Des Moines - Mary Get Your Map!
Written: Sep 16 '03 (Updated Sep 25 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots to do
Cons: Let's coordinate the street numbers and names, OK?
The Bottom Line: We enjoyed the diversity of Des Moines. They didn't have many BBQ restaurants. Big Daddy's temporarily closed.
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We decided we'd been working entirely too hard. We needed a get-away. Des Moines seemed a feasible destination, a population of about 200,000 people. There must be SOMETHING to do there! We weren't disappointed.
Before you get there, get a map of Des Moines if you can. There is West Des Moines, Des Moines, Urbandale and Clive, all close to each other. One street by the mall is called 100th and 35th, as well as West Valley Drive. It is all too easy to look for one address in Des Moines and realize it is in WEST Des Moines. Finding the AAA office was near impossible. If I remember my directions, it is about ½ block south of the road that leads to the mall, near State Farm, in WEST Des Moines. University is a nice through street you will see repeatedly, as is Ingersoll. While you are there, there is a Great Harvest Bread store at about 28th and Ingersoll. Grab yourself a free slice of bread. Heck, buy a loaf!
Dinner
After checking in at our bed and breakfast, we went out to dinner. For you steak lovers, try Iowa Beef Steak.1201 East Euclid Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50316(515) 262-1138 They have about 6 things on the very abbreviated menu. There are about 4 steaks, averaging about 22 ounces! There are also chicken and pork chops. These are about $18, unless you want to share your main course. In that case, it is $25 for a dinner for two. Each of you also gets a baked potato, grilled bread and an all you can eat salad bar. If you leave hungry, it is your own fault.
State Capitol
The next day, we checked out the Iowa State Capitol with the 23 kt gold dome. It didn't look formidable at first; we parked in the West parking lot. The entrance was flanked by about 7 sets of 8-9 steps. I'd gotten my stair stepping for the day, or so I thought. We got to the top, and there was a sign. "No admittance at this entrance. Please use entrance on the ground level on the West side." NOW THEY TELL US! It was only about 100 feet more, having to go down only a few of those stairs. I'd hate to climb those stairs on an icy day!
Once inside, we had to pass through a metal detector. We got in and asked about a tour. The last tour of the day would be starting in about 10 minutes, at 2:40 pm. We saw several battle flags from the civil war. These were encased behind a glass. One flag had a mourning cloth hung from it. Someone suggested this commemorated Lincoln’s assassination. There was no direct light on the flags. They were falling apart. Years ago, a preservation method was tried, sewing on a muslin type of material. Unfortunately, the weight helped to further deteriorate them. They are trying a new preservation method now, unsure how they will be displayed in the future. We also learned what effect smoking had on the paintings. One painting, about 50' x 20' had the middle 10' or so cleaned. What was a mottled color is now pastel. Money is being raised to clean even more. Some of the intricate paintings on the walls and ceilings had been covered over and are now restored.
Toward the end of the tour, we were invited to climb another 130+ stairs, in a circular staircase. There we would get a bird's eye view of the capitol. I forget now many feet high we climbed, but you could look down at least 3 stories, and see the sculptures from the top. Also, you could get closer to the American flag that is suspended about 10' below the cloud-like ceiling. The guide mentioned a 280-lb football player who took the challenge. Once up there, he froze, clinging to the walls, refusing to look down.
We climbed the stairs, with the last 6 stairs or so being the worst. The last stairs were perhaps 8' front to back, and rose about 12' at a time. I didn't think I could do it, especially having climbed the previous sets of stairs outside, but I did.
Before leaving, we stopped by Stella's Blue Sky Diner in Urbandale. We heard we could have malts or milk shakes served on top of our heads! (or stomachs) We arrived at the Diner, located in a strip mall. The atmosphere was from the 1950s, with jukeboxes on the tables and various 50s memorabilia. The waitresses are supposed to be sassy, but ours was very polite. Hubby and I took turns having the waitress pour the malt into the glasses that we held atop our heads. One malt serves 2 people. Pickles are complimentary. I said I'd take a spear, but was instead presented with one FAT pickle! That helped set us in a giddy mood that would last the remainder of the trip.
My husband was bound and determined to find Mustard's Restaurant. They had beer, barbeque, pizza and one other specialty there. The only Mustard's we could find in the phone book was in the Clive area, near I-35. They were no longer there. We asked about 4 different people where Mustards was, and got 4 different answers! We spoke to someone who had just been there that night, but we didn't realize they had moved. They are now located on University Ave. about 66th. Even though the phone books were outdated, the address is correct in one of the visitor guides. A sandwich with fries ($6.50), ½ rack of ribs, and a beer set us back about $20.
On another trip to Des Moines, we stopped by the Iowa Machine Shed Restaurant, 11151 Hickman Road - Urbandale(I-80/35 - Exit 125) (515) 270-6818. The food was good, plentiful, prices cheap and atmosphere just right. Kinda like a country store, with goodies all over the place to tempt your pocketbook. I bought my grandson a small harmonica for $5 for a Christmas present and my father-in-law a bumper sticker, something about "have you hugged your pig today." An added bonus was that that particular day they had tractor rides. There was an older John Deere tractor, that was pulling a flat-bed trailer, something that might take hay or pumpkins from the fields. I'd never been on a hayride before, so that was a "must-do!" I didn't see it when we passed by last week, so you might want to call ahead.
Overall, we enjoyed Des Moines and plan to return some day. I hope to write an additional Epinion on Winterset, Iowa, the home of John Wayne, and the Bridges of Madison County. Stay tuned!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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remnjava
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