Des Moines truly is a great place to live. It is safe, small, fun, and still has all of the “big city attractions.”
One of the things that is a lot of fun is the downtown farmers’ market. It’s a big street fair-type event held every Saturday, May-October. The food is amazing and they have a lot of interesting stuff. (disclaimer: I do not enjoy shopping but this is different than normal shopping!) Entertainment varies each week but might include musicians, kid events, a demonstration of capoeira (it is a mixture of dancing and karate), etc.
Learn about the market: Downtown farmers market
Des Moines also hosts one of the finest minor league baseball parks in the country. The Iowa Cubs are a lot of fun to watch and the tickets are very affordable. The Iowa Stars, a minor league hockey team, are a lot of fun to watch too. If you are looking for a cheap night loaded with fighting on ice, then the Stars’ home, Wells Fargo arena, is the place to be.
Aside from the fun stuff to do, I think the best part about Des Moines is the transportation. I grew up in Dallas (that’s right – the home of America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys!) and it always took forever to get from point A to point B. In Des Moines, you can get basically anywhere in under 20 minutes. That includes the various suburbs too.
Des Moines is one of those places where it is a big city with a small city feel. You can’t beat it.
Learn more: DSM info
— Gavin Ripp, D.P.M. class of ’11
