What I learned in Iowa (some of which is applicable to Richmond)

Over Labor Day weekend, I visitied my good friend Stephanie, who lives in Ames, Iowa.  I flew into Des Moines, which is abut a 30-minute drive from Ames.  I had a wonderful time visiting Stephanie, and thought I would share with everyone some keen insights I realized during the trip:

• United Airlines will not fly a plane if one of the lavatory doors do not close, and it takes trained airplane mechanics at least 40 minutes to repair a lavatory door so that it does shut properly.  I think most of the passengers would have accepted flying 1.5 hours with only one working lavatory so that the flight could have left on time.
• Des Moines has an incredible Farmer’s Market.  On Saturday morning, we left for Des Moines quite early because the Farmer’s Market gets so crowded by 10:00 that you can barely move.  The authorities shut down approximately 10 city blocks (plus side streets on both sides) so hundreds of vendors can sell their goods (vegetables, fruit, tons of baked goods, bread, clothes, peanuts, cheese, etc.).  This was by far the best Farmer’s Market I have ever been to, and, the best thing was how the entire city turned out to shop.  I fantasized about what we could do here in Richmond to improve our Farmer’s Market.  Would a better location help?  The Des Moines’ market was in their most popular area of downtown.  Perhaps moving to Carytown would elicit more crowds?  Here is a photo of the delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie that Stephanie and I bought:

• Butter and ice cream bought fresh from a dairy farm taste better than store-bought dairy products.  After the Farmer’s Market, Steph and I headed to several farms in the vicinity of Ames and bought some homemade soap, vanilla ice cream (for our pie), and butter (for the two loaves of bread we bought at the market).

                                                                           

• Drinking sangria outside with your good friend while listening to a decent blues band is a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Steph and I headed to a local winery which, every Sunday, invites a live band to play on their lawn.  The nice thing about this event was the fact that the winery folks were prepared for people to come - they had available many, cheap, plastic chairs for people to sit in; umbrellas strategically placed so that people could find some shade; buckets so folks could place their bottle of wine or jug of sangria in ice; and some light snack food.  Usually events in Richmond are not this well-organized.  Everyone received actual glasses from which to drink their beverages, not plastic cups.  It is these small details that make an event more enjoyable.

• A smaller, newer baseball stadium is a worthy investment.  Steph and I went to see an Iowa Cubs AAA baseball game on Labor Day.  The Des Moines stadium was relatively new, and much smaller than Richmond’s Diamond.  All the seats were individual, plastic, fold-up chairs that were much more comfortable than the metal bench seats at the Diamond.  However, the best feature of the stadium was its smaller size.  I believe there were only several thousand people there, but, because it felt like a good-sized crowd, there was a palpable energy that made the attendees excited to watch the game and to just be there (even though the Cubs had a losing record this year).  I have never vehemently taken a position about the possible relocation/remodeling of the Diamond, but now that I see what a smaller, newer stadium is like, I think Richmond should go for it.  Every time I have gone to the Diamond, it has always been somewhat depressing – seemingly few people, and no one too excited about the actual game or the team.  From what I saw in Des Moines, a more intimate venue could change that.  The Des Moines stadium was downtown (you can see the gold-domed capitol building from the home plate), but I don’t think location matters as much as the stadium itself.  I read a Letter to the Editor in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this past week that offered the suggestion of a stadium site near Stony Point Mall.  That’s not a bad idea, although I believe the present location on Boulevard is fine as well. 

                                                                               

• Apparently, mosquitoes in Iowa are strongly attracted to my East Coast blood.  Steph and I went hiking at Ledges State Park.  We saw some extraordinary sandstone formations and hiked out to Lost Lake.  I think I got bitten approximately 30 times; about 10 bites were on the back of my neck alone.  However, the hike was beautiful; we went fairly early before it got too crowded or too hot.

                                    

• Juana of Castile was know as the “mad queen.”  Steph and I watched the movie Mad Love which was an historical drama about Queen Joan of Spain and her relationship with her husband, King Philip the Handsome.  Queen Joan was (they think) schizophrenic and very possessive about her husband.  King Philip dies of some mysterious disease at the end of the movie, and we had to research what disease he truly succumbed to (it was typhoid fever).  Steph and I spent the rest of the evening yelling “Juana de Loca” (which is really fun to say – try it).

That’s probably it for things I learned on my trip.  Other activities included a mini-movie watching festival (the only really good DVD we watched was The Painted Veil); a scenic train ride on an old, rickety train that traversed some very perilous and high bridges; driking $1 drinks at a bar while playing darts; and viewing of the movie Stardust at a theatre (a nice, romantic fantasy).  The best part was hanging out with my good friend Stephanie.