the civic square are here.
First Ride
Throughout the Arts District and on streets leading to it are bronze, life-size statues. Some, like Unconditional Surrender , are copies of famous statues. But many are commissioned works by American realist J. Seward Johnson Jr., who has been called the Norman Rockwell of American Sculpture.
Now You Can Grow
Born in 1930, J. Seward Johnson Jr., is the grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson Co. After a career in painting, Johnson turned to sculpting in 1968. Over the past 38 years he has designed and created more than 250 life-size bronze sculptures in North America, Australia and countries throughout Europe and Asia. Johnson’s sculptures can be found in private collections and museums from New York to Rome. He also has works on display in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and London.
He describes his work: "I use my art to convince you of something that isn’t real. You laugh at yourself because you were taken in, and in that change of your perception, you become vulnerable to the piece and intimate with it in a certain way."
Things to Do (context)
Things to Do (closeup)
My photos aren't great, but in some cases I was just astonished by the realism and attention to detail.
If you have lived in or visited Carmel, please add your opinions in the comments. But first, a word from our sponsors...
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Tonight’s Top Comments . . .
From Andrew C. White
In a thread about religious knowledge, with a question about transubstantiation, a delicious answer from Dallasdoc.
From arielle
*Triscula* had me spewing coffee this morning when I read this response to someone who got snarky regarding how "excited"
they were about Democratic candidates in Cenk's latest.
From Seneca Doane
When Meg Whitman offered her scripted line in her debate last night that letting Jerry Brown negotiate with unions was like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank, many of us were disturbed, but none more hilariously so than Dr. Colossus. Start here, but the true gem is his first response to his own comment.
From Land of Enchantment
*JanF* has a delightful punchline for some meta chatter in jotter's diary about new user grhigfsd4dfsgf.
From Dreaming of Better Days
An insightful and well thought out comment by MeMeMeMeMe from nearly a year ago, in large part, certainly applies here today by the look of things.
From Mike B
The diary was about Meg Whitman's illegal immigrant housekeeper and the extremely witty comment is here. Well played, Hesiod, well played.
Tonight’s Top Mojo . . .
Top Mojo (cskendrick/sardonyx-style) excluding Cheers and Jeers, search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and various pooties:
1) Obama & Biden started this division, not Cenk by FishOutofWater — 144
2) IN the debate yesterday Whitman said by reef the dog — 127
3) You are a better atheist than I, Gunga Din. by rfall — 122
4) Not a diary! It's... by Larry Bailey — 120
5) NutMeg is another worthless billionaire by Crider — 115
6) Which means tax evasion by blue aardvark — 111
7) what is most striking to me in this diary by marabout40 — 100
8) trouble is people ARE listening - to the negative by Statusquomustgo — 99
9) Wow - how clever... by Mahler3 — 98
10) And Aldred said that Whitman was by Siri — 94
11) C enk Uygur, continues working mightily by karpaty lviv — 93
12) Wonder how meg feels about flushing by docb — 92
13) Can you imagine Mitten Romney, by christine20 — 90
14) He's a Disgusting Piece of Crap by serrano — 89
15) Whitman's claiming that she "just became aware" by grannyhelen — 88
16) Demented? by beltane — 84
17) More shooting the messenger. Yawn. by Uberbah — 84
18) Cenk by Bensonola — 82
19) "real progressives"? by Cedwyn — 82
20) Well, they could get crowds like that, they'd by marabout40 — 82
21) It was a great speech. by MikePhoenix — 82
22) This post by LaughingPlanet — 81
23) I thought that's what the Reformation was about? by Dallasdoc — 77
24) Just made the list. by jamess — 75
25) like Eva Braun writing a kosher cookbook by FishOutofWater — 73
26) N.J. has vote by mail... by sandav — 73
27) Or, alternatively by DBunn — 72
28) Gotta love tmz getting involved in politics... by grannyhelen — 70
29) Apparently AAs and Hispanics by Bensonola — 68
30) Only 11% got that one right by Dallasdoc — 66
31) I Don't Know That Cenk was "Scapegoating" by TooFolkGR — 66
32) Uncle Sam: We're Americans. ACT LIKE IT! by dmhlt 66 — 66
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) Tip Jar by jamess — 416
2) Tip Jar by Troutfishing — 394
3) Tip Jar by MinistryOfLove — 394
4) Tip Jar by blackwaterdog — 392
5) I regret writing this diary by wmtriallawyer — 370
6) Please Vote and Encourage Others by JekyllnHyde — 347
7) This atheist got a 15. How about you? by Dallasdoc — 343
8) Tip Jar by The Lager Lad — 321
9) Tip Jar by Cenk Uygur — 262
10) Tip Jar by Jack Conway for Senate — 224
11) Tip Jar by TomP — 177
12) anyone else havin a bad day? by bubbanomics — 177
13) I really wish I could be there. by KingOneEye — 173
14) Tip Jar by OneNationWorkingTogether — 169
15) Tip Jar by Hesiod — 167
16) Tip Jar by SJPT — 147
17) Tips? Flames? by Something the Dog Said — 146
18) Obama & Biden started this division, not Cenk by FishOutofWater — 144
19) IN the debate yesterday Whitman said by reef the dog — 127
20) Tip Jar by KelleyRN2 — 126
21) You are a better atheist than I, Gunga Din. by rfall — 122
22) Not a diary! It's... by Larry Bailey — 120
23) NutMeg is another worthless billionaire by Crider — 115
24) Tip Jar by teacherken — 114
25) Which means tax evasion by blue aardvark — 111
26) what is most striking to me in this diary by marabout40 — 100
27) trouble is people ARE listening - to the negative by Statusquomustgo — 99
28) Wow - how clever... by Mahler3 — 98
29) Tip Jar by LaFeminista — 94
30) And Aldred said that Whitman was by Siri — 94