Ep.4 - Jenna Hadley
Listen while you read
Youtube — — Spotify — — Apple Pods
This episode marks a couple of firsts for the podcast. It is the first time I recorded in a place you might expect a podcast to be recorded, the first time I incorporated an intro, and the first time the podcast has not had any weird production anomalies. It also marks the first time I had a guest whom I met before recording — someone who is now a good friend of mine.
I am incredibly thankful to Jenna for not only providing me with a strong foundation for the future of my podcast but also to her and COhatch for giving me a solid base camp from which to begin my job search journey.
In this post, there are:
Links to listen
Links of references from the show
Production learnings
Story Time
Episode Summary
Episode Transcript
Part of the core thesis of Third Space Indy revolves around the idea that Third Spaces are dying off. Free spaces, especially, are difficult to find. So when you lose your job and no longer feel comfortable spending money to exist in a place — restaurants, coffee shops, bars, etc — making, building, and maintaining new connections (aka networking) becomes instantly difficult. Early in my job search, which at the time of writing is still in process, any help was appreciated. This is what I found with Jenna and COhatch. For that, I will be thankful to them forever.
Important links and mentions
Production learnings from the episode
I mentioned this in the opener, but I am lucky that there is very little to report on the front of production issues with this episode. That’s not to say I have nothing to share.
First of all, Jenna allowed me to record in the COhatch Broad Ripple podcasting room. So far, with regard to released episodes, this is the best room I've recorded in. The room is conducive to audio, not perfect, but excellent for the stage of my podcast. We recorded late in the afternoon after Jenna was off work, though, and the late-day sun caused a bit of glare on the video and blinded Jenna a bit later on. A timing thing more than anything else.
Also, I think it’s important to share a bit about the inclusion of an intro in this podcast, which continues from here on out. My brother, Daniel, has appeared on a number of podcasts for his SaaS startup, Arrows. He mentioned to me that he likes it when the host introduces him; however, they see fit. It sets the tone, gives context, and makes him feel special. I found that to be an interesting perspective and decided to try it out, and I’m proud to report that I agree. It’s fun to make people feel the “officialness” of being introduced like they’re on a late-night talk show.
If you build it
I have mentioned this before, but in the early days of my unemployment, I was waffling with the idea of starting my own business. Having no capital makes beginning a business hard, but I was still interested in what it would take to do so. The general idea of the business is something close to a co-working space, but rather than having a focus on business and being a place for primarily ‘work’, it would have a deeper focus on the community aspects.
I have more to share about where that idea headed in a future episode, but suffice it to say that I sought out COhatch Broad Ripple for two reasons. One, it was in extreme proximity to my residence. Two, COhatch as a business was as near to an example of a space I wanted to create myself that I knew existed at the time.
After scheduling an introduction meeting with Jenna Hadley at COhatch to learn more about the space, I began to share a bit more about my thoughts and ideas. I’ve gotten better at wordsmithing over time, but in that moment, I made a connection, the first of many. After the tour, I assisted Jenna and her co-worker with cleaning up the dumpster behind COhatch, and our fate was sealed, destined to be friends — Jenna was part of my Karass (if you don’t know what that means, check out the previous episode).
The connection web
One of the core principles of my journey and an early learning is that “everybody knows somebody.” Jenna informed me that COhatch offers a two-week trial with the space to get a sense of what it’s like to exist there, an opportunity to begin meeting the other residents who work there daily. I took her up on the offer.
It became clear instantly that this was a good place to be. I was introduced to people like Duncan Alney, a food marketing consultant, and Erin Darling, who does event management for the Sagamore Institute. And thus I began to expand my web of connections. I asked people for ideas about who locally was looking to hire, who might know someone else who knows someone looking to hire, and where to seek community.
The people at COhatch Broad Ripple are knowledgeable and well-connected, and Jenna acts as the principal director for those relationships to form. The initial connections made in the two weeks following my tour became a basis for not only my job search but also heavily steered me in the direction that would lead me to develop Third Space Indy.
Sponsors
Third Space Indy is supported by Arrows.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Third Space Indy, please reach out to michael@thirdspaceindy.com
Episode Summary
Building Community: Jenna Hadley at COhatch Broad Ripple
In this episode of Third Space Indy, host Michael Zarick sits down with Jenna Hadley, the community manager at COhatch Broad Ripple. Jenna shares her journey from her small-town roots in Pendleton, Indiana, to her career in Indianapolis, including her time at Butler University and her various living experiences. The conversation touches on the concept of a 'third space', the importance of community-building, and the unique culture and challenges of Indianapolis. Jenna also discusses the role of COhatch in supporting startups and non-profits through their scholarship program, and her passion for creating a cozy and inclusive workspace. They also explore favorite local spots and the need for more inclusive and accessible public spaces in the city.
00:00 Heartwarming Moments at COhatch
00:43 Introducing Third Space Indy Podcast
01:11 Meet Jenna Hadley: Community Manager
02:59 Jenna's Journey: From Pendleton to Indianapolis
06:54 The Role of a Community Manager
12:59 Life in Indianapolis: Personal Reflections
17:56 The Magnetism of Hometowns
21:51 Indianapolis: A City of Culture and Community
29:23 Reflecting on Public Transportation
32:48 The Charm of Fountain Square
35:55 Broad Ripple's Safety and Community Initiatives
41:14 Favorite Spots in Indianapolis
48:00 Future Aspirations and Final Thoughts
Episode Transcript
Season 1 Episode 4: Jenna Hadley
[00:00:00] Jenna Hadley: I remember there was one day I was watching the cameras, 'cause Erin was Sagamore, she texted me and she was like, we left you something funny on the cameras. And it was like her and her daughters dancing in the kitchen upstairs.
So it's moments like those where I'm like, man, like I really love that people actually use this space outside of coming here for work. it doesn't give like a corporate office feel. It very much gives it's very cozy. Like I love coming into work because this space is so comforting.
[00:00:42] Michael Zarick: Okay. We're gonna try something new, like I said. Okay. hello. My name is Michael Zarick This is the, sorry, what is the name of my podcast?
Uh, It's Third Space Indy and Oh, that's
[00:00:52] Jenna Hadley: cute.
[00:00:53] Michael Zarick: Yeah. I really
[00:00:54] Jenna Hadley: love that. Third Space Indy. Yeah. And
[00:00:57] Michael Zarick: in Third Space Indy, the purpose is to talk to people like you who are community builders, community organizers, and people who are overall sort of invested in the space that they're living in. And that brings me to today's guest, Jenna Hadley.
The reason Jenna and I know each other is because when I was laid off in January, I was actually like thinking about starting a business. And I was like, oh, it might be like a coworking space. So I looked up coworking spaces and Jenna is the community manager for COhatch Broad Ripple right next to where I live.
So I walked over, we had a short tour and just talked to her about my life. And then I helped her take out the trash to the dumpster You did, which was a very dirty dumpster. And then she took me in like a sad puppy, and here we are.
That did happen. That, is that accurate?
[00:01:52] Jenna Hadley: Yeah.
Yeah. I remember, I remember your tour like it was yesterday. I remember. That's, that's like so like sentimental and like, well I remember you were, you were like, yeah, I actually don't have a job. And I was like, oh, okay. Why are you here? Yeah. Like, what's going on? And I remember sitting in the golf simulator room with you and you were like, yeah, like, I don't know.
I'm just trying to like. Figure out the broad Ripple community and like what it has to offer. And I don't know, it was just, it was refreshing talking to someone who cares a lot.
