ridehorsey, roofing, and edward

Let's talk about "ridehorsey" again. For example, how would you pronounce ridehorsey? Is it ride horsey (two words)? Is it ridehorsey! (exclamation point)?

The exclamation point that ends up on the name on the site from time to time is sort of a joke - the joke being that putting an exclamation point on something makes it somehow more exciting, which we all know is generally not the case.

This reminds me of an old radio advert in St. Louis that went like this (just like you're about to read it): Hi-Fi. Fo-fum. Hi-fi-fo-fum, Exclamation point.

That's Hi-Fi Fo-Fum's tagline. Catchy, quick, and somehow unforgettable.

St. Louis had some catchy a few catchy ads - like this jingle (mp3) - "For a hole in your roof or a whole new roof..." which I just pulled from the html code of the Federic Roofing website. Try getting that out of your head - it's catchy, but somehow not annoying.

In Indy we get Broad Ripple Heating and Cooling's "Billy", a fake child character who harrasses everyone he knows about who they chose to work on their ducts.

And we've got Ed's mother, another poorly done voice, who thinks the world of her son Edward. Edward is so embarrassed he ends every commerical with "Oh Mom".

But as for jingles, or even taglines, I can't think of any that jump out for Indy. In fact, I'd say we've got a serious glut of jingles.

Of course I haven't forgotten "I am Indy", a sort of jingle propaganda campaign put forth by Gene Simmons and the Indy Racing League - but that's the worst kind of jingle: confusing, frightening, annoying, and (hopefully) forgettable.

So back to "ridehorsey". How do I think you should say it? I'd just say it's ridehorsey - one word, said very quickly and almost under your breath, like you're embarrassed to say it. That's how I've been saying it forever.

what to do?

As you probably already know, I don't consider myself a Hoosier; In fact I hate the word. Since I grew up in Southern Illinois just outside of St. Louis, I always associated the word hoosier with South City St. Louis folk, who were called hoosiers out of disrespect.

When we moved here it took quite a while to adjust to the bombardment that is the use of the word "hoosier" in the state of Indiana. Count how many times you hear the word in one day - it will surprise you.

Anyway, since I didn't grow up here, I still feel like I've missed a lot. Coworkers speak of towns just outside the city that I've never heard of or visited, people speak of parts of the city I've never seen... and I'd like to see it all, really. But where to start?

If you asked me for a list of places to start your visit in St. Louis, I could come up with one pretty easily: The Arch, Busch Stadium, Soulard, The Central West End, The Hill, The Loop... most are nice neighborhoods that have unique characteristics that make them worthwhile.

If I was making a list of places to see in Indianapolis, it would go like this: The racetrack, the canal, Broad Ripple, maybe Fountain Square... is that really all there is?

Where do you bring guests from out of town? What do we have in Indianapolis that's worth showing off? What am I missing? Or have I really seen it all already?