I had a four day weekend in March 2019 and as it turned out, both Des Moines and Iowa were mostly sunny. I called this my "double dip", two smaller cities in a single weekend. Flew to Omaha, drove immediately to Des Moines, had supper and went out, and then spent a nice Saturday exploring the city, capping it with a great meal. Then I was and back to Nebraska. I found Des Moines to be compact and pretty, the Iowa State Capitol has a commanding presence in the city, and the art gallery was very enjoyable.
Photo List (Total 262 Photos)
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
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Riverside (47 photos) - This includes photos from the evening, the early morning, and then in mid-day as I explore the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. It also includes views of the city from nearby the river, and a few photos from a marathon that passed me by in the morning.
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East Side of the River (50 photos) - This gallery includes most of what is on the east side of the Des Moines river, starting of course at the Iowa State House, which is perched on a hill and has a great view of the city. It also includes the State Historical Museum of Iowa, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (with its pretty conservatory), and a zombie-themed hamburger place.
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Downtown Des Moines (101 photos) - This gallery has photos of the central business district and surrounding areas. It starts at the very lovely former main branch of the library, which is now the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. It includes views of the business district of Des Moines, which I found to be a bit unpleasant, partially because of the many covered walkways over the streets which gave the area an oppressive feel. There are a few photos of the St. Patrick's Day parade, and quite a few of the enchanting Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The gallery ends with a nice meal at a restaurant called "proof".
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Other Des Moines (35 photos) - This gallery is mostly the Des Moines Art Center, which is west of downtown. A very interesting building with contributions from Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei and Richard Meier, I enjoyed it very much. Also an old house.
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Iowa Drives (29 photos) - I hadn't anticipated how much I would end up enjoying the drive from Omaha to Des Moines and then back. On the way there, I was on sideroads for the first portion of the trip. On the way back, I drove most of the way on sidetrips. I saw two of the covered "Bridges of Madison County", and the pretty town of Winterset, which is where John Wayne was born. And cornfields, lots of cornfields, and I found their March stubble to be very appealing.
