Bloomington is a Southern Indiana city and like many, downtown is dominated by a historic courthouse square with an old fashioned courthouse, in this case, an ornate 1902 Beaux Arts style building.

Surrounding the square are an eclectic mix of stores and restaurants.

By Hand Gallery, located in the Fountain Mall across the street from the courthouse, is quintessentially Bloomington. It's a artist cooperative and the gallery features fine craft media such as glassworks, textiles, hand made soaps and leather goods.

Often described as being in the heart of limestone country (nearby towns have such stone names as Oolitic and Bedford), many of the buildings in Bloomington are made of limestone quarried nearby.

Tibetan Cultural Center

Bloomington has always been a diverse place. How else to explain a city that has not one, but two Tibetan restaurants and the 90 acre Tibetan Cultural Center, started by I.U. professor Thubten J. Norbu, brother of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, with the goal of preserving both the memory and culture of Tibetans as well fostering awareness regarding the country's struggles.