BIRTHDAY WEEKEND // 22

Turning 22 is not all that exciting in and of itself. You can listen to TSwift to your hearts content, but after the fifth listen of "22" it gets old. What made celebrating 22 great? Family, friends, and adventures in my great city, of course!

My official birthday is April 6, which was Saturday but the fun started on Friday night with a trip to La Piedad, an inexpensive dive Mexican restaurant with the best food (and margaritas) around.

On Saturday, my little sister visited from Cincinatti. We went on quite the adventure. The entire day felt like I was vacationing in my own city. The weather was wonderful, we went to an area of Indy that I had never explored, wandered into shop after shop, and soaked up leisure time like it was our job. The day was absolutely perfect and I couldn't have chosen anyone better to spend it with! 

After Megan arrived, we drove to a district in Indy called Mass Ave (Massachusetts Avenue). The diagonal street is near the downtown hustle and bustle but is filled with local shops and eateries. It was a semi-hipster's paradise. 

We stumbled around the oldest shoe store in the United States, Stout's.

We ate wonderful burgers at Bru Burger Bar. I'd highly recommend it.

We wandered through many shops. The photos above are from Silver in the City - think anthropologie but local. I purchased a few dishtowels to spruce up our drab kitchen. 

Not far down the road was The Inventorialist. The shop was wonderfully curated. I wanted to scoop up every last print, sign and piece of furniture. The Inventorialist is also one of my favorite instagram follows. Also, follow me on instagram, @adobberteen.

A few blocks down was White Dog. I could have spent days looking at all of the "newfangled and timeworn" goodies they had. I decided to gift myself with the sign pictured above. For $30, it was a treasure that I would have regretted leaving behind. 

Way down at the end of the street is Indy Reads Books. I have heard the President and CEO of this non-profit/bookstore speak and was dying to step foot inside. Indy Reads works to eliminate adult illiteracy. The bookstore's profits support their programs. It also is a hub of activity. When we went, a group meeting for typography enthusiasts was in session!

Shortly after we wandered through Mass Ave., we grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to Holliday Park. After walking around like the mature adults we are, we nabbed a few swings and relived some great childhood memories. This day helped me to check off one of my Future 101 list items, to wander around my own city for an afternoon. I'd highly recommend doing it in your own city!

All in all, great 22nd birthday. A big thanks to all who made it that way!