[00:02:24] Michael Zarick: Um, I'm, I'm glad I gave off that vibe in the instant you did that. You met me. You
[00:02:28] Jenna Hadley: did. I was like, oh. I was like, he actually, he's got like good intentions and like wants to, I, I wants to build something cool.
I
[00:02:35] Michael Zarick: do attempt to have good intentions. So the reason you're here is because, like I said, you're the community manager of Broad Ripple, which is sort of the, I guess the premier role that you would be if I was gonna talk to someone, building a community. 'cause that's what you do.
Why don't you tell me a little bit about you and your job.
[00:02:54] Jenna Hadley: Oh man.
[00:02:55] Michael Zarick: And your life.
[00:02:56] Jenna Hadley: Okay. This is a big, where do I start? Okay, so I grew up in Pendleton, Indiana. Small town, very community oriented. So I guess like my roots kind of have built up. Who I am in that sense. So I grew up in Pendleton and then I moved to Indianapolis in 2018 for college.
So I went to Butler was at Butler for four years. Was a strategic communication major, journalism minor. Did a lot of internships in college. I was a little overachiever, but that's what I wanted to do. So I did. And I've worked in like the restaurant industry, the hospitality industry. Moved to St.
Louis for a little bit, worked at a rooftop bar
[00:03:39] Michael Zarick: You have lived in a lot of places.
[00:03:41] Jenna Hadley: I've been in really random places and in just random living situations. But it's, it's been
[00:03:47] Michael Zarick: Are you a victim of circumstance or did you seek these out? I forget. I feel like it's a victim of circumstance.
[00:03:53] Jenna Hadley: It's kind of a middle, middle ground.
I feel like I've tried to kind of scoop my way by in some scenarios, like lived with my friend's parents. Went to Germany and lived with my aunt, lived with my friend and her mom because they had an extra room in their attic. Yeah. And it's like, I, I kind of like was seeking them out, but also they just kind of happened and I was like, I kind of need a place to live.
So, but it's helped me develop my mindset to be like, okay, oh, that was scary. Your hat just fell. Yeah. I, oh, I know. It could
[00:04:25] Michael Zarick: fall down. That would be bad
[00:04:27] Jenna Hadley: to be like, okay, this is not the ideal living situation and I'm learning X, Y, and Z from this, so therefore my next steps need to be this. So it's been uber helpful in putting myself in weird situations to learn and therefore continuously make the correct move.
[00:04:45] Michael Zarick: Hmm.
[00:04:45] Jenna Hadley: You know? So,
[00:04:47] Michael Zarick: so how did you end up here? Where we are right now? Yeah.
[00:04:49] Jenna Hadley: Well, let's, let's backtrack. You invited me here. I met you like what, mid-March? Was it mid-March?
[00:04:56] Michael Zarick: No. We met in February, I promise. Oh my
[00:04:59] Jenna Hadley: gosh. Has it been that long? Mm-hmm. Oh, this year has been really long.
[00:05:05] Michael Zarick: I feel like it's been fast.
I mean, it's been unfortunately fast. It's been
[00:05:08] Jenna Hadley: just like I've had a lot of things happen. Mm-hmm. Too many things. But yeah, it's gone by really quickly. 'cause I feel like New Year's was yesterday. But anyways, ended up at COhatch on August 26th. Was my first day working here. And I have loved it. It's been great.
I, I knew about COhatch kind of, 'cause since I went to Butler, I would drive on Westfield like all the time to go to Broad Ripple. And finally one day my family friend, she was like, you should apply for this job at COhatch And I was like, okay. Interesting. And then once I like came inside here, I was like, wow, I've driven past this like a million times, but I've never like come inside.
Anyways, family friend, she was a member here and encouraged me to apply, even though I was working for her at the time. She was like, I think you would be great at this job. She, I don't
[00:05:59] Michael Zarick: want you here anymore. I, no,
[00:06:00] Jenna Hadley: she needed me. She needed me pretty badly, honestly. 'cause I was babysitting her, her daughter, and
But
she wanted me to be happy.
She wanted me to have a role where I was, full salary, benefits, things like that. So she referred me to this and she was like, I really think you would be great at this. And I applied and I went through the interview process, had like four interviews and got the job. And I've loved it. It's been awesome.
COhatch is like a really great organization to work for. Look at that product placement. Yeah. Hashtag ad hashtag advertising. I wish they'd
[00:06:36] Michael Zarick: sponsor me.
[00:06:38] Jenna Hadley: COhatch sponsor this, please. But yeah, my role in like. Entails a lot of things. Like Michael sits at the table next to my desk and just watches me, like run around like a frantic little maniac.
That's true. But it's, it's the perfect job for me.
[00:06:54] Michael Zarick: So What about I'm assuming the people are the main driver. I've never actually talked to you about this, so I, I'm interested. Yeah. Like what, what about your job here is like, I mean, it's not, you're not excited about making the coffee in the morning, I don't think.
Like, what is it?
[00:07:12] Jenna Hadley: It's not particularly my favorite. It's fine, but it's not my favorite. Yeah. It's gonna have to be the people for sure. Mm-hmm. Like you see me interact with people here on the daily,
[00:07:21] Michael Zarick: I get to interact with them too.
[00:07:22] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. And you get to too, and it's super fun. And I actually was walking around earlier giving some people a tour or like showing them a couple offices and one of the guys was like.
Man, you just know everyone here. And I was like, well, yeah, it's my job. Yeah. I was like, that's my job. But also, like, I don't do it because it's my job. I do it because I'm passionate about it and I'm passionate about meeting people. So yeah, I mean, like when I first started, obviously like getting to know everyone is really not the easiest thing because there's so many people to meet.
Mm-hmm. And there's so many lives to know, like just learning about people and their families and where they're from. I, I love doing that. I'm so curious. I just wanna like pry a little too much and be like, tell me your life story. I mean, it was tough at first, but as time has gone on, someone will come in, I haven't seen them in a couple weeks, and my brain remembers like, oh, like their son or daughter had X, Y, Z or had a soccer tournament or something.
And you know, I'll remember to ask about that. Or someone's like, grandma's in the hospital. Like I. Appreciate that I can keep up with them on those things. And just like learn more about their lives and keep in touch with them. Even though I like, I don't wanna say I am just the community manager, but it's like, to me it's so much more than that.
It's just being that role and being that person that people like if they need someone to lean on, like I'm here for them too. So it's kind of an emotional side of things, I think, when it comes to this job.
[00:08:53] Michael Zarick: the idea of a third space is to be the literal third space outside of your house and your work.
Yeah. But COhatch kind of dances this line where it tries to do both. Mm-hmm. Do you feel like it successfully does that because I, the majority of people here are, are pretty. they're doing business. Yeah. At least they pretend to be they're, they're mostly doing business.
So what, you obviously organize events and you do things like that, or do you think people are appreciative of that and that they, what's your participation?
Like, what's the, what's the vibe that you're getting from people?
[00:09:29] Jenna Hadley: Yeah, so I feel like when people come in for a tour, I'll gauge their needs based on our conversation and depending on what they're looking for, I will try to really emphasize that community aspect, third space aspect of COhatch
Mm-hmm. Um, If it, if someone comes in and , you can just tell like, I just need a coworking space two days a week just to get some work done, I'm not gonna push that on them. Mm-hmm. So it really just depends on the person. I will say with the current member population of COhatch Broad Ripple, like there's a good amount of people that will either Bring their kids in or like come in on the weekend just to like have that third space to get away from home. And I, I love seeing that. Like, I remember there was one day I was watching the cameras, 'cause Erin was Sagamore, she texted me and she was like, we left you something funny on the cameras. And it was like her and her daughters dancing in the kitchen upstairs.
