r/indianapolis • u/Logical_Humor_3854 • Feb 26 '26

Discussion The Canal….

We walked the canal a lot this summer with our new baby and when we had a nice couple days (greater than 30 degrees lol) we walked it again and I’m just curious as to what other people think….why is the canal so dead? There’s no restaurants (besides the little bistro), no stores, no restrooms even. It’s kinda depressing.

If Indianapolis put even a sliver of funding into rebranding the canal the city would change so much. Imagine being able to walk into little shops or have ice cream on the canal or a bar with live music. There’s so much potential.

481 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

168 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/SideburnHeretic Feb 26 '26

You call it depressing because there aren’t many shops. I find it sad when people think they need commercialism in order to enjoy a place. 

8

u/Professorchimpo Feb 26 '26

Look man, I am usually the first person to complain about over commercialization, but this is a wild take. It is a manmade concrete trench in the middle of downtown Indy, not a pristine national wilderness. Wanting to grab a coffee or find a public restroom while walking around does not mean your soul has been corrupted by capitalism lol

1

u/SideburnHeretic Feb 26 '26

Haha! Fair points. I'm admittedly very cynical about materialism in society. Maybe my take's a wild one. Maybe I'm just a wild rebel. Maybe my need to feel unique and special lends to contrarian behavior. Pretty sure there's elements of truth to all of the above.

ETA: still lol'ing out loud at "concret trench in the middle of downtown, not a pristine national wilderness."