Des Moines, IA

I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants in general. So several years back when Cici's Pizza came to town it was no big deal for me. There were lots of ads announcing the opening and many mailers with coupons which I ignored. They were in town for about a year and a half before we tried it for the first time. We were out shopping one day in Haymarket Square on Merle Hay Rd and our three kids were ravenous. Our oldest chirped "let's go the Cici's Pizza!" as we drove by and our two others immediately joined in chorus. It just so happened that I had two coupons in the car for a free kids buffet with the purchase of an adult buffet, and our youngest being under three would be free. The buffet you should know is only $4.99 so our whole family would be eating for around $10. That tipped the balance for me so we parked and went in. The buffet was simple but complete, with salad, pasta, bread sticks, pizza and dessert plus there is a game room to boot for after. I have since been back several times, though not with all three kids. I usually make it a special event and only take one at a time which they enjoy. Every time I've been the restaurant has been clean and well lit, the staff has been accomodating, and the food has been excellent.

The staff at the Haymarket Square location really could not be friendlier. They smile and ask you if you need anything constantly. There are twenty kinds of pizza on the menu but they will also make special orders. Anytime you approach the buffet they invite you to order something if you don't see what you want up there. I'm partial to pepperoni with Jalapenos and not seeing it I decided to take them up on their offer to make a fresh pie on demand and ordered one. They seemed overjoyed I asked and went to work like lightning. About seven minutes later they brought the steaming hot pizza to our table and invited me to take what I wanted. They then put the rest on the buffet.

To top it all off they have great desserts as well consisting of really gooey, hot cinnamon rolls, apple and blueberry dessert pizza and scrumptious brownies. If they are ever out of what you like they will cheerily make it in a flash and bring it right out to your table. I really have to limit my visits there because the food is so tasty I end up eating way more than a middle aged guy should. The fact that the food is so good that it inspires you to indulge is perhaps the only drawback to Cici's. I've taken a few friends there as well as they have a $9.99 special for two adult buffets with two drinks. All have been similarly impressed.

On my last visit I took my son Esden who can be seen ladling plain pasta into a bowl (right) and forcing the last few bites of his pizza into his mouth (below) so he can take his two quarters he's been saving to go have fun in the game room behind him.

We go the Haymarket Square Cici's because it is convenient to our home, but there is another location on Des Moines' South side. So if you enjoy pizza and are looking for an affordable and fun place to take your family in the Des Moines area head on over to Cici's. They do not dissapoint by any measure and offer delights for both young and old. Please see below for locations in the Des Moines area:

Downtown Des Moines condo sales have fallen hard with the nationwide real estate slow down a fact which was highlighted in a recent Des Moines Register article entitled "Stagnant condo sales plaugue downtown Des Moines" dated November 19th 2010. The article stated, among other things, that downtown sales were off 75% from their peak in 2006, that only 30 units had closed in 2009, and that 2010 was poised to be only marginally better. In doing a quick check I see that 2010 finished with 29 closed sales out of an inventory of approximately 111. For all you absorption rate folks that's a 3.82 year supply. Pretty dismal on the surface.

Pundits, builders, real estate agents and industry insiders querried variously blamed onerous FHA rules, consumer preference, unemployment, sluggish sales of homes by potential move up buyers, etc. What they really should be blaming is the existing products and stratospheric prices. There are far too many one bedroom and two bedroom units, with the 1 bedrooms priced from $200,000 to $500,000 coming hobbled with association fees in the $250-$775 range. With 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 car homes in surrounding areas selling for around $170-$175,000 that's a tough sell on lifestyle alone, even with a full ten year tax break for buying downtown.

But...enter the Riverwalk Brownstones, Hubbell Realty's second phase of the Brownstones on Grand project. The Brownstones on Grand have struggled with the rest of the market. The units pictured above started out at around $450,00- $500,000 in 2006. Five years later the two 9 unit buildings are still not sold out and prices have dropped to as low as $284,900. Hubbell got this only half right, there were too many two bedrooms, even though the units had decent sq. ft., around 2000, they were still too high priced and most lack rooftop access, but for their credit all came with two car garages. Still five remain unsold.

