Wayne and Laurie Scott
Bass/Soprano - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

We arrived at the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis at about 1:15 a.m. What a welcome site the bed was after a very long first day on tour. After a good night's extended rest we were ready for some lunch. Yes, we said lunch, not breakfast. We told you it was an extended sleep. We wanted to hit some antique stores to continue our habit of collecting old fishing and hunting items, so we caught a cab and off we went to Virginia Street, where we visited a few shops. It was fun to look and see things we had as kids. That makes you feel old when you see things from your childhood in an antique store. We then saw a self-serve frozen yogurt shop. Yum! It was wonderful. We had a great visit with the proprietor and a patron and felt prompted to give each of them a Choir “sampler” CD. They both were very excited to get it.

There is a lot of history in Indianapolis. The roots of Van Camp’s pork and beans can be found in a little family grocery in Indianapolis. Way back in 1861, Gilbert Van Camp and his wife, Hester, let some grocery customers taste their home-canned creation of pork and beans. It was their son Frank (franks and beans?) who gave his two cents that the meal tasted better when heated up in tomato sauce. Their first big pork and beans gig was providing these tasty tin can meals to the Union troops during the Civil War.

Many Choir members found bakeries, chocolate shops, and other places to satisfy all palates. We had a wonderful Italian dinner with some of our dear Choir friends. I had a giant meatball with spaghetti, which I totally gobbled up. The desserts were great as well, with many choosing the incredible "lava cake.” This Choir does travel on its stomach!

Gratefully, the weather was wonderful and not hot and humid, as we had expected. The walk along the White River was a bit windy, but refreshing, and we saw many of our friends along the way.

This is a great sports town, with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts playing here. (Too bad there wasn't a game to enjoy during our visit.) There were so many options for us on our day of leisure. Some chose to visit a historical home, and others went golfing or shopping; visited the myriad of museums, the Indianapolis Speedway, or the NCAA Hall of Fame; went bike riding; read; relaxed; and just enjoyed visiting and eating with friends and guests and meeting those who were having their first tour experience. We laughed a lot and were grateful for a free day. Indianapolis has been a wonderful host, and we look forward to a great concert to thank them for their hospitality. What a great city! Thank you, Indianapolis!