VIEWS OF A FARM BOY

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JUNE--2025

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (ESV) (Hebrews 10: 23)                           

INGERSOLL

Left: We are starting today's journey at 2300 block of Ingersoll where we are looking east toward beautiful downtown Des Moines.        Right: Then a short walk to historic Noah's Ark Ristorante at 2400 Ingersoll. When we were first married we ate there every Friday night. We still appreciate how the hostess greeted us by name and escorted us to our favorite table by the fireplace. We still remember our waiter telling us, "The rolls are hot and the butter is cold." He was always right--those delicious clover leaf rolls were always pleasantly hot and the butter was always hard as a rock cold.) Then as the kids were growing up we got busy with family things and didn't go out much. However, we returned a few weeks ago for the same good food and same great service. And guess what? You've got it--"The rolls were hot and the butter was cold!"

Today I am taking you on a short tour of the legendary Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines, Iowa. This first stop is a favorite of mine. This massive mural, is located on the east wall of the C3 Center at 1919 Ingersoll Ave. It was painted by local artist ASPHATE and Service Elementary Crew in 2023. Study this mural--there are a lot of human interest stories here--local, Iowa and worldwide. Of course, there should be--this is the "Monroe Colston Cornerstone Mural." Monroe Colston (1933-2011) was a local business leader and ciivil rights champion who went on to be the first ever president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. I am thankful for this great organization that can structure giving goals for immediate use or for generations to come.

Left: The Chain and Spoke is a unique coffee + bicycle shop located at 515 28th Street (one door south of Ingersoll.) I sat at a table up front and looked at the bike jerseys hanging from the ceiling, but none of mine was there. I gave them all away when I quit riding my bicycle a couple of years ago--at age 90. So you won't see my jerseys in the rafters, but hopefully you will see them on some young guy wearing them on the bike trail. Right: Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure is located at 2723 Ingersoll Ave. This local business was established more than 30 years go, but it has had recent recognition. A small business lending company called OnDeck recently rated Zanzibar's as the best independent coffee shop in Iowa. I had just had my morning coffee so I didn't go inside. So before I moved on, I took a pic of the coffee cup on the roof and put "Z's" on my to-do list.

Left: Many times for many years we have had lunch at Palmer's Deli  in Urbandale, just a short distance from our home. But one time during the summer months I like to venture down to Palmer's on Ingersoll. I sit at a table on the outdoors patio by the sidewalk where I enjoy the beautiful landscape and watch the cars and people go by. Right: Jesse's Embers at 3301Ingersoll was opened as a "supper club" style restaurant in 1962. I have never been there, but it was almost a "home away from home" for one of my long time friends. Charlie, like many of my friends, is gone now, but Jesse's is just moving into a new era. Jesse's Embers was just recently sold to a young local guy named Carter Annett. The restaurant business is very competitive now and we are thankful for young people, like Carter, who are willing to make the investment of time and money to keep our established local businesses going for years to come.

You probably think it doesn't look like much from the outside, but the Hanson's Manhattan Deli at 3705 Ingersoll was my fave stop for the day. It has been at this same location for 40 years--so that's a good sign. For lunch, I ordered a sandwich called the Manhattan. It came loaded with corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut and dill pickle. It was served with a Diet Coke and tons of memories--here's why. I had always wanted to go to New York City and our son, Trent, took me there two times (2008 and 2015.) We did it all, the statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, we saw the last night game at the old Yankee Stadium and much more. Yet this story has a key point! On each trip we had lunch at an NYC deli much like this. It had the big deli counter jam-packed with the same type of food, same good down to business service, and same ambience including NYC pics on the wall. I do not remember the deli name or address--but I do remember it was in Manhattan.

Left: The history of the Ingersoll Dinner Theatre goes way back to the 1930's. But I guess you could say the direction of the last ten years has been pretty much down. I'm not really a play person, but there is good news for those of you who like performing arts. It was announced in March of this year that construction would soon start to restore the interior of this historic building. Right: My longtime ear-nose-throat (ENT) doctor's office was located at 39th and Ingersoll. Things change! The simple medical building was demolished and replaced by this beautiful building that is home to a chef driven upscale restaurant called Oak Park. So what's the point of this story? I'm not big on changes--but things change! So if you have bad ears--look elsewhere. But if you like fancy food at a fancy price--you might want to give this place a try!

Left: If you think Des Moines people don't love their pets--you are probably barking up the wrong tree. Surely this dog park for Ingersoll Square residents is a dogs dream come true. When I was a farm boy in western Iowa our pet animals worked for their keep. Our cats caught mice and our dogs helped herd the cattle and provided protection for our property. They slept in the barn or under the porch. What's more, they didn't eat fancy store bought food out of a bag. We raised our own meat and vegetables so my mom cooked three big meals a day. That means leftovers--so our dogs and cats ate people food! Right (and below): For me, and I hope you, this has been a good way to spend a day. But, I want to close with a comment about the ongoing streetscape project on Ingersoll Ave. The street has been designed to be more user friendly for people, vehicles and bicycles. The sidewalks are very wide and the landscape projects are truly amazing. But what else would we expect--we live in Iowa.