Any recs for Indianapolis? Have to book a work thing next week. Not going to have much free time but I have never been. Working about an hour east of the city proper.

Anyone know anything about County Offaly or central Ireland? Like a pretty/appropriate place to scatter someone’s mother’s cremains? She was way into genealogy and traced her lineage back to the area. Unfortunately I do not have access to her research so I can’t get more specific.

My plan is to go to Dublin and take a few days for a road trip to do that and see some other castles, cute villages and shit I guess. It doesn’t seem to be a very touristy area. I know the Tullamore Dew Distillery is over there.

Had an urge to go north. Really far north. So I'm heading up to Tromsø this weekend. Am doing both evening hikes and day boat trips, but if anyone has any tips, I'd be grateful for 'em.

Carl wrote: Had an urge to go north. Really far north. So I'm heading up to Tromsø this weekend. Am doing both evening hikes and day boat trips, but if anyone has any tips, I'd be grateful for 'em.

I've been there! I was lucky to have a native showing me around.

We went to the Tromsø Museum which was a cool little all-purpose local-and-Natural-History museum. Our hosts took us there for nostalgic reasons, I assume, explaining that you always went there on school trips. It was small. Super cool mid-century building with a beautiful garden.

There's an annual Music Festival (Bukta) but I think that happens in July.
There's a punk rock bar called Blarock Cafe, near the water.

There's a small Explorer's Museum near the water that was kinda quaint and had some interesting old stuff (and cool creepy mannequin dioramas.)

We rode the tramway thing up to the top of the view (very cool) and then walked down the enormous stone steps laid by Himalayan stone workers (sore for two days after.)

There's a famous (?) local pizza place that puts lettuce on the pizza, our hosts eagerly shared this with us and it was exactly as you would expect.

major wrote: Tue Aug 26, 2025 9:06 pm Any recs for Indianapolis? Have to book a work thing next week. Not going to have much free time but I have never been. Working about an hour east of the city proper.

It's a surprisingly great eating town because if the massive immigrant population.

First though, gotta get a pastrami on rye at Shapiro's.
https://yelp.to/6GkGAsi4cK

Great pho on the NW side.
Pho Saigon
https://yelp.to/iTfrcK2Gym

Do you like pan dulces?
Mama Ines Mexican Bakery
https://yelp.to/MH4H2X6zBQ

Man, there are so many great taco places. Just throw a dart. There's a tamale place in the Speedway neighborhood called, like, The Tamale Place. Fantastic.

Also, there's a duckpin bowling place where time stopped in like 1962.
Atomic Bowl Duckpin
https://yelp.to/GA-i2zikju

The Percussive Arts Society is in Indy.
https://pas.org/
If you're into drum history,I hear it's pretty cool.

I never get bored in Naptown.

Teacher's Pet wrote: Thu Sep 04, 2025 1:19 pm

Carl wrote: Had an urge to go north. Really far north. So I'm heading up to Tromsø this weekend. Am doing both evening hikes and day boat trips, but if anyone has any tips, I'd be grateful for 'em.

I've been there! I was lucky to have a native showing me around.

We went to the Tromsø Museum which was a cool little all-purpose local-and-Natural-History museum. Our hosts took us there for nostalgic reasons, I assume, explaining that you always went there on school trips. It was small. Super cool mid-century building with a beautiful garden.

There's an annual Music Festival (Bukta) but I think that happens in July.
There's a punk rock bar called Blarock Cafe, near the water.

There's a small Explorer's Museum near the water that was kinda quaint and had some interesting old stuff (and cool creepy mannequin dioramas.)

We rode the tramway thing up to the top of the view (very cool) and then walked down the enormous stone steps laid by Himalayan stone workers (sore for two days after.)

There's a famous (?) local pizza place that puts lettuce on the pizza, our hosts eagerly shared this with us and it was exactly as you would expect.

Thank you for these tips! I am grateful.

Just got back to Oslo from Tromsø, and can report the Blårock Cafe is absolutely worth a visit. When you walk into the place, you cannot escape the "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" sign, or the many posters (such as the one advertising the Jesus Lizard show at the Kennel Club). Yes, Bay Area venues and bands of old are well represented 5,000 miles from San Francisco, so I had the Dead Kennedys burger.

Kind of a perfect time to visit as the sun sets around 9, allowing plenty of time for daylight activities and viewing the northern lights. I went fishing, spent time on some beaches west of town, and scaled a few of the hills. After walking the fjords for seven hours Saturday, I found a restaurant in a 135-year-old building called Mars Mat. I asked the server what she'd recommend and she said she hadn't eaten anything but many of the customers ordered the reindeer soup. Turns out it was her third day on the job and she'd been in town three weeks. The guy at the next table overheard and said he'd been in town for three weeks. Then I mentioned I got to Oslo three weeks ago. That started an amusing conversation involving half the bar that ended about two hours later. Yeah, I recommend Mars Mat, and Tromsø in general, and I may go back after darkness falls on the Arctic Circle.

I returned to Oslo to find few Norwegians in the office because today is election day and it is a holiday. I'll see if the results were to their liking in the morning.

turnbullac wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 10:02 pm Anyone know anything about County Offaly or central Ireland? Like a pretty/appropriate place to scatter someone’s mother’s cremains? She was way into genealogy and traced her lineage back to the area. Unfortunately I do not have access to her research so I can’t get more specific.

My plan is to go to Dublin and take a few days for a road trip to do that and see some other castles, cute villages and shit I guess. It doesn’t seem to be a very touristy area. I know the Tullamore Dew Distillery is over there.

Alright I’m doing a weekend in Dublin and then 3 days in Galway. I will dump Annamarie out somewhere along the coast. Not her exact home county but close enough. I don’t think she’ll mind.

enframed wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 10:28 am

Owen wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 8:43 am

enframed wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2024 8:57 am Puerto Rico for 8 days in early September. Mostly will be hangin out on the beach (west side), but any suggestions for touristy stuff from you east coasters? I've never been. Old San Juan has been recommended. Any restaurants we should be checking out?

We're doing the same in January. Hopefully someone else chimes in before, but would be interested to hear about your experience after.

Will do!

Bump. Going to San Juan next week for some fun in the sun/skin cancer. I welcome any suggestions.

On Thursday afternoon I go to Milwaukee for a show on Friday. Any recommendations for a place to get a drink (good NA selection a plus) and some food (with meatless options) that have a good vibe?

On Sat I go directly to Philadelphia for a conference and will be there til Wednesday. As these things go, it’s sometimes a crapshoot when and where I can go but similarly, other fun aging hipster stuff going on? I think Nemo Case is playing Sat and I guess Johnny Brenda’s would be a place to check out. Record stores, drool over vintage guitars, bars where people in denim aprons have 3 dozen herbal tinctures in constant rotation?