How Indy's chief marketer would spend his Best Day Ever
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Few people know the city better than it's chief marketer. Photo: Courtesy of Chris Gahl/Visit Indy
It's gotten both easier and harder to market Indianapolis over the last 20 years, says Chris Gahl, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Visit Indy.
Why it matters: Gahl is celebrating two decades at the nonprofit charged with making sure people want to visit the Circle City and coming off a record-breaking year for tourism.
Yes, and: We're on pace for another big year, thanks, in large part, to the Pacers' incredible playoff run and the ever-growing popularity of the Fever.
- The city's next big event, WNBA All-Star weekend, is just around the corner on July 18-19.
What he's saying: "It's gotten easier in some ways, and harder in others, because Indy is now kind of in that next level tier of city where, daily, we're competing with Denver and San Antonio and Austin," Gahl said.
Zoom in: At our recent live event, we asked Gahl how he'd spend his Best Day Ever in the city, and he has plenty of recommendations for visitors.
🍳 Breakfast: Cafe Patachou, specifically the location at 49th and Pennsylvania streets.
- Gahl, who grew up in Indianapolis, said he remembers going to this original Patachou location when it first opened in 1989.
⛲️ Morning activity: A walk through Butler University's Holcomb Gardens.
- A Butler grad and now a member of the Board of Trustees, Gahl said he likes to visit the garden to reflect.
- "Sometimes when I'm sad, when I'm angry, when I'm mad, when I'm uncertain, it's a place I can meditate or pray," he said.
☕️ Coffee break: On his way downtown, Gahl is stopping at Quill's Coffee at 10th and Meridian streets.
- "I like a quiet coffee shop," he said.
🏀 Afternoon activity: Shooting hoops at Morris Bicentennial Plaza and — no surprise, coming from one of Indy's top tourism officials — shopping nearby at The Index, the official Indy visitors center and gift shop.
- "You're in Indiana, you gotta shoot hoops," Gahl said.
🥪 Lunch: The cafe at the Eiteljorg Museum, with a seat on the museum's back patio overlooking the Central Canal.
- Gahl said the menu is expansive, delicious and relatively affordable.
🏈 Evening activity: A tour of Lucas Oil Stadium.
- "You go on the floor, you go to the locker rooms. And I love being on the field," Gahl said. "There's something so massive about a facility like that … and all the epic moments that have happened within it."
🌮 Dinner: Los Arroyos, which Gahl calls a "sleeper" Mexican restaurant in the city.
🍭 After dinner activity: Rocket Fizz, the candy shop on Monument Circle.
- "I have a big sweet tooth," he said.