“Do” Des Moines

I walked onto Drake University’s campus as a newly minted freshman in the fall of 1989. I was thrilled to be a college student and ecstatic to be officially on my own. Once the initial adrenalin rush was over and I settled into the predictable patterns of college life, I resumed one of my favorite pastimes, people watching.

Almost immediately, I noticed Drake had a large number of students from the Chicagoland area. They were everywhere – thundering across campus in great packs; grazing together in Hubbell dining hall; displaying elaborate mating rituals in the dorm common areas. These students had many things in common – dress, mannerisms, accent - and all suffering from a disease I quickly named, Chicago-itis.

Chicago-itis is best described as a disease that makes the sufferer incapable of having a conversation without mentioning the city of Chicago and how it is so much better than anywhere else, especially Des Moines. I always thought it interesting how someone afflicted with Chicago-itis could be so certain Chicago was the best the planet had to offer, when in most cases upon closer examination the person had barely wandered outside the state of Illinois let alone explored the rest of the world.

I liked Des Moines (still do). Early on, I tried to defend Iowa and offered examples of things I thought were fun or cool about Des Moines. I graduated from a small high school in another state but I had also lived on the East coast so I had seen my fair share of big cities. Des Moines was just fine by me.

My arguments were usually met with an eye roll and an impatient sigh followed with, “Des Moines isn’t a real city. If you want to see a real city, you have to go to Chicago…” After a few conversations like this, I stopped being diplomatic and would finally ask, “So if Chicago is so great, why did you come to Drake to go to school?” Put on the defensive they would back peddle and say things like, “I like Des Moines…really, I do! There’s just nothing to do here…”

Okay – I’ll give you that…. There’s absolutely nothing to do in Des Moines if you A) lack an imagination B) are so lazy that even if you had an imagination you wouldn’t get off your corn fed butt long enough to find something to do or C) you have an attention span of a gnat. Newflash! There is plenty to do in Des Moines! There was 16 years ago and there’s even more to do now if you know where to look.

There are few things more irritating in life than being subjected to the “there’s-nothing-to-do” whine. So as a public service, I have put together a list of events/activities in Des Moines to give the imagination impaired a helping hand.

Ten Things to do in Des Moines (in October)

1. Hessen Haus - They’re German, it’s October and they have BEER!
2. Drake University Homecoming – Oct. 8; celebrating 125 years! Go Bulldogs!
3. Cup O'Kryptonite – coffee bar and cool movies!
4. Billy Joe’s Pitcher Show - Rocky Horror Convention Oct. 29
5. Blues on Grand – Thursdays are open jam night
6. Iowa Stars Hockey – HOCKEY! HOCKEY! HOCKEY!
7. Civic Center – Lily Tomlin Oct. 13; Lion King tickets go on sale Oct. 29
8. Night Eyes at the Zoo - Oct. 20 -23, Oct 27 - 30
9. Living History Farm – Fall Harvest Weekend Oct. 9 – Oct. 10
10. Science Center – IMAX theater

So Des Moines isn’t Chicago. So what? Instead of whining about what Des Moines isn’t, look around and see what Des Moines has to offer. You’ll find there’s more to do here than you thought.