So it's moments like those where I'm like, man, like I really love that people actually use this space outside of coming here for work. it doesn't give like a corporate office feel. It very much gives it's very cozy. Like I love coming into work because this space is so comforting. Mm-hmm. And it's just nice.
Like the stain glass is awesome. It's just like the design is wonderful. I try to make it like a very inviting space for people with my attitude. Sometimes a little, I'm a little sassy, but. That's just me. That's just what you get. So, and I think you've learned that well enough. Yeah,
[00:10:57] Michael Zarick: I would, I, I find that having a space, you know, I'm unemployed, but I still come here to work.
But I find that being around other people, one, there's a bit of shame where it's like, if I'm like goofing off mm-hmm. I feel shame. So it is helped, helps me be productive. But also like the idea of just being around other people and, talking with John yesterday, like I asked John, Hey, what are you struggling with at most with, at work?
Yeah. That was a genuine question. I was maybe kind of fishing a little bit, but also I,
I was genuinely interested 'cause John walks by every day and he always seems like he's got something on his mind actually. He seems very busy in the hood. Yes. So being able to reach out to someone and just say like, what's going on?
Yeah. Like, I think that's pretty cool. Yeah. And having a space for that. And. It's also we're lucky that Broad Ripple or COhatch Broad Ripple is within the greater area of Broad Ripple, because I think it sort of, drives a certain type of person to come here.
there's a COhatch in Carmel, and Carmel has a certain vibe.
I have never been to Carmel, but what people say about it, there's a certain Yeah. It's a totally different sort of pseudo culture. Yes.
[00:12:08] Jenna Hadley: It's a, it's a totally different vibe at each location. We actually just had this conversation like last week at a team building thing. Like every person in their role at each location in Indianapolis is in their role, at their location for a reason.
Mm-hmm. Because each location, each member's, like each group of members, like they all have their own set of needs and like vibe and like overall general vibe if I had to go work at a different location. It would just be different. Like, it would just be a lot different and , because of the community I've built up in, in Broad Ripple, I don't know, it would just feel, feel a bit off for me.
Mm-hmm. Not saying like that's wrong, but like we all are definitely like where we're supposed to be which I appreciate.
[00:12:55] Michael Zarick: Yeah\ what's the like next big thing for you?
Like, what do you want to do? Do you feel like there's a jumping off point?
[00:13:02] Jenna Hadley: Oh God, that's a big question. Are we talking life?
[00:13:05] Michael Zarick: Whatever you want it to be.
[00:13:06] Jenna Hadley: Career. Oh my gosh. Panic attack moment. No, I'm just kidding. You probably haven't
[00:13:11] Michael Zarick: a lot of, had a lot of time to think about that type of stuff.
[00:13:13] Jenna Hadley: I mean, I really don't.
This job keeps me very occupied. Mm-hmm. I will say like there's room for growth within COhatch which I really appreciate. I also will say like, I've been in this job for almost nine months now and it has flown by. To where I'm like, oh, like I'm just now getting really good at this job. Why would I switch quite yet?
Mm-hmm. You know, like, why you have
[00:13:36] Michael Zarick: known me for almost half your tenure here.
[00:13:38] Jenna Hadley: I really have. And that's kind of scary. Yeah. Not because of you, just because of the time aspect of it all.
[00:13:44] Michael Zarick: When you frame it that way, it's, it is kind of crazy that it
[00:13:47] Jenna Hadley: is. It's like, how has it been that long? and I'll explore those options within COhatch
I'll stay in this role for a while. I, I really will. Because I do love it. I do really like the company. Like I love my team. Like they're all amazing people. good friends with a couple of them, which is great.
[00:14:07] Michael Zarick: You try to get them to let you watch their kids?
[00:14:10] Jenna Hadley: No, literally, McKenna wants me to like watch her dog sometime.
I'm like, you live all the way in Pendleton. Like, I live here.
He's a good, good boy. But anyways yeah, I don't know. In terms of like personal life, like, I don't know. I feel like I, I love Indianapolis and I know that's a big part of like your podcast. Like
[00:14:32] Michael Zarick: we'll get to that. Yes.
[00:14:33] Jenna Hadley: And we'll, we'll talk more about that. And I've loved, like, building up my personal community in Indy.
I feel like there is more for me though I feel like I've been going through a lot personally and I haven't really had like, the time to explore the things that I wanna explore. And I actually just made a goal list for May and I. Making sure to see like five different friends this month was a goal. I was like, I need to make time to see my people so I can continue building those relationships.
That's
[00:15:00] Michael Zarick: a difficult goal because that's more than one a week. A
[00:15:03] Jenna Hadley: week. I know that's kind of a lot. I might have to squeeze in a couple on a on one weekend, but it's like I've been putting those things off and also putting off like spending time, like doing things that I love in Indianapolis because I've been so busy.
So I think that's another thing that I'm looking forward to. Just doing more things that I enjoy. Mm-hmm.
[00:15:23] Michael Zarick: Yeah. I'm also putting off doing things in Indianapolis, but that's for a different reason
[00:15:27] Jenna Hadley: because I'm actually really busy. It's '
[00:15:28] Michael Zarick: cause my bank account is draining. I guess to, to jump into Indianapolis, you mentioned it as the place you love.
When did you move back?
[00:15:38] Jenna Hadley: Yeah, when? So I moved back in November of 2023. So it's been a while, but it was really interesting. I actually just had this conversation with someone today. So after college I moved to St. Louis. Okay. My best friend invited me to come live with her. I said, sure why not? So I moved to St.
Louis, take all of my belongings, and then February of 2023, I book a flight to go live with my aunt in Germany for three months. So at the end of my time in St. Louis, I felt like my only option was, well, I have to move it back home to Indianapolis. Like my dad has a place I can store my things. Like, it doesn't make sense for me to leave it all in St.
Louis if I don't know if I'm gonna come back, like India is home. So I brought it all back here, and then I get home from Germany in November, December, and I stay with my mom and my grandma. And last year was mental crisis, like constantly. It was, I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh. It was terrible. It was so bad.
It was like, one moment I was like, I'm gonna move to Chicago. I wanna live up there. Another moment, oh, I'm gonna go live with my friend out in Denver. Oh, I'm gonna go do this. And like, I never really had like the drive to do that. Like, I looked, you know, I looked at jobs in Michigan and I looked at jobs in Chicago and like looked at apartments, but I never was like, yeah, I really wanna do that.
I just felt like, I don't know, I was building up like my community in, in India a little bit, even though I was having a mental crisis. And then I found this job and then I was like, well, I guess I'll stay. And then I, I bet Ethan too. Like Ethan and I started dating and I was like, okay. I'm here.
[00:17:27] Michael Zarick: That's the worst
[00:17:28] Jenna Hadley: I know. Whatever. It's always
[00:17:30] Michael Zarick: a girl.
[00:17:31] Jenna Hadley: No, I mean, I'm, I'm very, I'm very glad I stayed because I will say like when I was in college. I like, since I grew up in Indiana and I went to college in Indy, I was like, oh my gosh, I cannot wait to leave. I can't wait to get out. And I did that and I went and moved and I had a, a great time.
And then I ended up back here and I was like, oh, this actually isn't bad at all. Mm-hmm. And I actually love it here.
[00:17:58] Michael Zarick: I wonder if there's a magnetism to somewhere that's like your hometown, because I, I think about this a lot for like, people who live in, I don't have the perspective of having grown up somewhere else.
That's impossible for me to have had that. Yeah. But I, I grew up in Kentucky, in Louisville, Kentucky, and then we moved to Arkansas in 2021 and then came back late last year.
[00:18:18] Jenna Hadley: Mm-hmm.
