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A soccer club -- of all things -- produces video that makes Iowa look like an awesome place to live...

I think you are conflating me with other posters. He poked fun at the selling of the local ski experience. I likened the downhill skiing vid to waterskiing on the Rez. Objectively enjoyable but in terms of a sales pitch, it is better left imagined in the mind's eye, in my opinion. Kind of like how I really enjoy our backyard pool, but it would not be making any promotional videos for it. Not sure how that equates to going through "life bemoaning the fact" I "can't have the best of everything."
Yeah, just some general thoughts.

I get that it's fun to debate and one up people on geographic locations, etc., etc. But some people really come across as miserable SOBs!

Shit, give me good friends and a beer or two and I'd enjoy fishing in a wading pool in the middle of a Kansas wheatfield, lol.
 
I grew up in Iowa City and went to Iowa, then spent two years in DSM after school.

I'll take Iowa City over DSM for ages 18-26ish?! Then probably DSM for 27-30s ish. Both would great places to raise a family.

Haven't been back to DSM since 2015, but I thought DSM's nightlife was fairly weak and the downtown pretty dead. Some of that perception is probably from people using the skywalks instead of the sidewalk.

I've only spent a handful of weekends visiting a friend in Davenport, there's some nice things going on, but can't imagine how the QC overall could compare to DSM/IC areas at least for young adults. I'm sure it's also a great place to raise a family.
 
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Well, yeah, that's sort of my point. I don't understand people ripping on non-premier locations for fun activities.

I'd love to ski Steamboat every day. But I get a lot of pleasure out of skiing closer to home, not to mention it's about one million times cheaper.

I'd love to be musky fishing in Hayward or catching walleyes in Lake of the Woods -- but if I can't get to there, I should feel shame and regret for enjoying fishing Lock and Dam 10?

At the end of the day, it's the ACTIVITY that matters far more than the location. The dude I'm skiing with tomorrow surfs on the great lakes (pic of him in action below). He also makes sure to take 1 or 2 trips to Cali or Mexico each year for bigger/better/warmer waves. But he absolutely LOVES hitting up Sheboygan in November and that's awesome I think!

I just don't get your mindset. I've always worked hard to do my best with what I have available. Enjoy where I live, what I do for a living and find ways to make the best of it. It must suck to go through life bemoaning the fact you can't have the very best of everything.

Lake-surf.jpg
For a board built on shit-talking it's amusing how remarkably thin skinned you are about this topic. I will continue to poke you about this and bridges and bison so long as you flinch every time. It's really all we do here.
 
For a board built on shit-talking it's amusing how remarkably thin skinned you are about this topic. I will continue to poke you about this and bridges and bison so long as you flinch every time. It's really all we do here.
I don't feel like I'm thin-skinned. In fact, as I've noted in this thread, I'm quite comfortable in my skin and that extends to where I live and what I do.

You realize that the majority of my posts on the bridges and qc pizza are intentionally over the top and ultimately self-deprecating, no?
 
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I don't feel like I'm thin-skinned. In fact, as I've noted in this thread, I'm quite comfortable in my skin and that extends to where I live and what I do.

You realize that the majority of my posts on the bridges and qc pizza are intentionally over the top and ultimately self-deprecating, no?
hmmmm....what phrase would you prefer? Easily baited?
 
So is the USL the minor leagues for the MLS which is the minor leagues of the USNT which is the minor leagues of the Championship League which is the minor leagues of the Spanish Primera League which is the minor leagues of the Premier League?
 
I don't know what you are teying to say.
Des Moines voted to ram Interstate 235 right through the black business and yuppie district of Center Street. They gave residents a pittance of what their houses were worth and the city remained unofficially red lined for decades after. Now, urban Des Moines gets little money for revitalization, and schools get nowhere near the funding that Suburban Des Moines districts do. Des Moines has one of the worst disparities between white and black residents in the nation. One of the only cities worse is Waterloo. Hence my asterisk.
 
Des Moines is a nice city surrounded by pig shit and Jack squat. The Quad Cities is 5 pretty nice towns surrounded by much more interesting stuff. Plus it's 2.5 hours farther from Nebraska. QC wins.
 
