How you experience Des Moines, and Iowa in general, depends on why you are visiting there. If you came for the music scene, large attractive venues, art shows, nightlife, and thriving cultural scene - you best hop back on I-80 and head east towards Chicago, because Des Moines has none of this. Situated on I-80, in the middle of Iowa cornfields, Des Moines is a void, locked in the middle of both coasts which effectively bars any of the fun cultural ideas that make those coasts fun and livable places. For decades it has been the meth capital of the midwest and has more homeless youth than any other major city in the country.

But this isn’t to say you should by-pass Iowa all together on your band tour, hitchhiking adventure, or road trip. Just be prepared and don’t have any false ideas about the capital city. Like most bored and dying cities, Des Moines has a lot to offer in other ways than septuplets, meth, and corn; it is very safe, (in general) the people are kind and helpful, and there’s a large youth population waiting for the next thing. because of it’s relative obscureness, you have a lot of opportunites that you wouldn’t in a bigger more ‘popular’ place. Chances are the people haven’t seen your type of band or act and are bored enough to check it out. There is also a lot of very good people in the city, and you might make some unusual friends.

Here’s my guide to surviving Des Moines . . . . .

GETTING HERE

By Car

Des Moines is right on Interstate I-80 in the middle of Iowa (you can also reach it by Interstate 235). It is 3.5 - 4 hours from the Eastern border of Iowa and 2.5 - 3 hours from the Western border.

By Plane

Des Moines has a small airport that serves most major airlines. It is located about 10 miles from Downtown.

By Bus

Des Moines is a major Greyhound stop. Most buses going from Northeast to the Northwest will stop in Des Moines. The station is located on only a half-mile from the center of Downtown.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Des Moines covers a lot of area. There is a large map of the city (and its buslines) in the transit bus hub on Walnut street. You can also get maps from there too. The city is divided into the North , South, East, and West sides. The city’s westside is the million-dollar-home area with several shopping centers and a huge mall (Valley West Mall). The Northside is more of a middle-class residential area. The East Side is a lower income neighborhood while the Southside is a mixture of all three. Both the North and South sides of town have a large mall and several “sister shops”.

Out-of-towners really don’t have to worry about “a ghetto”. Des Moines is one of the safest cities of its size. Depending on who you talk to and what side of town they live on, you’ll get a few answers to the question “Where is the ghetto”. Keep in mind though, that 98% of Iowa is white. People answers to the worst side of town question could stem from their lack of understanding (or plain ignorance) of race. The reality is that Des Moines doesn’t have a gang problem and random violence is virtually unheard-of. You only have the meth-heads to worry about.

Even though the city is majority caucasion, Des Moines is the most diverse city in Iowa. Several different minority groups call the city thier home: Bosnians, Mexicans and other Latino groups, Ethiopians, and a large South-Asian population.

GETTING AROUND

Des Moines is spreadout over a large area, so without a car, it is really difficult to get around. There is a public transit system, but it is underfunded and only runs until 9pm on the weekdays and 6 pm on the weekends. It goes to all sides of town and infrequently to the suburbs. The fare is 75¢

FREE FOOD

Breakfast: 7-7:30 am (M-Sat.) 8-8:30 (Sun.) at Bethel Mission 1310 6th Avenue (downtown)

7-9 am (M-F) Trinity United Methodist Church 1548 8th Street

5:30-8 am (T & F) Salvation Army Canteen call for locations 282-3422

Lunch: 12-12:30 pm (M-Sat.) 1:30-2 pm (Sun) at Bethel Mission

10:50-11:20 (7days a week) Door of Faith Mission 1006 Grand Ave. (downtown)

Dinner: 5-5:30 pm (M-Sat.) Bethel Mission

4-6pm (7 days a week) Lighthouse Baptist 1600 E.Capitol

6pm YMCA 717 Grand

4:45-5:30pm (M-Sat.) Trinity United Methodist Church

There is lots of free food in Des Moines, but because of the size of the city, it’s spread out. Sundays, right downtown in Nollen Plaza (look for the big fountain around 4th street), the activist organization Food Not Bombs serves meals to any hungry people that come by. They usually have good conversation and some anarchist literature too.

Most food pantries require a current mailing address in the city, but check into them anyway.

SLEEPY?

The first place you should stop is the Churches United Shelter (205 15th Street). This “shelter of last resort” is the least strict, as its open to men or women and costs nothing to stay there. The staff are good laid back people that just try keep everything safe and will stay out of your business. The homeless folks who stay there keep to themselves and don’t start trouble. Dinner is served between 6 and 7 pm plus breakfast in the morning. Once there, ask for a Shelter & Services booklet; it contains all you need to know about free food, clothing, and health care in Des Moines. Other shelters include:

Ÿ Bethel Mission 1310 6th Ave (downtown) for men only, first 30 days free

Ÿ YMCA 101 Locust (downtown) for men only, another YMCA 717 Grand (downtown) for singles&families first night free for both.

Ÿ Catholic Worker House 1310 7th Street for singles&families

Ÿ Beacon of Life 1717 Woodland Avenue for women only, first night free

If you are 17 or under, contact the Youth Emergency Services (515-243-7825). They will send a van to take you to a youth shelter if you need a place to stay.

HEALTH CARE

Broadlawns Medical Center will treat the homeless if they are ill, injured, or have a health problem. they have sites at all the shelters on various days. Call 282-2599 or 282-2200 (after hours or on weekends) for the site info. Also from 9-5 the House of Mercy Clinic will treat people for free. It is located on 1409 Clark St. They prefer appointments so call 362-6525.

Travelers Aid is located at the Polk County Social Services Center on 19th & Carpenter (8am-5pm Mon-Fri).

