Celebrating Des Moines East Village

I am a fan of East Village. The spectrum of ethnic restaurants, the up-scale shops, the access to the Gray's Lake Trail, Botanical Center, West side attractions like Court Avenue or the Library and Sculpture Garden, and I LOVE all the bridges across the river!

A recent visit found me not haveing time to do all that I wanted and eager to return, which will happen this week. With my grandson in tow, we could have even walked to Union Park and the beautiful and operating carousel and free splashing pool; but we drove because of the heat.

Celebrating Des Moines East Village

Hank in the Alice in Wonderland Garden

View of the West Side from the Riverwalk

A recent stay over in Des Moines has me championing the little city's most charming attraction ... East Village. I was in Des Moines staying at the Embassy Suites babysitting my grandson Hank and so totally enjoyed the amenities of the community that I am compelled to write about it.

The best part of the stay is the walking access to destinations in every direction. Though I didn't have time this time, I hope to walk to the west side across one of the walking bridges next time and have coffee on Court Avenue, sit and gaze at the reflecitng pool on Locust, and visit the public library and sculpture Garden.

But this time, I stayed strictly to the east side and enjoyed a choice of Greek, Itallian, Lebanese, and American food restaurants. Those are the choices I "dumbed" past; there may be more. The Greek restaurant I ate at was very modest, clean, and affordable with a decor that fit its menu. Another night I had delicious tomato bisque soup at the Baby Boomers Cafe. The Lebanese cafe will have to wait for another time; it was full and we had a tight schedule so we didn't wait.

I love the patio restaurant overlooking the city on the top of the Historial Museum and was very impressed by the museum but Hank and I were ready to hit the sidewalk and visit the Botanical Center before it was time for lunch. So off we went on the Riverwalk and spent some time visiting the gardens before taking a rest and sharing a sandwich and iced tea at the Riverwalk Cafe right there in the Botanical Center.

With my bicycle in tow, I was able to ride north of the botancial gardens and discovered Union Park, which wouldn't be walk prohibitive for the person who loves to walk. There I found a beautiful operating carousel and the perfect "free" pool for Hank to splash around in.

I also took a short ride north on the bike trail and turned around at Waterworks Park for lack of time but I could have gone further and easily looped back to my hotel after circling Gray's Lake.

I guess besides the walkability of the area, I appreciate the European flavor and the friendly people. The shops are definitely up-scale and I am likely to just say to a sales clerk that I am just looking but ... well, you never know! I keep my wallet handy but I can have a great time without spending very much at all!

This is my knit shop. I am starting to mourn the loss of it as the owner and my good friend will be closing it in August to move to Oklahoma where I will still be able to buy from her online and get help with instructions by skype. I love the colors in this picture and the busyness of it all. It has been a cozy place to take my coffee and my project and sit for an hour or more knitting, laughing, and visiting about life, parenting, and any number of things we have in common. We have even been known to bitch and gossip but that is rare as opposed to frequent, I am proud to say!

When I opened my studio I was thrilled to be right across the street from the knit shop and looked forward to "sneaking" away with a sign on my door whenever my work was done. I have done that less than I had hoped but obviously more than I will be able to going forward.

My knitting will continue and my friendship with my knitting instructor will be by long distance now, but I will not dispair. I will learn to fill my time with something new and enjoy more time with a dear friend who lives in Pocahontas and is resigning her teaching position after this year. We will walk more, I will do more yoga, and I will take my knitting to the studio where I can fill any idle time with a good book, or some colorful yarn, and my stash of flavored coffees and teas.

And in between ... I will take pictures!