Back From Des Moines

Well, I'm back from Des Moines (pronounced "dez mwoy nez" for those that don't know); had a good trip. The first night, had a huge meal at the Cheesecake Factory, and oddly enough, did not have any cheesecake (they had one of the biggest menus I've ever seen; in quantity of items, not actual size of the menu). While there, we saw Andrew Dan-Jumbo, the carpenter from TLC's While You Were Out, who was in town for some home improvement convention.

The next day we visited the previously mentioned World Food Fair, where I proceeded to eat too much. At the fair, I enjoyed some egg rolls from Pho Ha Dao (Vietnamese), pad thai and spring rolls from Thai Basil (Thai), and a gyro from Yanni's Grill (uh, Greek-ish, I guess). I also had part of a rangoon from my sister; not sure where she got it. While we were there, we also stayed to watch an interesting capoeira demonstration, and saw part of a Mexican guitar performance.

After that, visited the Science Center of Iowa, which I mentioned before as well. It was very good; I think it would be a great stop if you are in the area, and especially if you have kids. We watched the IMAX film Mysteries of the Nile, which was a great experience in that huge IMAX Dome theater.

And, by the way, if you're still reading, that was not the correct pronunciation of "Des Moines".