is iowa boring? (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City: apartment, how much, houses)

[Tek_Freek]

Entertainment:

Sitting on my deck listening to the squirrels and birds yelling at the neighborhood cat.

Watching the same group jostle for position out of the wind on a cold day.

Watching all the flowers I planted grow and bloom. Smelling same.

God, what a boring life I lead. Not...

Hey Woodward girl - I think that post should be the Iowa Anthem! Bet we all had pictures flipping thorough our heads that Pennsylvania boy has never, and probably will never, get to see.

Pity, that.

[Nedibes]

I just moved to a small town in Iowa, most recently from a mid-sized university town elsewhere in the Mid-West but before that from L.A., and I have yet to be bored. I am most definitely not an outdoorsy person, but I still find plenty to occupy my time.

Some of the things we've found to do:
The people here are quite social, so there are dinner parties, picnics, etc. pretty much every week (a couple of weekends we've hosted);
There are community events--festivals, farmers' markets, school and community theater and music and so forth;
There are museums and art galleries (a thriving local art scene) and professional theater companies;
College and high school sports;
Fabric and craft supply stores;
Bars and very good restaurants;
Indoor water park;
Bookstores and libraries;
We even get FIRST-RUN movies!

All of this is within 45 minutes of my home, which is actually quite a bit closer time-wise than much of what I did for entertainment when I lived in L.A., entertainment capital of the world.

I admittedly am not a club-hopper, so I can't speak to that--I guess if you need to go to a different club every night to avoid boredom, then Iowa might bore *you*. Actually, I'd say the thing about here versus a more metro area is that there may be fewer instances of whatever--it would be a lot harder to go to the movies three or four nights a week here (as some of my friends in L.A. did) for example. So we have to vary our entertainment, but I tend to think that makes us more interesting, not less.

[PhillyPhan]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Entertainment:

Sitting on my deck listening to the squirrels and birds yelling at the neighborhood cat.

Watching the same group jostle for position out of the wind on a cold day.

Watching all the flowers I planted grow and bloom. Smelling same.

God, what a boring life I lead. Not...

Hey Woodward girl - I think that post should be the Iowa Anthem! Bet we all had pictures flipping thorough our heads that Pennsylvania boy has never, and probably will never, get to see.

Pity, that.

it is a pity that not everyone is like you and likes to sit at home, play with themselves and be entertained by watching paint dry. if that is what you like to do, then good for YOU. but others might not like to do that kind of stuff, so until something amazing happens, stay in iowa and i'll be having fun in the rest of the world.

[tollfree]

everywhere has that small-town feel to a T. even Des Moines is made up of rural iowans. everywhere you go everyone's going to know each other like in a small town.

[cvanripe10]

Originally Posted by WoodwardGirl

No, I would not be "satisfied with entertainment." For the most part, I loathe being "entertained." One of the reasons I live in Iowa is that I have the opportunity to entertain myself, doing the stuff I love to do, without having to drive very far, fight traffic, pay outrageous prices for things, and, most of all, go anywhere that will be jammed full of loud people I don't know, many of whom are probably drunk or stoned.

There is lots beside "the outdoors," but the idea of discounting a whole state's gorgeous variety of geography as "the outdoors" just boggles the mind. "The outdoors," with our four distinct seasons, glorious colors, earthy smells... a blizzard-whipped gravel road, the moist heat of corn that you can hear grow in the deep night, blazing red and yellow trees mirrored in the clear rivers below the bluffs, a field of vivid green liberally studded with brilliant wildflowers... Yep, not much for entertainment in that.

I've asked it before and I'll ask it again... what the heck IS it that you all are wanting with this "entertainment" thing? I'm gathering it only happens indoors... Is it that life isn't worth living if you don't go to a concert or professional sporting event every weekend? Every night? And this is entertaining how, exactly? Is it just that you can't bear to have time where you just enjoy being? Where you enjoy being by yourself, with your own thoughts? Where you enjoy yourself without liquor or drugs? Where you enjoy reading a good book, watching the deer and turkeys play on the lawn, working in the barn while you listen to the college game on the radio...?

Excellent post. This is exactly why i want to leave the NYC vicinity. Most people are socialites with a love for money and entertainment is second to money.

It's crazy, it seems most people are just in a haze of being mezmerized by either money or music.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by PhillyPhan

it is a pity that not everyone is like you and likes to sit at home, play with themselves and be entertained by watching paint dry. if that is what you like to do, then good for YOU. but others might not like to do that kind of stuff, so until something amazing happens, stay in iowa and i'll be having fun in the rest of the world.

I've already seen the world. I plan on seeing more; probably more than you will ever see since the inside of clubs, bars and concert halls seem to be your thing. Been there, done that, got bored, moved on. Perhaps you will too.

Don't knock what you don't understand and stop being childish in your not-so-subtle come backs. What a stupid thing to say to someone. From that response I'd guess maybe 13 years old or so. Or perhaps an immature 20.

I don't think Iowa is a place you want to visit, let alone live in.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by PhillyPhan

me long to get to hershey, clubs in lancaster or hit the town in philadelphia. so i think we may have more things to do in lancaster, don't believe me, come on down.

Yeah dude, Lancaster looks WAY more happening than Des Moines. Philadelphia is a given and when I looked up Hershey, it says it's a town of 12,000 people. Are you sure you know what you're talking about? Here's Lancaster:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/LancasterPA.PNG (broken link)

Here's Des Moines:

[gimme it]

Originally Posted by Nedibes

I just moved to a small town in Iowa, most recently from a mid-sized university town elsewhere in the Mid-West but before that from L.A., and I have yet to be bored. I am most definitely not an outdoorsy person, but I still find plenty to occupy my time.

Some of the things we've found to do:
The people here are quite social, so there are dinner parties, picnics, etc. pretty much every week (a couple of weekends we've hosted);
There are community events--festivals, farmers' markets, school and community theater and music and so forth;
There are museums and art galleries (a thriving local art scene) and professional theater companies;
College and high school sports;
Fabric and craft supply stores;
Bars and very good restaurants;
Indoor water park;
Bookstores and libraries;
We even get FIRST-RUN movies!

All of this is within 45 minutes of my home, which is actually quite a bit closer time-wise than much of what I did for entertainment when I lived in L.A., entertainment capital of the world.

I admittedly am not a club-hopper, so I can't speak to that--I guess if you need to go to a different club every night to avoid boredom, then Iowa might bore *you*. Actually, I'd say the thing about here versus a more metro area is that there may be fewer instances of whatever--it would be a lot harder to go to the movies three or four nights a week here (as some of my friends in L.A. did) for example. So we have to vary our entertainment, but I tend to think that makes us more interesting, not less.

Where in Iowa do you live? It sounds great.

[metro223]

el rhino is right that lancaster place looks disgusting!

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by beemer1010

el rhino is right that lancaster place looks disgusting!

Ha... I didn't say Lancaster looks disgusting, it just doesn't seem like anything to really brag up...and Hershey? Come on. It would be one thing if this dude worked from the Philadelphia/Pittsburgh angle (two cities he doesn't even live in), but Lancaster, well, looks like a really lackluster place.

It looks like Lancaster has only a slightly smaller population that Des Moines, but I have a feeling this guy may not be very well-versed on his subject matter. I mean no offense to Lancaster or anything.