New York City casts a long shadow over it’s less hip and media-centric cities, especially in the Midwest, seen as stuffy and backward along the country’s trendy urban coasts. Elitism is not just a posture in places like New York, it is a faith. They really do believe everybody else is woebegone and stupid.

Des Moines has a very hip and ascending old loft district, it is right in the shadow of the beautiful state capitol building, but it has taken the name “East Village” to make sure everybody understands it’s the new Des Moines, not the stuffier old one. I wish they had come up with a different name, but the neighborhood is awesome, I was struck right away by one of the old businesses still remaining, the American Plumbing Supply company, you will not find toilets in store windows anywhere in Soho or the East Village of Manhattan.

Still, we found one hip arts story we loved so much we bought each other necklaces and some other good stuff. We found a wondrous taco place and had a  terrific lunch for $10. This is a fun neighborhood to walk through, the energy there hums and gives the lie to the notion that cities like Des Moines can’t make some loud and joyful noise.