What to do in DM-- for out-of-towners

[el]

I was wondering what you all do on visits to DM? Or what the people who still live there find interesting?

The shopping is better (more selection) than when we were in high school there. I think there will be fewer Kansas City shopping trips now that Jordan Creek has opened up.

There are some new restaurants that I really liked- specifically Granite City, Hessen Haus (although their wiener schnitzel is like no wiener schnitzel any Wiener would ever serve), and Nanna's.

The new Science Center was nice. Several exhibits were broken or incomplete-- which I thought was ridiculous considering it is a new facility (it's downtown now) so it shouldn't be from wear-and-tear. Also I think it's really more geared towards families-- so go with a kid!

Any new finds or old faves to check out in the old hometown?

[mschlaf]

The Cheesecake Factory at Jordan Creek is a great place, just be sure to arrive hungry as the portions are HUGE. And of course, cheescake, very rich, but oh so good. I'd also recommend South Union Bread Cafe at 1011 Locust St. in Downtown DSM. The kicker is that they're open from about 10:30am to 2:00pm or thereabouts, and when you are there, you can expect a bit of a wait, but it's well worth it.

I also recall hearing something about Living History Farms placing a few additions here and there, might be worth your while and is a great place for a stroll.

[Brian Gongol]

More than specific places to go, I think there's been an improvement in the quality of events. More concerts, more summertime events, more road races for us runners... Really, I think that's where the real improvements are to be found.

What I really like is how many of them are for-profit events. Nothing's finer than watching someone make money by making other people happy.

[mschlaf]

Yeah, we have been getting some more events in general as of late. My only wish is that I could attend some of them as I work nights and so I'm usually hearing of these events only AFTER they've happened.

Then there's always the Fair - and corndogs.

[Brian Gongol]

So who actually made it to the State Fair this year?

I went three times...and I have to say, I appreciate the Fair a lot more today than I did as a kid. Not just because there's alcohol (though it helps), but more because now I get that the point of a fair is to get people to spend money and buy things.

I like that. A lot.

[alexx9811]

I came back a bit too early for that, I think. I have to say that other than the sound economic reasons Brian alluded to earlier, I never really got into the fair even when I lived there. I see the validity of celebrating the agricultural community, but at the same time, sweating profusely while gorging myself on things that are either fried, on a stick, or fried on a stick doesn't hold much appeal for me. I like to do all my fried food gorging in the air conditioning.