The Big Boy of Iowa - Des Moines

Ex-Ithacan · #1 Posted **May 18, 2013, 1:40 AM**

I got to Des Moines in the early evening of a Sunday. The forecast was for rain the following day, so I figured I'd better take an abbreviated tour that evening. A brief bit of info about the city; population about 203,000, metro about 580,000, county seat of Polk County, State Capital, and located on the Des Moines River. OK, let's get to some pics:

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Des Moines, IA 01 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 02 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 03 by exithacan, on Flickr

4. Lots-O-Skywalks

Des Moines, IA 04 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 05 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 06 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 07 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 08 by exithacan, on Flickr

9. Rather close fit between buildings

Des Moines, IA 09 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 10 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 11 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 12 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 13 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 14 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 15 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 16 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 17 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 18 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 19 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 20 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 21 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 22 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 23 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 24 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 25 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 26 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 27 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 28 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 29 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 30 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 31 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 32 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 33 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 34 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 35 by exithacan, on Flickr

36. Some painted windows on top.

Des Moines, IA 36 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 37 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 38 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 39 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 40 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 41 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 42 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 44 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 47 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 45 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 51 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 50 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 52 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 49 by exithacan, on Flickr

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Des Moines, IA 43 by exithacan, on Flickr

Hope you enjoyed.

TXLove · #2 Posted **May 18, 2013, 1:53 AM**

Nice tour! That state capital is beautiful!

rockyi · #3 Posted **May 18, 2013, 2:52 AM**

Beautiful photos! Des Moines never saw the severe economic downturn in the 1980s like the much of the rest of the state. It always seemed clean and bustling.

fflint · #4 Posted **May 18, 2013, 3:53 AM**

Thanks for the pics--I didn't know Des Moines has bike share!

Black Box · #5 Posted **May 18, 2013, 4:36 AM**

Nice! I'll be in Des Moines next week. It's been about ten years.....

DetroitSky · #6 Posted **May 18, 2013, 8:43 PM**

Very nice tour!

mhays · #7 Posted **May 18, 2013, 9:33 PM**

I'm impressed by the scale of downtown compared to my reference point of Boise, which has a similar metro pop. But holy cow, those skywalks seem to have done a number on street level retail and activity, even by Sunday evening standards.

ColDayMan · #8 Posted **May 19, 2013, 1:19 AM**

Yeah, that capitol building is a beaut.

rockyi · #9 Posted **May 19, 2013, 3:54 AM**

^When the sun hits the dome just right you can see the gleam for miles.

KevinFromTexas · #10 Posted **May 19, 2013, 4:20 AM**

Nice. Yeah, they have one of the better state capitols. I was also always envious of their tallest building. It's really not a bad tower.

xzmattzx · #11 Posted **May 20, 2013, 3:12 AM**

Great pictures!

Rizzo · #12 Posted **May 20, 2013, 4:23 AM**

Very nice!

plinko · #13 Posted **May 20, 2013, 4:24 AM**

I know they aren't that far apart, but it looks a lot like Omaha. I'd be curious about some of the neighborhoods around downtown. How well integrated is downtown with the riverfront?

Love the photos of/from the capitol building.

phillyskyline · #14 Posted **May 20, 2013, 4:31 AM**

I really enjoyed the tour. Thanks

simms3_redux · #15 Posted **May 20, 2013, 4:39 AM**

LOVE it! Does Des Moines have a warehouse/bar/retail district like Omaha? It sure has an impressive skyline for a city its size

Ex-Ithacan · #16 Posted **May 20, 2013, 8:13 PM**

Thanks for all the replies fellas.

There is an area called East Village which is on the east side of the Des Moines river (downtown is on the west side) on Locust Street heading toward the Capitol. It looked to have quite a few bars & restaurants. Didn't stop to get any pics though. You can see it a bit in the blocks leading to the Capitol in pic#49.

deja vu · #17 Posted **May 21, 2013, 3:24 AM**

Very interesting - good job beating the rain. What building is this?

Ex-Ithacan · #18 Posted **May 21, 2013, 10:45 AM**

^That's part of the Principal Financial Group complex. There's a different shot of it in pic# 26.

MayDay · #19 Posted **May 21, 2013, 10:47 AM**

Nice pics - my partner had a potential opportunity there for around $180K a year but needless to say we stayed put

glowrock · #20 Posted **May 21, 2013, 11:57 AM**

Nice!