Des Moines downtown

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 78

- Mel 7 Comments

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 26 (Week 78):: Creating, Finding, Switching, Forgetting, Craving.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

Creating:: an action plan (and riding map) for today’s bike-riding adventures (see: Forgetting).

Finding:: We had a pretty bad thunderstorm roll through last night (at around 2am). I got out of bed because it was so loud and so bright (and we were expected to get 50mph wind gusts), and and I could not find my 17-lb. cat. Like, anywhere. His storm spot is usually on the landings in between floors but he was nowhere (I even checked behind shower curtains in the bathtubs lol). I don’t know how cats can hide in plain sight sometimes.

Switching:: I went to the driving range yesterday to work on some of what I’ve learned in my lessons, and switching between clubs (specifically the 9 and 7 irons) really derailed and frustrated me. It took me a while to “fix” my driver stance and swing, too, but I ended up with three great shots (and then put my clubs away because let’s end on a high). I have my third lesson this week, so I can give her a little more feedback about how things go when I’m on my own. I feel as though my studies in applied psychology will be put to the test in this endeavor.

Forgetting:: Keep forgetting that my car is still downtown. I guess that’s one way to provoke a bike ride on a Sunday afternoon when you’d rather be lazy drinking grapefruit mimosas and wearing pajamas all day.

Craving:: BURGERS. We went out for dinner last week and sadly found Exile was closed on Monday nights. They are my favorite place to get burgers because they have gluten-free buns AND everything they fry is gluten-free friendly. Alas, we ended up at a place that cooks their burgers to a medium-well and just… NO THANK YOU. So, I’ve been craving burgers for a week, and we’re grilling out tonight. I don’t know why we didn’t just add burger night to our downtown adventures for today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Weekly Therapy: The past is gone but something might be found to take its place.

- Mel

the week:
I’m still struggling with getting my sleep schedule back on track. I wish I knew what threw me off my schedule. Hormones? Probably hormones.

I started watching OITNB Season 4. DON’T RUIN ANYTHING I’M ONLY ON EPISODE 9. I’m binge-watching the remainder of the show today though because I keep catching people talking about it and I have to run in the other direction LALALALALALALA.

weekend:
The Des Moines Arts Festival is this weekend, and last night the GIN BLOSSOMS performed on the main stage. The VIP upgrade was worth it for the free drinks and snacks, but the placement of that section not at all near the stage was a little lackluster because the sound quality/volume was pretty bad. I was impressed how many people were in downtown Des Moines though! And that you can walk around with an open container of vodka lemonade [pick your poison] throughout the festival area.

If the rain holds off for the weekend, we’ll probably ride our bikes back down on Sunday and eat some food truck brunch.

seven things, seven days:
1. I had my second golf lesson this week, which… OMG I’M SO FRUSTRATED BY IT ALL. (But I’m making contact with the ball more often — my primary “play less embarrassingly” goal.)
2. I don’t understand bars that have these tiny-ass drink glasses, and then give you the shaker with the rest of your alcohol in it. JUST BUY BIGGER GLASSES/STOP BEING SO HIPSTER.
3. I started researching grad programs again this week…
4. Have you ever tried to ignore your cat’s bad behavior so as to not encourage said behavior to continue? Have you ever tried to do it at 4am when he’s destroying all the books on your nightstand and OMG JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP? Just me then?
5. An interview with one of my favorite people-who-I-met-online about making successful life changes. {via Women’s Running magazine}
6. Signs you’re burning out (and what to do about it) {via Forbes}
7. NO, you cannot eat “whatever you want” and more common running myths {via Well + Good

First-timery stuff in Des Moines

- Mel

So, our official first time in Des Moines was back in mid-Winter, when it was 20-below and our visit was all mostly secret (pending job offers and such). We stayed downtown at the Des Lux Hotel and visited a few of downtown’s restaurants — Centro (great cheese tray for me, but otherwise not a gluten-free friendly menu) and Proof (amazing dinner experience all-around) and looked at a LOT of houses with a Realtor. As much as I wanted to explore and walk around the city, it was impossible due to that wind chill (um, 20 BELOW), so we mostly drove around and/or stayed warm in the hotel (which had a freakin’ fireplace in the room!!!).

