This was my first time in Iowa. Des Moines is the capital of the state and it is the site of the…read morefirst caucuses of the presidential primary cycle. This city is low key as you would expect. They do not have any professional sports teams of their own and have to adopt teams from other cities. The closest thing they have to a local sports team is the Drake Bulldogs. The city is also known for being the state's most populous city, and for also being a major center for the insurance industry. It is home to the Principal Financial Group, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wells Fargo, Cognizant, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Bayer, and Corteva. The top attractions in the city include Wells Fargo Arena, Pappajohn Sculpture Park (Nothing to do with the pizza company), Blank Park Zoo, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Cowles Commons, Des Moines Art Center, and the Capital Building. The city has a bunch of public art to see. Outside of the sculptures in Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the city is heavy on murals. One of the most recognizable symbols of the city is the iconic Travelers umbrella sign. It is a large part of the Des Moines skyline. The people in the town are very friendly. The city experiences extreme weather with hot summers and cold winters. Being in the Midwest, the city is at high risk of experiencing hail storms and tornadoes. I found teh city to be very clean . I will say that there was not a lot to do as compared to other cities that I have visited though. The city does not have a large police presence, or at least they were not visible. However, I was never in a situation that I felt unsafe there. This is definitely a down home city. I will be honest, it may not be my first choice for a destination spot, but I am glad that I was able to check this place out.

City Street Snow removal is terrible. City employees Complain, that there is No Way to plow street…read morewithout piling 3' x 10' of snow and ice into driveways. Comical, yet stupid. Only takes Skill.., not laziness. I showed some plow drivers on my street HOW it's done. Took about 5 minutes extra of manoeuvering. Whoopie. They clown & sit in the trucks wasting MORE gas and time that way, then a little extra skilled plowing. The Best they do is whine & make excuses. Makes Us feel great to pay their wages. My opinion.., YOU put snow and ice in MY drive, YOU BETTER REMOVE IT ! DO the jobs Right, or Quit ! LowLife employees. Des Moines IA residents

Surprisingly great Warmer than the Twin Cities…read moreA bit, anyways For the first 40 and some years of my life, I had only driven through Des Moines and never spent anytime there. Well, guess what? I spent a night there a couple months ago and liked it so much that I went back a month later and spent two nights! The brewery and beer bar scene is amazing. Wrote a five star review of Madhouse, but Confluence, Court Avenue, Twisted Vine, etc etc were also all great. Then you put the cherry on top. Two great beer bars. El Bait Shop - two hundred plus beers on tap. Five star review at some point in the future. Then you have got the Iowa Tap Room. Boatload of taps from breweries all over Iowa. The Lyft/Uber drivers were the friendliest that I have met anywhere. Why not five stars? At under a million metro population, you would probably end up going to the same places all the time. Secondly, it is still the Midwest and still cold. However, it was fourteen degrees warmer in Des Moines than the Twin Cities on my last trip between departure and arrival. Given that I grew up a state north, I would consider living there especially since the cost of living is so low. If I had grown up south of the Mason Dixon Line, I would probably not be quite as fond.

I always imagine this place was named after a 5 year old. Specifically, what a 5 year old says when…read moreyou try and take his toys away... or his cookies. "Noooooo! Des Moines!" Des Moines is a lovely City. It's a city that really hasn't been spoiled by Urban growth to the degree that many cities have now. You can still drive around the city and feel like there is some peace and quiet and some space, and living room (oh that sounds so early-20th-century German of me, not cool), but I'm sure people here do have living rooms in their houses, so it's sort of accurate. Even in the very heart of it, DSM as they call it, is not too bustling. Ever. The humble but impressive downtown mini-skyline sticks up from the center of the city so from miles around you can see it poking its head through the tree line. Or field line or flat burb line as the case may be. There are some nice parks and some nice restaurants and some nice people as well. I think nice is the operative word for Des Moines. I haven't had any spectacular concerts here but a couple of them have been pretty good, and I appreciated them. I highly recommend you try the Hiland Bakery, with it's yum goodies. And Classic Custard too, for, well, Classic Custard. And the Bubble Tea at Bubbly Tea House is authentic, which is shocking for this state. Think about it. There are some good food options here as well as some bland but original and unusual local specialty foods. Such as the tenderloin, best served at B & B. So, DSM is an Uncharted and unfashionable and unheralded and underrated place. People here can be friendly. Some more than others. Iowa has a reputation for being very friendly but despite what I said earlier, gradually, DSM is morphing into more of a big city. It still has a very relaxed feel though. There are lots of poor areas and there is some tension I noticed between the wealthy Suburban types and the poor communities including some ethnic communities. There is a surprising number of Mexicans and other black people here which provides a Great Southern & South of the Border flavor to some of the food. Anyway Iowa lot of money so I need to go get a job ttyl.

