Reporting Live from the East Village

I spent this weekend wandering around the East Village. I stopped into a musty vintage T-Shirt shop and dug through the racks while the long-haired owner chatted with his buddies behind the counter. In a dimly lit record shop, I flipped through the tattered covers of old LPs. Under the glass next to the cash register I spotted a Slipknot CD imported from the UK with three brand-new bonus tracks. Score! By the end of the afternoon, my feet ached as I walked the worn sidewalks back to my historic hotel.

I can't believe I'd be spontaneous enough to take an impromptu trip to Manhattans. If I ever make it there still remains to be seen. Right now I'm in the East Village neighborhood of downtown Des Moines, IA. Nope, not exactly as bustling as Manhattan. Last night I tried to stop by the Oyster bar for a fishy snack. I was too late. They close at 10 PM. Whoops. I had to head back to the hotel.

Luckily, the hotel has a genuine speakeasy in the lobby featuring snacks. Monihan's Speakeasy is named for the infamous Patrick J. Monihan, a Prohibition-era booze smuggler who had a secret club on the third floor of the hotel featuring whiskey, gambling and live jazz.* Hotel guests have reported hearing jazz music on the third floor. Rumor has it Monihan never left the hotel. I tried to picture him hovering around the speakeasy as I munched on snack mix and veggie quesadillas last night. I don't think he would have liked the modern soundtrack on the loud speakers. I'll bet he spends most of his time these days in the hotel lobby, where they play jazz over the speakers. Fueled by snacks, I played a game of pool and scratched on the five ball. Then it was time to hit the sack. A big night out on the town in the East Village.

Today I'll be heading back to the Twin Cities, my trip to the East Village merely a distant memory. At least I have my Slipknot CD to listen to in the car. I would have never, ever found such an awesome CD in the real East Village. Since Des Moines is the birthplace of Slipknot, I can't imagine a better souvenir.

* The snapshot in the upper left is a photo of Patrick Monihan boozing it up.