With Riverwalk Brownstones however Hubbell knocked it out of the park and sales are on fire. The three bedroom units (there is a 2 bed option) come with 2.5 baths, a two car garage, granite counter tops, roof top access and importantly, association dues at $150 a month. Add the ten year abatement to that, and it's too good to resist. The Riverwalk phase is being built behind the Brownstone phase and consists of four 4 unit buildings. The first four units are finished and are shown to the right. According to MLS data two units have closed, six are pending and one is active. According to Darla Willett-Rohrssen the listing agent on the project, half of the new units have pre-sold, or have offers prior to the buildings being built. In fact the units are selling so well Hubbell raised prices for the remaining phases which will all likely be BTO or Built To Order. From what I can see the un-built units are not listed but can be sold and will then be placed on the MLS when pending. See a snippet of the MLS data below:

On a recent blustery 16 degree day crews could be seen hard at work on completing the second and third buildings for which foundations have already been laid.

My opinion is that they key to future successes in downtown condo sales such as those Hubbell is experiencing with Riverwalk Brownstones is to keep the prices affordable, around or at under $200,000, offer three bedroom options with two car garages, allow them to be sold FHA and keep the association fees low. Riverwalk may be unique however because these are street level homes where you can walk right out onto the sidewalk, which are not in large supply. Another smart move by Hubbell for this development was to create a website for the association where the bylaws, budgets, minutes, covenants and more can be reviewed at any time: http://www.hubbellcommunities.com/community/documents.asp?id=5&name=Brownstones%20on%20Grand If you're an agent or buyer who has ever tried to wheedle these basic documents out of a seller to no avail you can really appreciate the convenience this provides.

Hopefully other builders and developers and their agents will take note of Hubbell's success with Riverwalk, stop bemoaning the state of the economy, and start building and offering products people want to buy at prices they can afford.

Data courtesy of Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS covering the period 01/01/10~ 02/03/11.

"There is some of the same fitness in a man's clearing his own drive that there is in a bird's building its own nest." Henry David Thoreau Walden Chapter 1.

We get some pretty good snow storms in Iowa and if you are a working person with a family it becomes difficult at times to clear the drive in a timely fashion. That is it is not always in one's power to get it cleared before it gets driven on and forms hard packed ice which can easily morph into a glacier that lasts all season, and which unlike some of its more adventurous arctic circle cousins feels no need to slide south and instead is content to laze about getting fat on winter's spoils. Additionally, as we have a fairly long drive, it is not always easy to find the two hours or so it takes to shovel the drive in one's busy day, snow coming not on anyones schedule as it is wont to do. And buying a snow blower in the past seemed like an expensive proposition for the little use it seemed it would get.

A few years back I decided as much for my wife's sake as my own to have our drive plowed by a local service station. Keep the wife happy, the kids safe and support a local business, it's all good! It worked great for the first year when there wasn't much snow, but the second year was a disaster. With a heavy snow the plows wouldn't come right away, so we had to either drive on the snow or park in the street. On a few occasions they didn't come for up to a day after the snow, so I'd go out and shovel it myself, then sure enough about an hour later here comes the plow, moving nothing and charging me forty five bucks. Or, the opposite would happen, we've have a dusting of snow and the plow would come twice, $90. The station wasn't very sympathetic to put it mildy. Our only choice was to cancel. Then came 2009 where we had mountains of snow in November which kept up until spring.

However, one snowy Sunday brought salvation in the form of an ad for a sale on snowblowers at Northern Tool and Equipment. It couldn't have come at a better time. Our shovel was too small and the stores were sold out of larger sizes. So for about $450 with a three year warranty and two tune ups, I came home the proud owner of "La Machina" (left), or as it is more popularly known MTD Model 32ad 179cc OHV 4-cycle / 22". It throws snow about fifteen feet and has handled anything we've had so far with ease. I opted for the pull start model and thereby saved myself about $100 as I just figured that was more stuff to break. It has cut the drive clearing time down to about an hour from start to finish, including the front walk. I actually look forward to it snowing so that I can get out and take "La Machina" for another spin, wear my obligatory Santa cap, and wave to passersby. Clearing snow ranks right up there now with grilling and washing the car for me, and my wife really appreciates not having to negotiate two wheel ruts reminiscent of something out of the westward migration of 1848.

OK. Maybe clearing one's drive is not analagous to Thoreau's voyage of spiritual discovery on Walden Pond, but in today's world, it's close. (note Bluetooth in right ear so I don't miss any real estate calls)

Men say they know many things;

But lo! they have taken wings, -

The arts and sciences,

And a thousand appliances;

The wind that blows

Is all that anybody knows.

Henry David Thoreau Walden 1854

We're on our second child going through pre-school yet somehow or another I had never taken the opportunity serve a turn as a class parent helper. Well that all changed last week as I was the designated "Parent Helper" for my daughter's nursery school class at Plymouth Congregational Church.