[00:18:19] Michael Zarick: And for some reason, I just have really positive sentiment associated with Indianapolis. But I think it might be this sort of pseudo magnetism, I'm gonna call it.
Related to just living near where I grew up. like We really liked living in Arkansas and I think that's because we did a lot of work to like make friends. Mm-hmm. And like do stuff. But it's really easy to just exist in a space you have always existed in.
I wonder if, I don't know, did did you have a good experience in other places?
[00:18:48] Jenna Hadley: I mean, I will say like living in St. Louis, that was probably the best year of my life. It really was like, it, I think it topped college and it was a really hard year. Like, it was, it was not easy. Like I lost some friends. I, you know, kind of, I don't wanna say I sabotaged some relationships, but I kind of did.
But it was, it was such a good learning experience and I love that city and I love my friends there. I still talk to them quite often. And I mean, it wasn't terribly far from home. Like I came home, it's four hours a lot. When I lived in St. Louis, I really did. I came home like. Probably on average like once a month.
Um, That is a lot. It was a lot. I had things back here and I think like when I was living in St. Louis, even though I enjoyed it so much, there was something like very comforting about being back at home and just being close to my family. And I was dating someone who was still going to Butler.
So it was, it was tough, like being away at times.
[00:19:50] Michael Zarick: So you move back and you claim to love it here? I do. So what about Indianapolis? draws you in and makes you what's the romantic side? So I think, I think for the outsiders if there are those that listen.
[00:20:06] Jenna Hadley: What is it about Indy? It's,
[00:20:07] Michael Zarick: it's, it's Indiana. Yeah. At the end of the day. Yeah. And from, from a Louisville, Kentucky, like we used to hate on Indiana. Hard. Yeah. Although I like it now. It's kind of
[00:20:15] Jenna Hadley: great though. It is.
[00:20:16] Michael Zarick: So you, you're a cyclist. Yes. You're a community manager. Yes. You have a boyfriend. I
[00:20:21] Jenna Hadley: do
[00:20:22] Michael Zarick: you, what else do you do?
I don't even know.
[00:20:24] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. I don't even know either those three things. I mean, I will say like Ethan and I love to go out and try new places, like for food. So that's a big thing. I will say Indy's food scene could be a little better. Mm-hmm. That's one thing that is slightly lacking for me because I've, I think I've kind of been spoiled.
Like St. Louis is, the culture in St. Louis is just a lot different than Indy, which is fine. It's just different. Like, I think there's a lot of French culture there. Hence like Marty Mardi Gras and stuff. Like St. Louis has the second biggest Mardi Gras next to New Orleans. I didn't know that. Yeah, so it's, how so
[00:20:59] Michael Zarick: do they have a huge Italian population?
[00:21:00] Jenna Hadley: Oh my gosh. The hill Italian food. They're like, I've been, I've been spoiled living in Germany. Spoiled, like, I've gotten to do a lot of traveling. Mm-hmm. So coming back to somewhere and I'm like, ah, man. Like, ah, I missed that Indian food I had in Dublin. Like, that was the best. But also I need to lower my standards a little and be like, okay, like for what Indy is doing, like they're doing a good job.
Like Gather 22 is a great spot. I don't know if you've been there. I need to make you a list of restaurants. I have a very large
[00:21:28] Michael Zarick: list of restaurants. Yeah. I, I'll need to, I don't any money.
[00:21:31] Jenna Hadley: Yeah, that's fair. You'll, you'll get there. We'll get you a job. I have a
[00:21:34] Michael Zarick: few, like, it's probably like 160 restaurants.
Oh my gosh. It's like a really long list. Will
[00:21:39] Jenna Hadley: you send it to me?
[00:21:40] Michael Zarick: Yeah. Okay. It's on Google Maps, so. Oh, that's great. Oh, if I pull up, you told me about this. Yeah. If you pull up Google Maps, I just have pins everywhere. Yeah, that's sweet.
[00:21:47] Jenna Hadley: But the, the food scene, the food scene is decent. It's getting better I think.
There is a lot of culture in Indy too, but it's not as immersed as it is in St. Louis. So I think my comparison there can be a little like off sometimes because Indy is very like, let's call it like a T zone. Okay. So the richer neighborhoods are gonna be up in the north side and down the middle of the city.
Sure. And then to the east and the west are gonna be like, I guess like your marginalized groups who they, oh whoa, there is a sun. The sun. I will say
[00:22:22] Michael Zarick: Indianapolis is one of the most red line, like visibly red redlined cities I've ever been to. Like it's very in your face.
[00:22:29] Jenna Hadley: It absolutely is.
But I mean like on the east and west side, like there is so much culture in those areas, but like people who live in these areas are just not immersed in it. And most of the time they're gonna choose not to immerse themselves in it because they think the areas are scary or dangerous, whereas
it's really not like, you're just not like, I had
[00:22:47] Michael Zarick: a conversation about this exact topic with the public outreach person for really Keep Indianapolis beautiful. Oh yeah. She was like, she was like, yeah, I just like, don't, she's like, I just go talk to people and like my coworkers would be like, you went there?
[00:23:02] Jenna Hadley: I mean, like, I feel like people just like stick so much in their bubble of what they know and are not willing to learn or branch out. And I think that can cause a lot of just
I guess just like, just causes a bad outlook on a lot of things.
Mm-hmm. I wish more people were willing to just talk to people I think kind of going into the business side of things like COhatch is in those T-zone areas, like, and that's just a fact. But it's hard because it's like these people who are living in these other communities don't have the types of jobs where they would like be able to work at a COhatch
So it's like, how do we go about like, meshing those communities in the right way.
[00:23:45] Michael Zarick: That was a, that was a very insightful comment that I don't think it, like I've never, first of all, I've never thought about Indianapolis as having like a, a T sort of shape for, I literally just thought of that.
Well, really, but you're kind of right.
[00:23:57] Jenna Hadley: I mean, it is, it's like the north side and it's down the middle. I mean, there's like splotches of places here and there, but like
[00:24:03] Michael Zarick: mm-hmm.
[00:24:03] Jenna Hadley: That's, I mean, Meridian kind of,
[00:24:05] Michael Zarick: no, you're very correct. And then additionally the idea that, oh, a coworking space or a community space, like would only go where there is already wealth.
Is, is a difficult topic. I'm kind of wondering like, what, what made you think of that? Like why, Do you think those parts of town are like missing that opportunity?
[00:24:23] Jenna Hadley: I think in some ways, yes. Like for example, there is a coworking space in Lawrence.
Mm-hmm. And Lawrence is kind of in that part of town that isn't super, I don't wanna say uppity, but like, just, it's not Meridian Kessler. It's not Carmel. And they actually just opened up a coworking space. There who has very, like, that has pretty like, low rates and it's giving those people those opportunities to go into those spaces and build that community.
Mm-hmm. So that kind of like sparked my, my mind there. But also you have to think about the fact that in these areas people are not most likely not working the remote jobs.
Yeah. Like, it's just a different sense of community.
[00:25:06] Michael Zarick: I think that institutions like the Kheprw Institute, which is a sort of black empowerment institute mm-hmm. It's located, I don't remember the road, but it's in a, it's in sort of a red line community. Mm-hmm. They are a community center that is there not only to sort of build that sort of sense of, of place.
Mm-hmm. But also. You know, they have a sort of investment arm to sort of help people build a business or things like that. That's great. So I think it comes down to sort of like, COhatch at the end of the day is a business and they're trying to make money. Yeah. Whereas the Kheprw Institute is a non-profit and is there to help build up a place, whereas COhatch might not necessarily want to do the work to help build up a place, if that makes sense.
