When it comes to undiluted American wholesomeness, I’d argue that no state has it more than Iowa. Sure, the place has its crime, its pockets of teen pregnancy and meth usage, its unemployment and shiftlessless; as well as other ills. But a lot of it is filled with the charming, appealing aspects of rural living.
Iowa State Capitol
Case in point: drive through tiny West Branch, Iowa… home to the wonderful Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum on a sleepy summer afternoon. When we did, we found kids on bikes, lemonade stands, red-white-and-blue bunting hanging from the lampposts. I’m glad there still are places in America like that. Nearby you’ll find Iowa City and the University of Iowa; and although we didn’t spend any time there, all indications are that it’s a vibrant environment.
The Midwest is such a misunderstood region. First of all, it’s so large that it really needs to be broken down into smaller parts. A wide swath of it, starting in parts of Ohio and extending through parts of Wisconsin, are more accurately described as the Great Lakes region. The middle sections of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois are the Midwest, but their southern ends are kinda, sorta, well… Southern. Same for Missouri. Once you get into Kansas and Nebraska, you’re really in the Great Plains. North of that is the Upper Midwest, with an accent and culture that is unto its own. I would argue that only Iowa is 100 percent Midwest. And to some East and West Coasters, that is a source of mockery.
It’s too bad, because Iowa is a place for educated, critical thinkers. It’s an agricultural state, to be sure, but it has more of a feel of prosperity than many other rural places. And when it comes to politically savvy citizens, only New Hampshire can give Iowa a run for its money. The Iowa Caucus system is quite complicated; even after we saw an exhibit on it, the details still did not sink in. So shame on those who think of it as tacky and unsophisticated.
That is, unless those people are visiting the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. I was so looking forward to it, because I had this impression (and I’m only half joking, here) of fair-haired women in gingham skirts and sturdy, All-American men in overalls, walking down the fairway with an ice cream cone in one hand and an American flag in another. Instead it was tramp stamps, black concert T-shirts, cigarettes and profanity. As we left the fairgrounds around 9:15 pm (it closed at 10), we passed more than one mother-of-the-year pushing her kids in a stroller on her way INTO the place. Yikes. But there was a butter cow sculpture, lots of odes to corn, and pigs. All was not lost.
I think Des Moines is pretty cool. I’d describe it as a scaled-down Omaha combined with a dash or two of Minneapolis-St. Paul. We had lunch at a district just west of the capitol grounds, and it was very nice. The capitol itself has lots of ornamentation, including inside the incredible law library, but all the stuff going on does not interfere with its charms.
Tags: Des Moines, Iowa, Iowa State Capitol
