hellotoby / jess

A little pricey, but definitely a gem in the heart of NYC. Especially Vosges Haut Chocolat and L’Occitane. Cannot miss those every time I go there.

Jinan, the ‘Spring City’ named for its numerous, gorgeous natural springs, is incredible, especially if you don’t mind walking and have a native resident who doesn’t mind walking around with you.
Within its limits, there are so many jewels to find: Baotu Springs where you can float money on water for good luck, Daming Lake where you can take a pedal boat to an island to buy ice cream/popsicles or ride on one of the only rollercoasters in China (which is actually kind of scary as it packs everything into a tiny space—definitely not like the sprawling American coasters!), Qianfoshan the Thousand Buddha Mountain with an amazing cave with thousands of Buddha and Bodhisattva images, and a gorgeous, modern park type area where a lotus fountain bubbles, Confucius and Li Qingzhao stand in all their glory and you can fly kites next to a huge modern statue. Beautiful

Indianapolis is probably the Hoosier State’s only redeeming factor, although each time I go back (from New York City) it looks smaller and smaller.
Broad Ripple is the place to go. If you’re interested in body mods, check out Metamorphosis in Broad Ripple; and there’s an Indian restaurant across the street from BR High School that is NYC quality. Delicious.