Allow me to [re]introduce myself -- I'm Karissa. I once was the author of a blog called New(s) in Indy. Then I went on vacation and you met Leah. Isn't she great? I think so, although I can't believe she didn't save any chocolate for me. She's still around here and my Magic 8 ball tells me it’s likely she'll be popping into the blog every so often too.

I spent 3 weeks in Europe – I saw and experienced Germany, Austria and Paris. It was. Absolutely. Fantastic.

And I spent 13 hours traveling home [and across a few time zones] at the end of those absolutely fantastic weeks.

As we taxied down the runway, my seat mate, a business traveler to Indianapolis, and I struck up a conversation.  And I couldn’t help but point out the new Indianapolis International Airport as we passed by the terminal structure. [Yep, never far from work even on my European vacation!] He asked me a couple questions and then made a statement/question – It’d take him what, 30 minutes or so, to reach his downtown hotel from the airport, once he’d picked up his rental car?

30 minutes – are you kidding me?! As soon as we get off this plane you’ll see the downtown skyline. And that drive won’t take you more than 12-15 minutes.

Two things:

1 This Indy fact isn’t the case in many places where the airport is located so far outside the city, you feel you’ve left it entirely. The new IND will truly be a showcase for Indianapolis [read Leah’s post here].

2 Once you get to your downtown hotel, you’ll drop your rental car with the hotel valet and won’t see it again until you leave. You don’t need a car when you’re in downtown Indy. So save the hassle, save the money [something we’d all like to hang on to a little more of these days] and skip the rental car altogether. The newly expanded IndyGo Green Line offers daily service from 5 a.m. – 9 p.m. between the Indianapolis International Airport and 8 downtown stops. Those stops serve 16 major Indianapolis convention hotels, as well as the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. Buses run every 20 minutes and the estimated travel time is 15 minutes. Airport drop-off/pick-up is located at Ground Transportation from the current terminal, and when the new terminal opens [Nov. 11]. There’s room for your luggage and it’s only $7 each way! You’d pay that just to refill the gas tank of the rental car you only drove from the airport and back.

And we’re all trying to be a bit more “green” these days, so even if you aren’t concerned with saving time or money [Ummm?] – ride the bus and take a few more cars off the road.

Happy Indianapolis travels!