Yes. It's already in a sort of established
[00:25:56] Jenna Hadley: zone. Yes. To Yes, to some degree. I wanna say COhatch does like a good job, not just marketing to people in this area. We try to reach out to. Startup businesses and non-profits to encourage them to apply for a scholarship with us.
And I don't know if I told you about the scholarship program. No. Yeah. So it's nice because COhatch almost functions like we are a for-profit business. Like we wouldn't function if we weren't a for-profit business. But there is a non-profit side to things which I really love about the business. Mm-hmm.
So, people can apply for a scholarship through us if it's a nonprofit or a startup, they have to just submit like a video about, you know, what they're doing, what their goals are, why they would need to use the space, like how we can help them. nonprofits pay $10 per month per person that want to use the space and startups pay. For the first year it's $20 per month per person to use the space. And this is for like an unlimited like. Amount of time. Like they can use it as much as they want. Mm-hmm. So they're like normal members, but they're just not paying as much.
Our scholarships used to be free but we had to put a price on them just to give, like, people like, I don't know, put a little skin in the game. Like it's, we can't like hand out like free memberships to everyone. That's true. And we've been doing it, at least Broad Ripple's been open for almost four years now.
Fourth birthday coming up on May 20th party . and honestly, like, sorry to all my members that I love, but I like, love our scholars. Like all of our scholars.
Like they want to help make a difference in COhatch Like I had a scholar come up to me a couple weeks ago and she was like, Hey, like you guys have blessed me in so many ways in helping me with my business. And giving me a space to work and giving me a space to have her daughter's graduation party. Like, how can I give back to you?
And for someone to say that, like, it makes you feel so good. And you're like, oh, like, that's really sweet. You feel that way? Mm-hmm. Yeah. It just, it just makes you feel good. Like it knowing that you've made a difference in someone's like personal life and professional life and them wanting to give back to you, even though they are like, they have a startup business or like, you know, they're in the very beginnings of their career in the field that they're in.
Like, they still wanna show their appreciation for you. And I think that's, that's really awesome that we can give to people who really need it. So,
[00:28:19] Michael Zarick: yeah. I didn't know that. Yeah. That's cool.
[00:28:21] Jenna Hadley: Yeah.
[00:28:22] Michael Zarick: So circling back to Indianapolis.
[00:28:24] Jenna Hadley: Yes.
[00:28:24] Michael Zarick: What about the city do you really like? Oh yeah. Other than the food,
[00:28:28] Jenna Hadley: we kind of got off on a tangent.
No, that's okay. I do, I think,
[00:28:31] Michael Zarick: I think it was a really good tangent. Not that. Yes. I don't wanna deny you.
[00:28:34] Jenna Hadley: No, it was a good tangent. Yeah. So I, I do like to cycle, so I love the Monon The Monon is great. Some of it needs a little repaving.
[00:28:43] Michael Zarick: What is the Monon? The
[00:28:44] Jenna Hadley: Oh,
the Monon Trail. I've never mentioned it.
Oh, you haven't? I don't think so. So the Monon Trail is, how long is it? How long is the Monon?
[00:28:51] Michael Zarick: I do not know.
[00:28:52] Jenna Hadley: It goes all the way from the garage, Mass Ave area in Indianapolis, all the way up to Sheridan. It's just a, a tow path.
[00:29:00] Michael Zarick: It's effectively a, this is common in a lot of cities. Is it used to have a railroad on it or a, a train line.
Yeah, that would make sense. And they converted. That's why it's so flat. Yes. So they converted it to a bike path. Yeah. Now I would prefer if we had both.
[00:29:16] Jenna Hadley: That would be cool if we had a train running through the city. Oh my gosh. I would be going everywhere. I love trains. I did so much train transportation when I was living in Germany and like, I miss it.
It's so great. I will say that's one thing I don't like about Indy the. Lack of public transportation in terms of getting in and out of the city really stinks. Mm-hmm. Like when I lived in St. Louis, sorry, I keep bringing up St. Louis. I clearly love it. I would move back into a heartbeat. That's so funny.
[00:29:44] Michael Zarick: I don't think a lot of people would say that.
[00:29:46] Jenna Hadley: I don't know what it is, but I also think a lot of
[00:29:48] Michael Zarick: people haven't lived in St. Louis. That is true.
[00:29:49] Jenna Hadley: I know People visit and they're like, I don't really know about that place. I'm like, it's great.
[00:29:53] Michael Zarick: They have a great children's museum.
[00:29:54] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. The city museum. That place is awesome.
[00:29:57] Michael Zarick: So what in St. Louis, what did they have for transportation? Oh,
[00:30:00] Jenna Hadley: like I wanted to go up to Chicago one day. I literally just got on the train and took it to Chicago. No big deal. Like how long did
[00:30:06] Michael Zarick: that take?
[00:30:06] Jenna Hadley: Five hours.
[00:30:07] Michael Zarick: That's a long train
trip.
[00:30:08] Jenna Hadley: It was a long
trip. It was a long train trip. But it's like you can't do that in Indianapolis.
Like you used to be able to. You used to be able to, and then for whatever reason INDot said no more.
[00:30:20] Michael Zarick: Do you know why? Well, I. I do, this is something I'm really deeply invested in, is public transit. Marion County, specifically in Indianapolis, it takes up such a large landmass mm-hmm.
That the amount of money to sustain or build an effective transportation system across the entire landmass mm-hmm. Is almost not feasible.
If you look at the landmass of other large cities well, Chicago and New York City and San Francisco, it's a
[00:30:47] Jenna Hadley: little
[00:30:47] Michael Zarick: different. All sort of come to mind.
I they do not take up nearly the same amount of land. It's a much smaller Yeah. compact and then the parts of those places that are lesser served are further out. Yeah. So it's like, so I think we have a sort of, because Indianapolis is so. Sprawly, are you familiar with that term? So people are everywhere.
Yeah. There's no area of density.
[00:31:12] Jenna Hadley: That's true.
[00:31:13] Michael Zarick: It makes it difficult for us to serve people with public transit. So it just requires a, first of all, you have to overhaul the living infrastructure. Yeah. Then you can build in moving infrastructure. That's
[00:31:24] Jenna Hadley: true. Yeah. I didn't think about how big Indy is.
'cause Indy very spread out. Mm-hmm. It is. It's like one of the
[00:31:30] Michael Zarick: largest metropolitan areas really in the country. Definitely. Wow. And then you have to take into account the, the donut counties, which are all the counties around Marion County. Yeah. Where a a, a large amount of the employment, is that the word the workforce comes from?
Like all those people are coming in, which is a lot of the reason that the roads struggle. There's, there's so many. It's so, it's such a complicated and nuance sort of discussion. And obviously like our city leadership is weak. The state leader leadership doesn't like us for multiple reasons. And I, I think that all those sort of factors combined make for a unfortunate situation.
Yeah. In regard to the movement of people around the city.
[00:32:13] Jenna Hadley: That's very insightful.
[00:32:14] Michael Zarick: Yeah. I, I think about it a lot.
[00:32:15] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. That is really interesting because I feel like I get pretty, like, pretty riled up about it sometimes. Like err like, I wish there were a train to like Cincinnati or Chicago or St. Louis, and it's like, there's not,
[00:32:26] Michael Zarick: well, that would be federal.
That's a little different's. Federal money.
[00:32:28] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. So I don't know why we're not doing that, but I will say the bus system here is pretty good. I feel like I see a lot of people relying on the bus to get downtown to up here in Broad Ripple, and I'm very glad that we have that. Mm-hmm. I ride the bus. You do ride the bus.
I've actually never ridden the bus.