Our son had attended another program where the opportunity did not exist for parents to assist as "helpers" but upon enrolling our daughter Lena at Plymouth last year we discovered that they encouraged active participation by parents in the classroom on a regular basis. The school makes it easy to sign up by posting a sign up sheet by each classroom. For one reason or another, it seems like the vast majority of parent helpers are moms, but dads get involved as well as grandparents. Not wanting to be left out I had my wife sign me up and finally the big day came!

Part of the job of parent helper is to bring snacks for the class to share. So, on the big day Lena and I arrived early with a willing attitude and a bucket of snacks in hand. Lena was super excited to be having her daddy at school with her and I was eager to see firsthand what goes on for those 2.5 hours she is in school each day. Soon after arriving and greeting the teacher, Miss Denise and staffer Barbie, I donned the yellow button of honor and was given my first task, meeting the parents out front dropping off their children and making sure the children did not get lost on the way to the class. This was too awesome a task for just one helper though, so Barbie assisted.

Barbie, being an old hand, flanked me and got the first bunch of bundled up pupils safely from their vehicle, expertly escourting them off to the side of the drive, shutting the door while thanking the parent and ushering the next car up all in one fluid motion. I was a little intimidated. Barbie was good and I'd have to on top of my game to do as well. Fortunately, I took to it well and with Barbie and I alternately opening doors and sheperding the children inside, all sixteen of our eager charges were ready to start their day.

The theme was "outer space" and there were numerous activites related to the topic to be enjoyed. After blowing off some energy in the gym, we started out with a story about a little alien who comes to earth on Halloween and is mistaken for just another costumed kid. I made the mistake of sitting behind the class in a chair. I quickly recognized my error when Lena looked back sadly and motioned for me to come join her on the mat with the other children. She wanted to sit in my lap while Ms. Denise animatedly read the tale of the intrepid little alien far from home. She snuggled up tightly in my arms and sat enraptured as the story unfolded.

Moving on to the next activity, I got in trouble with Ms. Denise by spinning the model of the solar system incorrectly. I spun the sun when everybody knows that the planets spin around the sun. To my credit though the planets did NOT spin freely. Anyhow, humbled, crisis past, I was put in charge of rotating the 16 through turns at the blackboard drawing space aliens, planets, stars or anything else space related. As you can see, Lena chose the alien option, above left.

Next up was making space aliens using a cd rom disc, a half a ball of styrofoam, glue, glitter, beads, feathers, pipe cleaners and other baubles. Everyone tore into the task with ablomb, and when finished they made their way to the "spaceship" in the corner to take turns blasting off into outer space. When the ruckus subsided I was entrusted to pick up the space alien parts that had made their way under the table and subsequently had been tracked around the room. Lena was a big help in getting under the kids sized tables and picking up the littlest bits.

Moving on we sang songs, talked more about space and planets and worked up a big appetite for our snacks. Lena was charged with distributing the snack bags of pretzels, blueberry rice cakes, and dried fruit that she and my wife had lovingly assembled the night before. Ever keen to set up a party and play hostess, Lena was in her element and thoroughly glowed with pride as she handed each of her classmates a snack and received a hearty "thank you!" in return. After snack time was another round of cleanup in which Lena was again a willing participant, finding all the tiny bits of pretzels trying to hide behind chair and table legs. Everything cleaned up and with five chairs to a table we got ready to wrap it up. Two and a half hours had had passed quickly and parents began massing in the halls outside, fresh from a few hours off for themselves. The special little bubble of the five year old's world I shared had burst and we were back from space, in the real world.

A special privelege is bestowed upon the child whose parent is helper that day, they get to be the first to leave. Seizing the fleeting moment, I had Barbie snap a quick picture of the two of us before we exited the class and made our way home. I only got about a foot before a waiting mother called out "Sir, you might not want to wear that button all day!" giggling in concert with another mom, both letting me know that I had forgotten to remove my "Parent helper" badge of honor. "Oh, yeah!" I laughingly replied, carefully removing the chevron that had defined my status that morning. I refrained from telling the the woman however that given the chance, I just might have wanted to keep it on.

Papajohn Sculpture Park in Downtown Des Moines

"Shattering Silence" by Iowa artist James Ellwanger at the State Capitol Complex

Downtown Des Moines from Buchanan St looking southwest

Pedestrian Bridge over I-235 connecting Walker St. and River Hills apartments from the Des Moines botanical center parking lot with Iowa State capitol in the background