THE COPS

A bored city comes with it bored cops. It is just a fact that most cops will fuck with the younger generation. It’s just a “law” or something. In the City of Des Moines the cops will usually not harass people like they do in the suburbs (read on), but there are a large number of cops in Des Moines, so if you thinking about any illegal actions be very very discreet.

The suburbs, however, are a different story. The cops there routinely harass the young, the poor, and the minorities. They will pull you over for the most ridiculous traffic violation (or none at all) and search you & your car. So if you are not legal in some way and fit the description above, stay away from the suburbs. By far the worst of the suburb po-po’s is the Urbandale Police Department, which borders Des Moine’s northwest side. Windsor Height’s police, also on the northside, will pull you over for going 3 miles over their 25 mph speed limit. Johnston (which borders NW Des Moines and Urbandale) is also a very snooty suburb and will pull over people for minor or no offense. If you are going towards West Des Moines on 86th street, look out for the Clive cops.

If you’re keeping eye on the roads for the po-po, Des Moines cops all use Fords. Crown Vics are popular and a few have the Explorers. All cars, marked and unmarked, are white or blue; the marked Des Moines cop cars have a black hood and trunk. The cops on the North & West side especially like unmarked white Ford Explorers. The suburban cars follow these schemes too. If you’re traveling on the interstate, the Iowa State Patrol mostly uses metallic bronze LTD’s and Caprices. Look out for white or metallic bronze Intrepids and Luminas, as they are becoming popular with the state police.

Pot Prices - “cuz you’ll need it here (everyone else does)”

You can always get a bag in Des Moines. The quality ranges from the severely pressed Mexican schwag to very nice hydroponic buds, but will never approach anything you can get on either coast. But still, everyone smokes in Des Moines, i mean everyone; it’s how they cope with living there.

For obvious reaons, i can’t tell you where to go, but if you approach someone who fits the stereotypes, you’ll probably get lucky. For basic weed, don’t go more than $20 for an 1/8 or $50 for a 1/2 oz.

BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS

The bar scene is not very diverse and seems to be geared toward 30-somethings. Downtown has the greatest concentration of bars in the Court Avenue district. The rest are very scattered throughout the city, most being hole-in-the-wall dumps or sports bars. One of the few bars worth going to is Mulligans (100th Street). They have decent prices, kereoke, 4 pool tables, 4 dart machines, and even indoor golfing. If you’re into Irish Pubs, try Flannagan’s on Ingersoll. There are a few dance clubs, almost all located Downtown. They are your average pop music w/ drink special dance clubs. There’s none that are very impressive, except for The Garden, located at . The Garden is one of the only, and best known, gay&lesbian friendly bars in the city. But the great thing about the Garden is its not exclusive and all kinds of people go there to dance, watch other’s dance, and attend the transgendered pagents. Out of all the other nightclubs, the Garden uses lights, music, and effects to create the most fun and lasting visual & audio dancing experience. All bars are open until 2 a.m. Alcohol can be purchased at gas stations, supermarkets, or the liquor store until 2 am also, even on Sundays!

MUSIC SCENE

The music scene in Des Moines is a little depressing. Heavy metal is big in the city, especially since Slipknot (cornfed locals) made a national debut, and remember, this is where Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off the bat. Some larger metal festivals come to Des Moines about every other year and there are a few clubs that play local and national touring acts. There are some places to hear folk or world music and on summer nights on Court Avenue (downtown) you can catch some blues or jazz. Raves used to be a regular occurence in Des Moines a few years ago, but the police cracked down on them. There is an ordinance against dancing past 2 am here and the authorities are always suspicious of something new. You still might be able to catch one outside of city limits though. Hip-hop fans are out of luck. No club in the Des Moines area will host hip-hop acts, but a few groups are renting out halls and bringing in local shows, so maybe that will change soon.

Hairy Mary’s (2307 University Ave.) has live music almost every night, mostly regional punk and metal shows. House of Bricks (3839 Merle Hay Rd) is a new bar that is starting to show promise in the rock music scene. A local house does a lot of punk type shows, it’s called the Fetus Stronghold (1315 Jefferson). For quieter music experience, Java Joes hosts folk and experimental music through most of week, as well as open mics.

Even though the national acts rarely come to Des Moines, and venues are few and far between, there are some dedicated musicians that go out and play anywhere. In the summer, downtown’s Nollen Plaza or Court Avenue has a lot of local musicians playing on the streets. At Greenwood Park around twilight, you might catch a group of musicians drumming or strumming and interacting with the people that watch them. It’s less like a show than some friends getting together and having fun.

BORED?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays in a big theater with chairs on Friday nights (7$). It’s a gothic love fest. Newcomers are happily invited into the scene and lots of debauchery.

If you want some ol’ fashioned small town machismo fun, hop on The Loop. It’s all the jacked up, bass-thumpin’, girl-chasing, hooptie fun you could ask for! Just go downtown on a Friday or Saturday night, and you’ll get sucked in.

If you like amped-up cars, mechanic expertise, or just like running from the cops, then you’d like the Organized Illegal Drag-Races. They started with just 10 people a couple years ago and now it’s grown to several hundred people. Foreign and Domestic.

Dumpster Diving is a profitable venture in Des Moines. Why? Because nobody else does it and there are plenty of suburbs around. A whole city of dumpsters just waiting for you . . .

DON’T MISS . . . .

Big Tomato Pizza - locally owned pizza joint. The best in Iowa! Try their special, tomato and basil on white sauce.

Cityview - Des Moine’s alternative weekly. It where to find out about the weeks events and the politics of the area. It’s one of best alternative weeklies I’ve seen in any city.

Java Joes - The only coffeeshop in the city that uses fair trade beans. They also serve great sandwhiches, pastries, and beer. Internet access and a bullentin board that covers alot of unusual or obscure events in the area. Local music. Open mics.