[00:32:44] Michael Zarick: You should.
[00:32:44] Jenna Hadley: I should ride the bus sometime. Take
[00:32:45] Michael Zarick: your boyfriend and ride the bus. Ride
[00:32:47] Jenna Hadley: the bus. More things that I like about Indianapolis, so I. Love Fountain Square. I think Fountain Square is an awesome neighborhood. I think Fountain Square has a lot of stuff to offer.
I think it brings like a different side to Indy that a lot of people like don't think it has. I think a lot of people don't go down to Fountain Square.
[00:33:07] Michael Zarick: What is the thing they don't think Indy has?
That it does in Fountain Square?
[00:33:12] Jenna Hadley: I think Fountain Square just like encapsulates like the need of inclusivity in the city.
I don't think there's any other area in Indianapolis, especially on the north side that really showcases that. And I think Fountain Square just does like a good job of repping we're community oriented. We're here to support you. And like. Provide you with the resources and the places and the, places to eat things to do like White Rabbit Cabaret is super awesome.
Mm-hmm. And like it just offers like a different side of Indianapolis, like more alternative side of things.
[00:33:48] Michael Zarick: It's very alternative. It is. It's super alternative White Rabbit Cabaret I would call. Very alternative.
[00:33:52] Jenna Hadley: I
[00:33:52] Michael Zarick: love White Rabbit. It
[00:33:52] Jenna Hadley: is awesome. Like Kuma's Corner, like met like heavy metal burger place.
Like you'd never see that like up here.
[00:34:01] Michael Zarick: Probably not.
[00:34:01] Jenna Hadley: No. You wouldn't. And it's like, it is just such a good area and I feel like I make my way down there a lot.
[00:34:08] Michael Zarick: When you were growing up, Fountain Square was one of those
It was an area of town that was lesser served and has since been revitalized. Yeah. As they say. And I've been down there. It's really nice.
[00:34:21] Jenna Hadley: Yeah, it is. Yeah. I'm really interested like. To know about how that was built up and how that was changed over time, because I actually just found out maybe I'll
[00:34:30] Michael Zarick: work on that.
[00:34:31] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. Can you do some research? I
[00:34:33] Michael Zarick: have a, I have a couple historians on my list Okay. Of to talk to. I would love to find you know, it's not a history podcast, but I think that plays in,
[00:34:39] Jenna Hadley: it does, it does. It plays into like why Indianapolis is Indianapolis and why these areas like, deal with certain issues and why they are the way they are.
So I think it would be fair to have some historians on here. I was just talking to Ethan about this, so I asked him, I was like, why We were driving down to Fountain Square for a concert and I was like, why is Fountain Square so hard to get to? Like, why do you have to get off 65 and then go around this loop?
And he said, he was like, well, like, it used to not be like what it is. Like it honestly used to be a pretty poor area and I didn't know that. Mm-hmm. So when he brought that up, I was like, that's actually a really good point. And it was just really interesting kind of eye eyeopening. I was like, oh, like makes, there's this, that makes sense.
[00:35:19] Michael Zarick: that makes sense.
I hate to bring 'em up on this podcast, but like Elon Musk will tweet, like, how these people in government think that highways can be racist. It's like, well, highways were built through historically black neighborhoods.
[00:35:30] Jenna Hadley: Yeah.
[00:35:31] Michael Zarick: And that's, if you imagine in that way, like Fountain Square was that, and that might be why it's so difficult to get to.
It takes, you know, from here where we are, it takes like 20 to 25 minutes to get to
[00:35:42] Jenna Hadley: it takes, it, takes a long time to get to. And it's not that far. No. And it really is not. Yeah. It's kind of crazy, like how that works. It's just kind of wild. But yeah, I, I love Fountain Square. It's, it's the best.
[00:35:55] Michael Zarick: So we kind of already answered this, but is there, outside of public transit, is there something you think Indianapolis could like really improve on as a city?
[00:36:03] Jenna Hadley: I think Broad Ripple specifically has kind of struggled in the past like four or five years with safety concerns. Hmm. Specifically like the year after I got out of college.
So Broad Ripple used to be the spot, like
[00:36:17] Michael Zarick: Yep.
[00:36:17] Jenna Hadley: Everyone went on Broad Ripple It kind of still feels like
[00:36:19] Michael Zarick: the spot to me.
[00:36:20] Jenna Hadley: Okay. Yes. Because it, it's coming, it's, it's on the mend, when I was in college, like Broad Ripple was where we went out to the bars every weekend I went to karaoke and salsa, dancing and Red Room every Wednesday night.
Like that was, that was the place to go. And after I graduated, I had heard from some girls, like in my sorority the year below me, they were like, yeah, like we don't go out in Broad Ripple anymore. And I was like, what? Like,
[00:36:45] Michael Zarick: where do they go?
[00:36:46] Jenna Hadley: They go downtown.
[00:36:48] Michael Zarick: That's so far. I
[00:36:48] Jenna Hadley: know it's not, it's not too far, but Broad Ripple is so close and I'm just kinda like, well, well why?
And there were just a lot of safety concerns for a while. Like there were a couple shootings in Broad Ripple like a while back. But I feel like things have like, continuously gotten better. But based on feeling and talking with Jordan from BRBA, like it does seem better overall. And I do think Rodder Bull is trying really hard. Like they're doing the third Thursday thing, like every third Thursday, like businesses are offering like discounts or like open houses or live music.
I will say I wish it were more of like a street party or street fest. Kind of like farmer's market style. I,
[00:37:29] Michael Zarick: I said this to Anna the other day, so we went to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market.
[00:37:33] Jenna Hadley: Yes.
[00:37:34] Michael Zarick: Which is in the Lowe's parking lot.
[00:37:36] Jenna Hadley: Yeah.
[00:37:37] Michael Zarick: I was like, why is this not just on Broad Ripple Avenue?
[00:37:42] Jenna Hadley: I know.
Just shut
[00:37:42] Michael Zarick: down the road for like six hours.
[00:37:45] Jenna Hadley: I know you would think. 'cause I remember I was always like, where is the Broad Ripple farmer's market? And I remember when I looked it up, I was like, why is it in the Lowe's parking lot? Like
[00:37:54] Michael Zarick: instead of the middle of where everyone lives?
[00:37:56] Jenna Hadley: I know. Well McKenna, my boss, she was like, well why don't we host the farmer's market?
And I was like, it is way too established and so much bigger. Like
[00:38:07] Michael Zarick: it's pretty big.
[00:38:08] Jenna Hadley: The parking lot is huge. Like isn't there someone out there directing traffic?
[00:38:13] Michael Zarick: No.
[00:38:13] Jenna Hadley: Okay. Well I think when I was there, there was someone like directing people on where to park and I'm like, this is insane. Like there's at least 150 cars in this parking lot.
Mm-hmm. So it's a big farmer's market, but I don't know. I do agree. I wish it were in Broad Ripple and I think it would just like bring more sense of community. It's like, I don't know. I think it would be better
[00:38:33] Michael Zarick: if I had the resources, and we'll get into this, if I had the resources I would do a study about, if you could theoretically close Broad Ripple Road from College to whatever that road on the other side is near the Qdoba Chipotle.
Mm.
[00:38:52] Jenna Hadley: I think you could do it
[00:38:53] Michael Zarick: just permanently.
[00:38:55] Jenna Hadley: That would be sick. But I will say they just renovated that like a year and a half ago. Yeah.
[00:38:59] Michael Zarick: Renovate it again,
[00:39:01] Jenna Hadley: renovated
full sidewalks, patios. Like that's the thing. Cities are not built for that in the United States. Like, and that sucks because like living, when I lived in Germany, it was so much better.