You will find this mural on the west side of the Exile Brewing Company it was painted by Ben Schuh…read morein 2016. The mural is 66 feet wide and 20 feet high and depicts the state's Capitol, a flight of beer, hops, the city skyline and a group of bicyclists. Ironically, a bicyclist came running down a hill past me while I was viewing the mural. This mural is really starting to show signs of wear and starting to fade. I still really like this iconic mural. Schuh has a few nice murals around the city and bicyclist are a common theme in his work. This mural is defiantly work a visit if you are in the area. There is metered street parking available for those that are driving and want to get a closer look. I like this mural and think that is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. However, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There is a ton of public art in the area to see.

This mural overlooks a small alleyway and a commercial parking lot that was packed, on the west…read moreexterior wall of the WorkSpace Inc.. It is the work of Jordan Weber who painted the piece in 2015. The piece is in fair condition and depicts a blonde woman who represents "the overall American consumer" or a "more traditional" Des Moines citizen reacting to downtown's rapid growth. At first I thought that the piece was vandalized but I believe that it is all part of Weber's design. You will find, partially hidden among the graffiti tags, Dopey from Disney's "Snow White" and a pair of Smurfs, whose woodland habitat is threatened by development." The mural has a comic book vibe, with a couple of partially obstructed "POW" word bubbles incorporated in it. It is definitely an interesting mural that you need its backstory to truly understand it. There is limited metered street parking available for those wishing to park and get a closer look. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There is a ton of public art in the area to see and a nice plaza area across the street.

This nice piece of public art is located in Cowles Commons. It is directly across the street from…read morethe Des Monies Civic Center and was commissioned by the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, with a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and donations from local sources. It costed $125,000 (in 1979) and is the work of Swedish born artists Claes and Coosje Oldenburg who created this piece in 1979. Contrary to popular belief at the time, the city's iconic red neon Travelers' umbrella sign did not play a part in the artists' decision to build the giant umbrella. The umbrella's concept is based off of Robinson Crusoe, the title character and famous castaway character from the novel by Daniel Defoe. Crusoe makes an umbrella from sticks and plants that he finds on the island where he is stranded. The umbrella does not function, but he still carries it with him everywhere. The piece was fabricated by Lippincott, Inc. and is constructed of weathering steel and painted with a green polyurethane enamel to help it endure the extreme Midwest climate. The sculpture weighs 20,000 pounds, and is 53-foot-long It is a nice piece that you have to view from a distance to really see what it is and get the artists' vision. The piece is in very good shape especially considering its age. There is metered street parking and a commercial garage within a reasonable walking distance from this piece. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There is a ton of public art in the area to see and a nice plaza area across the street.

This mural was made in 2019, this piece by Ben Schuh. The mural was commissioned by the Community…read moreFoundation of Greater Des Moines to celebrate their 50th birthday. They enlisted community members to assist with the mural's painting. The mursl depicts many of the unique features and facets of Des Moines. Each image illustrated inside the letters of DES MOINES represents a project the Community Foundation has been proud to support through grant making and community leadership efforts. The letter representation is as follows: D - World Food Prize Hall of Laureates E - Lauridsen Skatepark and the WOW skateable art S - Principal Riverwalk M - Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens O - 80/35 Music Festival I - B-cycle Program & Jackson Street Bridge N - Vibrant arts and cultural amenities E - Gray's Lake Park S - Central Iowa Water Trails The mural is in great shape and has some decent artwork. This mural really captures your attentions as you are walking or driving in downtown Des Moines. I find it interesting that the mural overlooks the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel event center's large courtyard, that is fenced off and has limited access. Viewers cannot even get close to the mural. It is huge enough to see without any issues though. There is metered street parking available for those that are driving and want to get a closer look. I like this mural and think that is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. However, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There is a ton of public art in the area to see and a nice plaza area across the street.

This is the Adventureland Freedom Rock. The 100th rock and wrap up to Bubba Sorensen's Freedom…read moreRock project across the state of Iowa. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties is something my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. The Adventureland Freedom Rock is a bonus rock and is tied to the Polk County Freedom Rock which is located in nearby Bondurant IA. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county, but a lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up. When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

An interesting landmark on Meredith Drive. My company is looking at relocating to the Crescent…read morebuilding, from our current location, and last week was the first time I really got a close look at the tower. The information provided on the bronze plaques on the concrete blocks surrounding the tower talks about the R&R Realty family and the tower itself. If you want to check out the tower there really isn't any parking directly adjacent to it. You can park up by the Crescent building or across the street at the Pinnacle building. It's a short walk.

The Tower is an interesting, novel, and unexpected, landmark on Des Moines' (Clive's, technically)…read morenorthwest corner. A few blocks west of 80/35, this tile-covered structure offers a cool visual in an otherwise open and unremarkable part of town. Worth getting out and getting a closer look, be prepared to park a couple minute walk away as the nearest parking is adjacent to where the Tower stands. There is a man-made pond with a fountain nearby, but no shade beyond what the Tower casts to provide any cool during a hot summer visit. There is bench seating available. You can read more about it here: https://dsmpublicartfoundation.org/public-artwork/paragon-prairie/