I returned from a business trip to Des Moines last week and wanted to share some thoughts. First, I drove, I needed to spend a few days in Wichita, KC and an extended period in Des Moines, so with all the cities being on I-35 it worked out perfectly to make it a road trip.
I can't tell you enough how impressed I was with Des Moines. The city center has an urban vibe that I just don't feel in Oklahoma City. Two other colleagues from OKC met me in Des Moines and both of them were as impressed as me. The downtown, while not having as many tall buildings has many midsize buildings and it is bustling. Lots of business, storefront retail, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, it was a smaller version of a bustling big city. Why can't Oklahoma City get the same retail? Also, the residential living downtown is way further down the road than OKC. There are numerous loft living options, apartments, condos, etc. Downtown Des Moines is also very clean. Nice city. The western and northern suburbs of West Des Moines, Clive and Urbandale are all booming as well. I visit a lot of cities, but there was a special spark in Des Moines.
The roads. Oh my. Driving from Oklahoma through Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, the roads rank (from best to worst) Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma. The Kansas highways are a model. In fact, why not just give up and let the Kansas Transportation Dept. handle our highway system? They're that good. But driving on these other state roads made me realize just how bad, no, horrible our state roads are, just pitiful. Somebody should have to answer to this problem. Embarrassing is not too strong a word as I traveled back into Oklahoma on I-35.
With all that said, I was glad to be back home. I saw where the old Lynn Hickey car dealership has been torn down at May and I-44 and there is a sign for retail development in the way of a shopping center and pad sites. With Lowe's just a few blocks south, I expect to see some decent retail at that intersection soon.
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