It was like there was this, this road and it was literally just a walking path. Mm-hmm. And like, there's businesses everywhere. Cars could drive on it if they needed to like deliver somebody to the front of the building. But like, it was meant for walking and it was meant for having like. Chairs and patios to sit on.
It's not,
[00:39:30] Michael Zarick: I challenge you. I was thinking about this the other day.
Just pay attention next time you go on a walk or a bike ride.
How much, and this is for anyone listening to how much infrastructure is dedicated to cars mm-hmm. The road. Mm-hmm. There's Indianapolis has an outsized number of four lane roads, like Yeah. Really wide roads. And then how little infrastructure is given to you as a pedestrian, like
like
small sidewalks. Very short amount of time to cross the road.
Yeah. Just something to like really be, there's a, I forget who said this but the best way to learn about a city is just to like, walk around. Yeah. You, you see so many things you would not otherwise see. And when you're in a car, you just like zoom by. You don't see it. Yeah. And I, I, it's something I do a lot.
I, I walk a lot. But yeah. But good feedback. Yeah. I think we can do more for the people.
[00:40:23] Jenna Hadley: I do. I do think we can do more. I like, I don't, I don't wanna dog on Indy because I do love it here and like it is home. Mm-hmm. Like my neighborhood is awesome, like Meridian Kessler is great. What is that face for?
[00:40:36] Michael Zarick: Well, I, I have something to say.
[00:40:38] Jenna Hadley: Oh, okay. But like, I can walk to get breakfast, which I really appreciate. I can walk to get a coffee. I can walk to get. There's a couple things like in my neighborhood that are walkable to me, and if I wanna walk a little further, I wanna bike.
Like I can get to college and I can go to my favorite restaurant. Like, I can bike to Yat's like I can bike to Fat Dan's. And I love that. And that's great. And there's a ton of nice houses and like, there are like decent sidewalks, which I appreciate. Yeah. And I, I love my neighborhood, so I'm grateful.
Love my apartment. It's, it's nice and cozy and it's quiet. So like, there are things I do love about Indy. I love, this is one thing that I really, really wanted to talk about that I was thinking of. I am so grateful that I came back to Indy because of my time at Butler. Mm-hmm. Like, I have had so many chances specifically this year to be involved in Butler in some way and share with students about my job as community manager here.
And like that has felt really impactful for me. And I, I never thought like, oh, I wanna go back to Indy and like, go back to my alma mater, Alma alma mater. Alma mater. And like, I never had that thought. But now that I'm back in it and I have had the chance to go back, it has felt really good. And I think that is something that I never expected to mean a lot to me, but it really has.
[00:41:59] Michael Zarick: on the topic of you said you don't want a dog on Indy. A previous podcast guest, he said like, we shouldn't be nice to the city. it's great.
[00:42:07] Jenna Hadley: Yeah.
[00:42:08] Michael Zarick: But it's not perfect. Yeah. So you have to speak on its flaws to be able to improve when we're not, you know, we're not sitting here.
It's an inanimate object. Yeah. The, the city. We can say what we want about the mayor or whatever, the city has flaws and we are able to criticize those and, and want more of it. So I think that's perfectly acceptable.
[00:42:25] Jenna Hadley: Yeah, that's true. I would agree on that. And it's hard 'cause it's, you know, we can speak like, oh, Wendy is blah blah, but it's like the city can't help itself.
Like the people of the city have to help the city. Yeah. Like that is just like bottom line, what needs to be done.
[00:42:38] Michael Zarick: We'll do it. I hope. So I have sort of three more questions. Okay. Because you're running outta time. You gotta go to bar class.
[00:42:44] Jenna Hadley: I'm going to bar class. I'm going to two bar classes.
Talk about bad today. Ass. Yeah.
[00:42:48] Michael Zarick: You're gonna be hurting. I'm
[00:42:49] Jenna Hadley: gonna be hurting so bad. But I'm excited.
[00:42:51] Michael Zarick: Okay. So you've kind of already touched on these, but I want to be more formal about it. We're in Broad Ripple.
[00:42:57] Jenna Hadley: Oh.
[00:42:58] Michael Zarick: Or Meridian Kessler. We're sort of in the intro, intro, the we're in transition zone
[00:43:04] Jenna Hadley: Warfleigh kind of ignoring the area you live in, ignoring that
[00:43:06] Michael Zarick: idea.
So in this neighborhood mm-hmm. Of the, sort of the tri-state area of Meridian Kesler of the
[00:43:12] Jenna Hadley: tri-state area,
[00:43:13] Michael Zarick: the Meridian Kessler Warfleigh and Broad Ripple where, let's say I just showed up yesterday mm-hmm.
In October where would you take me to like be like, this is where I'm hanging. These are the coolest places.
[00:43:26] Jenna Hadley: 54th in college.
[00:43:28] Michael Zarick: What is that?
[00:43:28] Jenna Hadley: That is my favorite intersection in Indianapolis. I've already mentioned two of the. It's eight places in that area. Oh, there's Yat's There's Yat's Okay. There's Fat Dan's, there's 20 tap three really good restaurants.
The Bulldog is new. It used to be a place called Mo and Johnny's where we went in college. That was cool. I've not been in there quite yet.
[00:43:46] Michael Zarick: At, at the Bull. The Bulldog,
[00:43:47] Jenna Hadley: yeah. Have you been there?
[00:43:48] Michael Zarick: I've driven by it.
[00:43:49] Jenna Hadley: Okay. I've heard Met many times.
[00:43:50] Michael Zarick: Is that the one where the, is that the intersection where the Indian restaurant is too or is that a different one?
[00:43:54] Jenna Hadley: No, that's 52nd.
[00:43:56] Michael Zarick: Okay.
[00:43:56] Jenna Hadley: And yeah, 52nd and College. So I love that intersection so much. And there's said that
[00:44:01] Michael Zarick: was such conviction. I listen, I
[00:44:03] Jenna Hadley: talk about this intersection, like I live there. I don't even live in this intersection. There's fresh Market, which it's a fine grocery store. They play kind of weird, like medieval type music, which I don't really jive with.
But they can, they can do whatever they want. Medieval, they do have good food. And my favorite place in Indianapolis in that intersection, Jazz Kitchen. The Jazz Kitchen, I need to go there is awesome. So,
[00:44:27] Michael Zarick: this is a side story.
[00:44:28] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. Please.
[00:44:29] Michael Zarick: My cousin who lives in Columbus, his really good friend lives here.
[00:44:34] Jenna Hadley: Mm-hmm. And
[00:44:35] Michael Zarick: I have her phone number, Uhhuh, and I've been texting her 'cause I was like, I really wanna be friends with you.
[00:44:39] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. '
[00:44:39] Michael Zarick: cause I just moved here because we have been texting back and forth for months. Have not You met her yet? She has two kids. I've not met her yet. Okay. But her husband is a jazz musician and recently played there.
Shut up. And I was out of town before. Oh no. But I really want to go to the jazz kitchen. His name is Chaz. I wanna go watch Chaz. Chaz play jazz. Chaz who plays jazz. Get
[00:44:58] Jenna Hadley: outta here. You you have to go. Like Monday nights are open mic night and like locals will come in and play, which is awesome. I've actually, okay.
I've been to The Jazz Kitchen three times. The first time I went, I went by myself. Mm-hmm. I was like, I've wanted to go here for so long. Like, I've, I've gotta make this happen. So I go and they end up sitting me next to the table of musicians. And they're right behind me. And because of who I am and I love to talk to people, I'm chatting up with them and they're like, oh, like, Jenna, do you play any instruments?
