Sooo there's this thing - a 15 seater bike - that you can ride around downtown and the East Village from establishment to establishment. It's called the Big Yellow Bike. I had the chance to use it the other afternoon - it was pretty fun. It's not too hard and it's easy to talk to everyone while pedaling. Considering most of us are too lazy to walk from downtown to the East Village, this is a great way to spend time on both sides of the river. Now, it's nothing something you can just hop on and off (although that would be a good idea). You need to book ahead of time. If you plan to hit the bars, why not do it all on the Big Yellow Bike.
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Flix Brewhouse has been on my To Do List since it opened in Merle Hay Mall back in December. It's a combination brew pup and movie theater that started in Texas. I had heard good things about it and just needed a reason to go. What better reason that Pitch Perfect 2? Yes, I'm serious. A group of friends wanted to go see it so I said sure. (I did have to rent the first flick to watch ahead of time - which I did enjoy.)
Flix has a restaurant area and ticket lines at the top of the escalators. You can order food and drinks and hang out there or wait to order until you head into the theater. When we ordered in the theater, several of us had issues. They didn't have tortillas for quesadillas and never brought one person's pizza. Another friend couldn't order a margarita because they were out. When I tried to order the Saison de Walt beer, I couldn't because it was a seasonal - even though it was listed as a mainstay on the menu. Instead I ordered the Flix Golden Ale, which was good but nothing extraordinary. I would like to chalk this up as bad luck or a really busy night, but it was a Monday and they've been opened now for 5 months. I'm not sure they have a good excuse. On the up side, everyone enjoyed the food they did get including a burger, chicken sandwich, popcorn and baked potato skins. As for the movie, it was really good. I couldn't believe the amount of celebrity cameos including some of the Green Bay Packers. It was surprisingly more sexual than the first movie - so people with younger ones, beware. I was sad with how little Jesse was in the movie. He was a central character in the first one and appeared in maybe five scenes this time. Most sequels don't stand up to the expectations, but I think this one does. In honor of my dear friend's impending nuptials, a dozen of us helped her celebrate the end of her single days in style in the beautiful San Diego. I've been to San Diego several times over the past several years on family vacation, but I've never spent time in the Gaslamp Quarter. I was not only excited to see my friend for the first time in over a year, but to explore downtown San Diego. We stayed at the Westin and were able to walk to dozens of bars, clubs and restaurants. I was happy to find most don't have cover charges and the drinks weren't terribly priced. To make things extra special, the bride-to-be bought a new school Polaroid camera, which provided us some quality entertainment. We showered her with typical bachelorette gifts and added one sentimental item. Each girl invited to the party could add photos and write a message to the bachelorette in a photo album. It was a great idea to make the weekend even more memorable. Thanks to San Diego and all the other girls for a wonderful time!
Nearly three years ago at a football game I met an outgoing girl who had just moved to Des Moines and didn't know a soul. A month later she came to my Halloween party with another friend. Turned out they weren't just friends. Fast forward 2.5 years and now she's about to get married to that same guy. In order to prepare the couple for their new life together, I helped throw them a bridal shower. There were four of us, and we really make quite the party planning team. We worked very well together and all had an "expertise" to bring to the table. Between choosing a venue, developing a menu, planning the games, getting the groom to pop in, following up with guests who didn't RSVP, preparing the food, setting up, welcoming and entertaining guests, keeping track of gifts and tearing down, planning a wedding shower is no small feat. But if you asked me to do it again, I'd say yes! Some people just have party planning in their bones. I'm definitely one of them. Congratulations to the wonderful couple! Almost there... Photos credit: Andrea Jansa Microbreweries are the hottest thing since sliced bread. Anymore, there's almost as many breweries as there are types of bread. Each have their own angle. Confluence Brewing is one of the newest on the block (aka Des Moines) and the only one on the block just south of Gray's Lake on Thomas Beck Road/Bell Ave. Confluence is just a tap room - not a full restaurant like Court Ave Brewing Co., Racoon River Brewing Co. and Exhile Brewing. Beer lovers get to walk right past the vats on their way to the tap room. Once there, the tap room is a large open industrial space. Tall ceilings and minimalist pub table and chairs. There also appeared to be a deck out back, but I did not get a chance to scope it out.
I've enjoyed Confluence beer before, but this was my first time enjoying a glass at the tap room. It was also my first time testing out the Farmer John's multi-grain ale. I told the bartender I like wheat beers so he recommended the Farmer John. Can't say I've ever had a multi-grain ale before, but it was really good and similar to a wheat. I'd definitely like to go back and spend some more time there, check out the deck and get a flight to taste test a variety of the local brews. Two weeks ago I hit quite the milestone: my golden birthday. Seeing it was on a Wednesday and we'd just moved into our new house, I held off on having a party on the day itself. Three weeks later seemed like plenty of time to get the house in order - or at least presentable enough - to host a golden party.