home sweet des moines

We’ve since had our first legit visit to downtown (for non-work visiting purposes) and entertained our first visitors over Memorial Day Weekend. Our plans typically include food and fun, and almost always starts with BRUNCH. This will be the first of a LOT of posts about my new city because it’s awesome here. And you should come visit me. Probably in August for the Iowa State Fair. 😉

Here’s some of my faves (and a reminder to myself that I DEFINITELY need to get back to Proof)…

Brunch at Americana: We’ve now been twice for their Bombshell Brunch, which includes unlimited Mimosas and Bloody Mary drinks that you can make your own AND two roomfuls of food buffets including the usual breakfast foods, a mashed potato bar, a taco bar, and a waffle bread pudding (!!!) — AND a grilled cheese station at the front bar. Their menu includes a few additional breakfast-themed shots, which are amazing. They also do brunch on both Saturday and Sunday.

des moines brunch breakfast shots

Pappajohn Sculpture Park: The place most Instagrammed in all of Des Moines, I’m sure. Public art takes a whole new shape in downtown and even being down there a few times already, I always find something new to take in (and photograph, naturally). Feel free to bring down a lunch or picnic basket and hang out — they encourage enjoying the space!

Des Moines downtown blog 30something

Downtown Farmers Market: Holy cow, I cannot emphasize how massive this market it; it’s nothing like what I imagined and no open air farmers market compares. And now I understand why thousands of Iowans get out of bed early on Saturday to spend their mornings there. You can sample cheeses and wines, and shop all in-season produce, and even buy flowers, all while listening to live music and gawking at the city’s most adorable dog population. Also, the lines for the food trucks and stands are just INSANE. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, the farmer stands stretch down ANOTHER intersection and side street. It’s overwhelming to think you can do it all in two hours… so give yourself the entire morning.

East Village souvenir shopping: Raygun t-shirts is one of my favorite places to hang out and crack up. Not only do they have all the funny local tees, there are other fun localized postcards, books, magnets — something like a tourist shop for the Midwesterner. They also sell one of my favorite brands of casual clothes, Alternative Apparel.

BONUS: Just down the block is a place dedicated to a certain craft of the state: Iowa Tap Room (there’s even a good selection of ciders, wines, and meads for me) or a Della Viti wine bar (where you can buy a card and select your own samples!).

I’m also starting a Des Moines Bucket List, so if you’re from here or live here, tell me what I should go do!

For the summer, I’d like to:

  • Bike ride in Madrid to High Trestle Bridge; I’d also like t take a second trip to Jasper Winery
  • Eat my way around the Iowa State Fair – ALL THE… FRIED THINGS.
  • Moonlight kayak on Gray’s Lake
  • Hike Maquoketa Caves State Park
  • Find an outdoor pop-up yoga downtown somewhere!

Weekly Therapy: 49 weeks left in my 30s

- Mel

the week:
Friday’s Weekly Therapy was disrupted by OUR FIRST IOWA VISITORS!

weekend:
The boyfriend’s parents spent the holiday weekend with us, and we explored some fun things in Des Moines — the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday and Iowa Cubs game on Sunday were big highlights. We definitely crossed a few items off of our Iowa Bucket List!

Mel with Iowa Cubby Bear Des Moines

I get an extra (unpaid, unfortunately) day off today, and we’ll be spending our free afternoon on the golf course with some friends. I’M DRIVING! 😉

It looks like the rain is holding off until tomorrow, too — yay!

seven things, seven days:
1. This article spoke right to my soul: Why some people find crowded cities relaxing — and others don’t. I’m definitely in that latter category! Constant horn honking is decidedly UN-relaxing to me. {via City Lab}
2. I ordered fried chicken tenders in a restaurant this weekend AND THEY WERE GLUTEN FREE. Imagine that, a food place that uses gluten-free breading for all its fry stuff. OMG, going here forever.
3. 7 ways to re-motivate yourself at work {via Entrepreneur}
4. UGH. The foul reign of the biological clock {via The Guardian}
5. I know that I’ve always hated the reference to derby “girls” but this goes much deeper by way of books What does it mean when we call women “girls” {via LitHub}
6. I don’t consider myself a Millennial, but if you’re in your early 30s, you may: The anxiety of the Millennials {via Huffington Post}
7. A good run is always amazing: Neurologists explain the mind-clearing magic of running {via Science of Us}