Davenport, Iowa or nearby (Des Moines, Iowa City: crime, hotels, houses)

[PennyM.]

My husband and I will be driving through Davenport on our vacation. Can anyone recommend a good motel or hotel in Davenport or nearby that's clean, quiet, with refrigerator, microwave, comfortable queen beds? Preferably Moderator cut: inflammatory remarks ! And in a good safe Moderator cut: that's enough neighborhood. Thanks!

[Luke9686]

Keep heading 70 miles further west on I-80 into Iowa City. I wouldn't stay anywhere in Davenport. Theres not much to do there, and some parts can be dangerous.

[mthawki]

Wow Penny...white with no mosques? You better keep your doors locked your entire vacation because the boogie-man might get you. Seriously though, if you're going through the Quad Cities, there are some nice places in Rock Island you might want to consider.

[jeffs]

Any place north of Kimberly Road in Davenport is a pretty nice area. If you head south towards downtown, dial 9 and a 1 on your cell phone, and be prepared to hit 1. Its really turned into a craphole. Bettendorf is within a few miles, and its mostly an upscale type of city.

[Livy]

My DH and I are traveling through Davenport Iowa on the way to Indiana, we were thinking also about getting a hotel in Davenport....maybe Bettendrof ...?? or I think we'll stop in Iowa City, and hop over Davenport the next day. :P

[Luke9686]

Hey Livy, just wondering why you want to explore Davenport?? There is not really anything to do there. I would suggest stopping in Iowa City, or even Des Moines.

[Torrey]

Davenport used to be a good city in the late 70's and early 80's.... I wonder what happened.

[DisturbingThoughts]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Davenport used to be a good city in the late 70's and early 80's.... I wonder what happened.

It still is. I just came across this site and have seen many comments about Davenport that have me shaking my head or laughing.

I grew up on the west side of Davenport and believe me, the mention of crime on this site seems to be way overstated. It is not much different than any other metro area of around 400k in the country. If you're scared of everything then lock yourself up in hour home and never go outside. Paranoia has never been something that I succumb to.

Also, the people mentioning "there is nothing to do" and such are even more laughable. I have been to Iowa City and Des Moines many, many times. I lived in Des Moines for 2 years. It's nice enough and clean but it's not like it is some kind of heavenly town. I have nothing really bad to say about DM. I just think that some people on this site seem to see things or believe things that I do not agree with about the place. It could be homer glasses they are looking through for all I know.

There is nothing to do in Iowa City that you can't find in the Quad Cities unless you're a Hawkeyes fan and want to see the college teams play or stroll around the campus.

My advice to the original poster is to just drive through and look at a phone book. There are many options for hotels in the QC area. Find one that you can afford and stay there. If you decide to stay near the river in any QC's town then you can check out one of the 3 riverboats if gambling is what you are into. You can also check out the District section in downtown RI if you want to dance or drink.

Check out some comedy clubs and ask around for bars or clubs that play your preference of music. There is everything from Latin music, Jazz, Rock, Hard Rock, Blues and many others that can be found. Just ask around.

The QC isn't Compton. Don't let these posters give you the wrong impression.

If you're just looking to stay the night in Davenport and not do anything else but want a quiet place to sleep then go "up the hill" past Kimberly away from downtown. There are plenty of options for hotels there and you have many options of places to shop at.

[jeffs]

I exaggerated on the crime issue, its mostly in isolated neighborhoods. Just trying to throw some sarcasm in there. But it is true the further south you go the crappier it gets. The north side of town is booming with housing developments, shopping, restaurants, while the central city rots. Driving north to south is almost like driving back into time. New $200,000 houses then they gradually turn to boarded up drug houses when you get south of locust st. Its almost like 2 cities, the north half, and the south and west halves which have been neglected for years. If Davenport tried to spread the development around more, instead of building everything north on Elmore Ave, it would be a better city.

[mfrerkes]

Davenport and the Quad City area has most everything Des Moines or Iowa City has, and even a few things both lack.

The Figge Art museum blows away anything you'll find in Des Moines or Iowa City. It's brand new downtown and, at 10 stories tall, has a massive collection of art most cities much larger than Davenport would kill for.

The Mississippi River is more significant than any natural recreation venue you'll find in Iowa City or Des Moines. Even if you don't like fishing, boating, or the scenic beauty that the Mississippi offers, you can gamble Vegas-style on the 3 different casinos located on the riverfront. Des Moines has one casino that overlooks "scenic" Interstate 80.

The Putnam Museum is a facility that attracts high-caliber exhibits. The Da Vinci exhibit currently on display at Putnam has only three other stops in the US: Chicago, Seattle, and Houston. Des Moines and Iowa City got passed over, apparently. There's also an IMAX theater at the Putnam.

The PGA tour stops every year in the Davenport area. I don't believe Tiger Woods or Vijay Singh have ever golfed professionally in Des Moines. We have AHL hockey and AF2 football, just like Des Moines. In fact, we've been really kicking their butt lately in hockey. There's also a professional baseball team (St. Louis Cards affiliate) and a professional basketball league is opening up a new franchise here in January.

Des Moines has high-crime areas and boarded-up houses, too. In fact, the city lost 5,000 residents between 2000 and 2006 because everybody there flees for the western suburbs. The city of Davenport has gained more than 1,000 residents during that same period.

I've got nothing against Des Moines or Iowa City. They are both nice places to live. But don't expect false statements like "Davenport has nothing to do" will go unchallenged.