Because I still haven't grown up completely, I'm a sucker for themed parties. I randomly found a great gold dress (pictured above) at Goodwill for $5 a few weeks before my birthday. I decided everyone would look great rocking something gold they rescued from a thrift store. Everyone participated except... my husband. I tell you, that man can't humor me for one day! We continued the gold theme into our drinks from margaritas to Coors Extra Gold Lager and Irish gold. It was a fun night playing Cards Against Humanity and showing off the house. Everyone was dying to see my new diamond accent wall, of course. Thanks to everyone who helped me ring in another year of living life to the fullest! As many of you probably know by now, I love going to new restaurants. My goal is to eat at every restaurant in the metro. I'm happy to report I'm well on my way. Out of Cityview's Best of Des Moines 2013 - Eats, I've eaten at all but two. As such, I was very excited when one of my friends invited Lucas and I out to dinner at the new Eatery A on Ingersoll.
Eatery A just recently opened with much excitement. When we arrived Friday at 6:15 p.m., the place was already packed. Anxious foodies wasted no time to try the newest grub in town. The owner, Jason Simon, is also the man behind East Village staple Alba. If you haven't eaten at Alba yet, put it on your list right next to Eatery A. On the Eatery A website, it is described as fusing "old-world flavors with modern cuisine." I'm no culinary historian, so if they say they offer old-world flavors, I'll believe them. What I can say for sure is you won't find a menu quite like their's anywhere else in town. They have over a dozen options of oven-fired pizzas - none of which you can get at Domino's or Pizza Hut. There are 17 entree options ranging from the ricotta cavatelli (which was excellent) to octopus and lamb sliders to grilled eggplant. If you are a picky eater or are dining out with a picky eater, this might not be the place for you. Be ready to try new flavors, new combinations and new ingredients. Options on the menu are well-priced, which means you don't need a special occasion to go. Some dishes even have the option of a smaller portion, which is a great touch. Or, if you just need a drink, the patio is large and inviting. As a former resident of the Ingersoll neighborhood, I'm so glad to see a new place come in - filling a long-vacant building - and bringing in a breath of fresh air. I was a pretty good student growing up. I always did my homework, always tried hard and always wanted A's. Fortunately, I had (and still have) some natural smarts. They fail me though in science and math. I still recall the egg drop project I bombed in physicals class my senior year. I literally had to hold back tears when my egg broke. While science may not be my forte, I can't deny that it's pretty cool. One way to make it even cooler is by allowing adults to have a free for all at the Science Center of Iowa with a drink, your friends and no pressure to pass a test at the end of the night. The $5 adult-only event known as Mixology happens every first Friday of the month. It's been on my To Do list for about two years. I'm excited to say I can finally cross it off my list. We had a fun time building our own nano molecules, watching cool experiments with Cecil the scientist, pretending to be meteorologists, racing lego cars and checking out the snakes. I may not be ready to switch careers anytime soon, but I definitely had a great evening. Weddings come in all shapes, sizes and styles. Well, unless it's a Wardenburg wedding. Wardenburg weddings come in only large and extra large. My sister-in-law Tessa did a wonderful job putting together a lovely wedding in just three months. She looked beautiful and classy while committing herself to the man of her dreams in a quaint Lutheran church in Chillicothe, Missouri.
Not only was it just my first time attending Tessa's wedding, it was also my first time videotaping a wedding. Before the ceremony I was getting some b-roll and cutaway shots when the photographer asked me if I shot weddings often. I said nope, this is my first. She tried not to act surprised. I like to think I did a pretty good job for a first crack at it; however, I won't know for sure until I start to edit. I'll keep you posted. Lucas and I played host this weekend. His cousin and her husband were in Des Moines and asked to crash with us. We said of course. Crashing with us also entailed a night out on the town. They have other friends that live in the metro they wanted to meet up with at Gas Lamp in Western Gateway. Surprisingly, I have never been there. I used to run past it twice a week when I lived a mile west on Ingersoll. I was excited to check it out. The bar is pretty cool on the inside - eclectic, vintage-y, dark and chill. A server came over to us immediately, which was good considering there was only about 10 people in there. I asked her for the drink specials only to find out there were none. A Boulevard it was. It wasn't quite 9pm when the band was getting ready to play. A bar employee came over to the group and said we had to pay $5 to stay. What? I have never heard of a bar asking you to pay cover after being there for 30 minutes. We slammed our beers and peaced out. I rarely give a bad review, but that just did not leave a good taste in my mouth. Sorry Gas Lamp.
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