urbanMSP

beware of rants from Iowans bearing grudges.
http://www.desmoinesisnotboring.com/wor ... nneapolis/

The number of things I've ordered from this awesome store would back up parts of his argument.

Sheesh. That's a lot of bitter.

I always laugh every time I hear someone from the Midwest complain about Minneapolis traffic

I disagree with point #4 - Minneapolitans brag about how modest they are at least as much as Des Moinesians do.

The rest I agree with, and I'd add that Des Moines even beats Minneapolis for most difficult demonymization.

He forgot to mention that gay marriage is legal in Des Moines, whereas in Minneapolis (which has been rated the "gayest city" in the US) its still illegal! So much for our progressiveness.

Funny, in how utterly lame it is. Is it comedy? His Facebook page lists him as "Comedian"? That must be a violation of the Terms of Use, no comedian could come up with something this lame.

Here's my reply: "Hey Des Moines, this is America! My "S" isn't silent, Frenchie!"

Seriously?! Des Moines??! What a hole. If anyone has really spent time in that town they'd come back with a giant shrug of the shoulders and roll their eyes.

It's not that bad. Not Minneapolis, but honestly it's an alright town that has improved quite a bit over the last few years.

Seriously?! Des Moines??! What a hole. If anyone has really spent time in that town they'd come back with a giant shrug of the shoulders and roll their eyes.

their HWY system is great.

Rediculous argument!

The number of things I've ordered from this awesome store would back up parts of his argument.

Love raygun.

I lived in and around Des Moines for 13 years and am very glad I'm here instead, although that town is WAY better now than it used to be.

You're lucky to find an intact block with interesting stuff in Des Moines let alone a decent urban neighborhood. Unwalkable, not bike-friendly, and not much to do unless they did parking lot parties with bands and booze. But then we're talking about Des Moines and the offerings or rather lack thereof are a direct reflection of the kind of people living there. It's a step up from Wichita, I'll give them that, but when you're that big of a city and Iowa City can actually compete with you something's wrong.

Really? I would say, in many ways, Wichita has Des Moines beat...have you been there? They have way more urban neighborhoods and a pretty nice entertainment district downtown that beats anything Des Moines has. Des Moines isn't horrible...but I always find downtown to be disjointed somehow, and it really seems to lack neighborhood commercial nodes, which are important, in my opinion.

http://www.oldtownwichita.com/

Just a random interjection. I have been there several times, and always found it to be a decent town...yeah, it does have some very depressing areas, and is in an overall "conservative" area...but overall it feels a lot more substantial and "city" than Des Mones. Yes, even without as many tall buildings:)

Their river front was a lot nicer than expected. Brand new trails and park buildings (not opened yet).

I drove through on the way to Kansas City last weekend and decided to stop for lunch in Downtown Des Moines at the Farmers Market. It was really a great setup - 4 blocks of Court Ave were shut down to cars. Lots of food vendors and live music in addition to people selling produce. Lots of people out and about enjoying the nice afternoon. I left impressed and a little jealous that we don't have anything quite like it up here. (Not a knock on the MPLS or St Paul markets, they are great, but more tightly contained and have less to do/see besides produce stands)

When I went to Des Moines, my friends in Minneapolis who had never been there asked what it was like. I said "Imagine you take St. Paul, add in some of the things that are fun about Minneapolis, and stick it in the middle of nowhere."

That's a pretty accurate description, if you're talking about the downtown area only.

Des Moines really does not have the kind of moderately dense residential neighborhoods centered around walkable retail nodes that are so common in the Twin Cities. You don't have to get far out of downtown Des Moines before even sidewalks disappear.

Oh totally. I was staying near the airport, and apparently since the road leading from the airport to downtown (Fleur) is most people's first impression of the city, they make an attempt to make that section of town look nicer than some of the other areas, such as the poorer and neglected north. Plus, the rich areas are in West Des Moines, and it's stroad city over there. Maybe we're not so different after all.