When people at Butler find out that I’m from Seattle, I always get asked, “What made you come all the way out here?” I normally say something to the extent of….
“The truth is that when I was deciding where I wanted to spend ‘The best four years of my life,’ the biggest factor that played into my choice was location. I had to choose between The University of Denver, American University and Butler University. Geographically speaking, it is about as diverse as you can get. I mean, what is a Seattleite to do when tasked with having to essentially decide between Denver, Washington D.C. and Indianapolis? Denver is reminiscent of the West coast vibe and having grown up in Seattle. I was used to that. Washington D.C naturally has a prominent East coast demeanor, and my brother attended American himself so I had already visited countless times. But then there was Indianapolis. What even is Indianapolis? The only time I had been was when I went to visit Butler so I didn’t get to see much of the city, I didn’t know anybody who lived there and the only other time I had been in Indiana was when my family and I drove through it on the way from Chicago to Cleveland. I was used to the West coast lifestyle, and I had experienced some of the East coast. I eventually came to the decision that I wanted to be somewhere that I would never go otherwise.”
And then they reply, “When the next person asks give them the short answer.”
The point is I have now been at Butler for two years and I could not be happier. If I had to do it all again, I would make the same choice 100 out of 100 times. However, that does not mean I don’t have a few bones to pick. So, I have assembled a little list of pros and cons about being a Seattleite and living in Indianapolis.
Pros:
1. I have a professional basketball team to root for.
It’s now been almost seven years since I have gotten to root for a professional basketball team. I generally am pretty critical of the NBA, and I do prefer college basketball, but I think part of that might just be because I’m still bitter about losing the Supersonics (R.I.P.). Nevertheless, go Pacers.
2. I have access to other cities.
In Indianapolis, you can drive at most five hours and get to Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Louisville, Nashville and Pittsburgh just to name a few. In Seattle, the only cities within a five hour drive are Portland, Spokane, and Vancouver.
3. Cheese curds.
Before I lived in Indianapolis, I had never tried cheese curds before, but now I can’t get enough. What’s not to love? It’s literally just fried cheese. With the health nuts we have out here in the Pacific Northwest, eating such an atrociously greasy snack can get you prison time.
Cons:
1. Nobody believes that I'm a real Seahawks fan.
On Sundays when I wear my Russell Wilson jersey around campus, all of the haters always call me a bandwagon fan. Who would guess that I am actually from Seattle? I wish people would call me a Mariners bandwagon fan, but sadly there is no real bandwagon to hop on to.
2. Staying in contact with friends is hard.
It’s tough to be over 2000 miles away from the people who you grew up with. Sure, nowadays we can text and call each other with ease. However, at the end of the day, I’m in a different time zone than them. They will text me but I would have already gone to bed. I’ll text them but they haven’t woken up yet. I also don’t have the luxury of being able to go home for a weekend like all the Chicagoland or Indiana Butler kids. I only get to see my Seattle friends over breaks. Inversely, when I am home for the summer, I have the same problem keeping in touch with my Butler friends.
3. There is no Teriyaki in Indianapolis.
Teriyaki is one of my favorite meals. It’s quick, cheap and delicious. Sometimes I just get a craving for it, but there is nowhere to satisfy my wants. These are all of the Teriyaki restaurants within ten minutes of my house in suburban Seattle:
These are all of the Teriyaki restaurants in the entire Indianapolis metropolitan area:
4. Good seafood is hard to come by in the Midwest.
Seafood is essential in the diet of a Seattleite. We can get fresh salmon, halibut, clams, and crab whenever we want. In Indianapolis, that is not the case. When I come home for the summer, I make sure to get my fill before I return to the beef and chicken heavy diet of the typical Hoosier.
I could continue with more pros and more cons, but the reality is there are pros and cons to every city. Nowhere is perfect. Even though Seattle is my favorite city, that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to take a sabbatical. That is exactly the reason I decided to go to Butler, and thus live in Indianapolis, in the first place: I wanted to experience somewhere new.
I have known for a long time that eventually I want to settle down and be with Seattle, but I will always be happy that I took the time to see another city. If nothing else, it helped me to grow as a person. It turns out that I’m in love with Seattle, and I just want to settle with Indianapolis as a friend.
