Twenty years ago, I’d have never believed it possible. The Des Moines I knew then was hopelessly entertainment and culturally challenged. Sure, people went downtown to go to work, but on Friday afternoons downtown shut down. A few Court Avenue establishments existed; Johnny’s Hall Of Fame was there, as was Spaghetti Works. Judge Roy Bean’s was still around then. But what did people do after Happy Hour? They returned to their suburban homes until the following Monday and the start of a new work week.
I left my job at Principal in 1991 to raise my daughter and didn’t return to work downtown until 2008. For the first few weeks I had to get re-acquainted with Des Moines. What a difference a few years make. Des Moines today, is thriving, and if you still think there’s nothing to do, you’re wrong. Saturday I made the rounds to three different events, all free. One even included free beer; it’s hard to argue with that.
I started off the evening with a visit to Finder’s Creepers, a store that specializes in everything creepy. Voted Best New Store in Cityview’s 2010 Best Of Des Moines Poll, Finder’s Creeper’s satisfies the dark side of us all, with plenty of horror movie T-shirts, skulls, bones, and (!) dead animal art. Don’t miss the art gallery downstairs. There’s some fabulous stuff there by local artists like Shawn Palek. Though I missed the There Be Monsters artist reception for D. Ryan Allen (I got the time mixed up), I enjoyed my first visit and plan on attending future events.
Next, I enjoyed dinner at Open Sesame. Located in the East Village, this Lebanese cafe opened just recently. The small space was packed when I arrived (a good sign), so my companion and I sat at the bar. The bartender whips up a mean Open Sesame Martini that is so fruity and delicious (and dangerously potent) you won’t regret spending the $8.50. For dinner I had the Grilled Kafka (ground sirloin mixed with parsley, onion, tomato, and spices served on a bed of Basatmi rice with Lebanese potatoes). Lebanese comfort food, with a hint of cinnamon in each bite. Yum!
After dinner, I stopped in at Brent Houzenga’s Northland Studios for an Open House. The local arts scene in Des Moines is pretty much underground. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s kind of like knowing a secret no one else knows, or being a member of a secret club.
I finished the evening at Impromptu Studio, with John Pemble’s 101 Days Of 12-Second Videos. John’s day job is with Iowa Public Radio, but he might just have a future elsewhere. If you think it’s impossible for someone to be outrageously funny in just 12-seconds, you’re mistaken. Around 60 people showed up for John’s 30-minute screening, and I’m willing to bet no one left disappointed (and that’s not just because of the free Olde Main beer).
All of this on a Saturday night in late March would have been merely a dream twenty years ago. As the weather improves, the event opportunities can only get better. God, I love Des Moines.
http://www.finderscreepers.com/ENTER.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Des-Moines-IA/Northland-Studios/248370625291#!/shawn.palek?ref=ts
http://www.myspace.com/infernalengines
http://www.dmcityview.com/2010/02/18/features/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Des-Moines-IA/Open-Sesame/213922877838
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/brent.houzenga?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Des-Moines-IA/Northland-Studios/248370625291
http://12seconds.tv/channel/johnpemble
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