And I'm like, no. Like I don't play any instruments. And they're like, well, do you sing? And I'm like, well, I love like karaoke, but like, I don't like professionally sing. And they were like, oh, that's too bad. 'cause you're gonna get up there and sing a song.
[00:45:43] Michael Zarick: No way. Oh yeah.
[00:45:44] Jenna Hadley: So I went up there and sang love LOVE by Nat King Cole.
And it was so ridiculous in front of, like, in front of a, a big crowd. Yes. It was fun. It was great. So it's like
[00:45:56] Michael Zarick: that would, that's something worst nightmare.
[00:45:58] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. I, I'll say I was like slightly nervous. I'm so afraid of that. I don't, I don't get too nervous, but it, it was just kind of like, well, I gotta do it.
So, I mean
[00:46:08] Michael Zarick: when you have this deep peer pressure at that point.
[00:46:10] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. And they were like really cool musicians and I was like, I gotta get up there and do this. So it was fun. It was good. I would do it again. They have like a Latin night on Thursdays. Mm-hmm. So free like Latin dance lessons, which is super cool.
So yeah, that intersection.
[00:46:25] Michael Zarick: Do they have good food? Rocks.
[00:46:27] Jenna Hadley: The food is awesome. So the food is like New Orleans style, like occasionally right next to, yes. Right next to yes. Which is hilarious. Are you sure it's not
[00:46:34] Michael Zarick: Ya's food?
[00:46:35] Jenna Hadley: It's not Ya's food. It's different. I will say the people of the jazz kitchen and the people of Yas, I'm pretty sure they're like friends, I'm sure.
Um, Which of course, of course Old Man Yat's love that guy Joe, old man Yat's
[00:46:46] Michael Zarick: I hope he's doing all right.
[00:46:48] Jenna Hadley: I think he is. I saw him a couple weeks ago. He was, he seemed pretty good. But those places are just like, those places are what mean the most to me in this area. Just because I've spent so much time in those places.
Like at Yat's and at Fat Dan's those are like my favorite places ever. I really like could talk about them for days. Yeah, they mean a lot to me and they mean a lot to, like my experience in Indy. I remember when I moved away from Indy, I remember saying like, man, like I'm really gonna miss Yat's Like I'm gonna miss it so bad.
And I remember when I came back I was like, yes. So it's like I can't wait to go back to Yat's So it's, that's so funny. It's so staple places that I would take anyone who visits to like, I would take them there. And obviously I'd take them to Broad Ripple. I think the river just north of Broad Ripple is really nice. Like the Monon right there, like Marott Park what's the other park? Holliday Park. They were both awesome. I think they're great. I think Butler is awesome. I think the university's really pretty. So yeah, kind of all in the tri-state area.
That's what I don't wanna call it that now. My, my tri-state area. No. Literally, it's what it is.
[00:47:59] Michael Zarick: Okay. The next question I have actually comes from the previous podcast guest.
[00:48:04] Jenna Hadley: Oh,
[00:48:06] Michael Zarick: that's exciting. That's cool. Yes. His name is Khaled. Khaled said Khaled's an artist. Well, kind of, he's an artist that's, that's foolish for me to say otherwise.
He's a graphic designer, so he's an Oh, he is an artist. An artist. And he runs like marketing at the Kan-Kan Theater.
[00:48:20] Jenna Hadley: Oh.
Shout out. Shout out. Can, can, great
[00:48:22] Michael Zarick: guy. But he asked if you had unlimited resources mm-hmm. And money was not an option. Mm-hmm. What would you create?
[00:48:33] Jenna Hadley: Hmm.
[00:48:34] Michael Zarick: If you could be anything.
I told him that I would create a beautiful, livable space.
[00:48:38] Jenna Hadley: Yes. We all, we all need that. But
[00:48:40] Michael Zarick: he was, I think, maybe had a, a art in mind, but to me,
[00:48:43] Jenna Hadley: space is our
[00:48:44] Michael Zarick: art. Oh,
[00:48:45] Jenna Hadley: that's interesting. Yeah. Space is our art. I would agree., This might sound really strange, but I feel like I would create like an elementary school for like adults to go back and like relive their school experience.
Wait,
[00:49:02] Michael Zarick: that's kind of funny actually. I know. I like that.
[00:49:03] Jenna Hadley: I know it's kind of random, but like that's what came to mind. I like feel, I'm such a nostalgic person and I feel like being able to go back and experience those things even if it were just for a day, like I know it wouldn't be the same feeling, but that's kind of a silly answer.
But like, that's just what came to mind.
[00:49:20] Michael Zarick: There's a, there's like really successful event planning businesses that do adult summer camp. Yeah. So I think you could do adult elementary school.
[00:49:27] Jenna Hadley: Yeah. I mean, I feel like a lot of people really crave like that feeling now that I'm like an adult. I wanna be youthful for as long as I can. But I think now that I'm an adult, I'm like, man, like I really understand what people are talking about when they say that they miss being a kid.
Or like you when you were younger. Oh, I can't wait to get older. No, like you don't, because there is just something so good about, I don't wanna say being naive, but it's true. Just not knowing mm-hmm. Things. Yeah. And just having that innocence I miss that, that feeling. I agree with you.
However,
[00:50:04] Michael Zarick: I have a contradictory feeling. I love being an adult. I say despite the struggle of being an adult, I will say
[00:50:09] Jenna Hadley: there's amazing things about being an adult.
[00:50:10] Michael Zarick: I love being able to go to Target and buying a box of candy. Yeah. You can't do that as a child. I
[00:50:14] Jenna Hadley: know. You can't. Your mom would
[00:50:15] Michael Zarick: slap your hand, be like, stop.
Be like,
[00:50:17] Jenna Hadley: no, we can't
[00:50:17] Michael Zarick: do that.
[00:50:19] Jenna Hadley: I would agree. I will say there are fun things about being an adult, but if I could create a space for people to just go hang out and enjoy like,
[00:50:26] Michael Zarick: oh, a third space being a
[00:50:27] Jenna Hadley: kid. Yeah. That would be my third space. This,
[00:50:29] Michael Zarick: we're working on that. Yeah. Maybe
okay. And then the last question. Mm-hmm. What's the question you would like to ask the next guest?
[00:50:36] Jenna Hadley: I knew that was gonna be the question. Oh my gosh. I gotta think about this. It
[00:50:39] Michael Zarick: can be anything you want.
[00:50:40] Jenna Hadley: . If you could open up any third space, what third space would you open up and what would it be? Tailored to or tailored around.
[00:50:49] Michael Zarick: All right. Well, Jenna's gotta go to bar class, so I gotta go to bar class. Thank you for joining me on Third Space Indy. This
[00:50:55] Jenna Hadley: was great. Yay. You did great. I don't know why
[00:50:57] Michael Zarick: you were so nervous.
[00:50:58] Jenna Hadley: Oh gosh. Thank you. All right. Thank you. High
[00:51:00] Michael Zarick: five,
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Third Space Indy and , thank you so much to Jenna Hadley for joining me in our conversation. You can follow Third Space Indy at Third Space Indy on Instagram. You can also find show notes and a short blog post thirdspaceindy.com.
And if you enter your email thirdspaceindy.com, I'll send you show notes and the blog post for each episode right as it releases.
Thank you as always, to the local artist Jennasen, for permission to use her song Scared Rabbit as the music for the show.
If you have any thoughts, feelings, suggestions, or feedback on this episode or third space Indy in general, you can email me at thirdspaceindy@gmail.com.
I promise I'll respond and I'll be very thankful for your message. I really look forward to sharing the next episode of Third Space Indy with you. Looking forward to it. Have a great day.