Des Moines voted to ram Interstate 235 right through the black business and yuppie district of Center Street. They gave residents a pittance of what their houses were worth and the city remained unofficially red lined for decades after. Now, urban Des Moines gets little money for revitalization, and schools get nowhere near the funding that Suburban Des Moines districts do. Des Moines has one of the worst disparities between white and black residents in the nation. One of the only cities worse is Waterloo. Hence my asterisk.
60+ years ago...... there are awesome communities on both sides of 35. Yeah man 60+ years ago all kinds of racist shit happened. Even if it did go "decades", several generations have happened since then. You find some dumb excuses.
 
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Des Moines is a nice city surrounded by pig shit and Jack squat. The Quad Cities is 5 pretty nice towns surrounded by much more interesting stuff. Plus it's 2.5 hours farther from Nebraska. QC wins.
There are still fields being farmed in Bettendorf and Davenport, or at least there were not too long ago. The quads are surrounded by cow shit. DSM Is surrounded be cow shit. So is iowa city. So is Chicago to its west. It is the Midwest, acres of cow shit as far as the eye can see surrounding almost everything.
 
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As much fun as I had in Iowa City last night.....today's Des Moines is not yesterdays. There is plenty to do. DSM is better than eastern Iowa. And it is about to go a next level.

DSM used to be a shithole. But it is routinely rated in the top 5 cities in the US now. Bias be damned. But CR QC, Dubuque, Clinton, etc have nothing on DSM
 
Des Moines voted to ram Interstate 235 right through the black business and yuppie district of Center Street. They gave residents a pittance of what their houses were worth and the city remained unofficially red lined for decades after. Now, urban Des Moines gets little money for revitalization, and schools get nowhere near the funding that Suburban Des Moines districts do. Des Moines has one of the worst disparities between white and black residents in the nation. One of the only cities worse is Waterloo. Hence my asterisk.
You realize that just about every urban city rammed an interstate through minority neighborhoods back in the day? My aunt and uncle told the story of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
 
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Des Moines voted to ram Interstate 235 right through the black business and yuppie district of Center Street. They gave residents a pittance of what their houses were worth and the city remained unofficially red lined for decades after. Now, urban Des Moines gets little money for revitalization, and schools get nowhere near the funding that Suburban Des Moines districts do. Des Moines has one of the worst disparities between white and black residents in the nation. One of the only cities worse is Waterloo. Hence my asterisk.
At the time that 235 was built do you honestly think the Roosevelt area was poor? Wow. 235 went through good and bad alike.
 
I'm not saying that the interstate projects didn't hurt a lot of people, but those days are past. DSM is one hell of a town. East village, Principal park, Wells Fargo Arena, etc.
 
Roosevelt is still considered a wealthy school due to the families that live off grand. That IS where the money was in the 60s
There are still stately homes and nice areas between 235 and grand. Even some of the neighborhoods north of 235 in that area aren't exactly slums (but they aren't what they were back in the day either).
 
I grew up in Iowa City and went to Iowa, then spent two years in DSM after school.

I'll take Iowa City over DSM for ages 18-26ish?! Then probably DSM for 27-30s ish. Both would great places to raise a family.

Haven't been back to DSM since 2015, but I thought DSM's nightlife was fairly weak and the downtown pretty dead. Some of that perception is probably from people using the skywalks instead of the sidewalk.

I've only spent a handful of weekends visiting a friend in Davenport, there's some nice things going on, but can't imagine how the QC overall could compare to DSM/IC areas at least for young adults. I'm sure it's also a great place to raise a family.
You need to visit the East Village, Ingersoll, and Court Ave with all they’ve done since 2018 to improve those areas. Really nice now with restaurants, bars, and other activities in those areas.
 
You need to visit the East Village, Ingersoll, and Court Ave with all they’ve done since 2018 to improve those areas. Really nice now with restaurants, bars, and other activities in those areas.

Nice, I don't doubt it, my impression was that DSM was only getting better.
 
Des Moines is a nice city surrounded by pig shit and Jack squat. The Quad Cities is 5 pretty nice towns surrounded by much more interesting stuff. Plus it's 2.5 hours farther from Nebraska. QC wins.
So are you saying all the suburbs around DM are shit? Like WDM, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Grimes, Ankeny, Altoona, and Norwalk?
 
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