Monthly Archives: October 2010

Group + Coupon = Groupon

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Have you been looking for an excuse to go out for dinner and drinks? I have the perfect excuse and it involved saving you money. (Could this get any better?) Groupon has finally hit Des Moines with a great local deal at Royal Mile located downtown at 210 4th Street.

What is Groupon? Via the Groupon website: “Groupon negotiates huge discounts on popular local goods, services and cultural events. Then we offer the deals to thousands of subscribers in a free daily email. The deals are activated only when a minimum number of people agree to buy. So our subscribers get a great deal and the business gets a ton of new customers. Win-win.”

Here’s how it works: Visit Groupon’s website which features the local deal, read all about it and purchase the deal. After you purchase your deal and it goes through (enough people also sign up for the deal), you’ll receive an email receipt confirming that your card has been charged. This receipt will tell you how to print your Groupon and your Groupon will let you know how to redeem it. If not enough people sign up for the deal (in Groupon lingo – if the deal “doesn’t tip”), then your card isn’t charged and nobody gets the deal. But then again, you have nothing to lose!

Today’s Daily Deal: Get $25 worth of food and beverage at Royal Mile for only $10 – that’s a 60% discount! Here’s the catch: you can only sign up for the deal today. You have until midnight tonight to secure the deal. Make sure you get it while you still can!

The low-lit atmosphere, wooden tables and chairs and décor makes Royal Mile an enjoyable place to relax with friends. It offers traditional and non-traditional British-style pub food, over 120 bottled beers and has 28 draft selections.

Groupon is a great way to get out in Des Moines and experience local bars, restaurants, ect. without paying full price. Before 8:00 a.m. 100 people had bought the deal and currently over 625 people have bought the deal. Make sure that you check today’s Des Moines deal on Groupon and at the very least, sign-up to receive a free e-mail with the upcoming Daily Deals in Des Moines.

Upcoming events in Des Moines – October 18-24

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 Looking for something to do this week? Check out these upcoming (October 18 – 24) events around Des Moines:

Monday, October 18 – Mike Posner Concert at the Val Air Ballroom at 8:00 p.m. : Do you love Mike Posner’s hit song, “Cooler than me?” It’s your turn to hear it live at his concert in Des Moines at the Val Air Ballroom. Tickets are $25, the doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the concert starts at 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 19 – Team Trivia at the Des Moines Social Club starting at 8:00 p.m.: Test your trivia smarts by getting a team of 2-6 players together, thinking of a clever team name and heading to the Des Moines Social Club for Team Trivia. Make sure you bring a few dollars for drinks or popcorn. The Des Moines Social Club’s sangria is the best in Des Moines!

Wednesday, October 20 –  Straight No Chaser at Hoyt Sherman Place at 7:30 p.m. : Looking for something to brighten up your mid-week blues? Straight No Chaser, a male a cappella group with pop influences and a great sense of humor, is in Des Moines this week. This musical act will be performing at the beautiful Hoyt Sherman Place. Purchase your ticket today for $34.50, through TicketMaster, for the entertaining show!

Thursday, October 21 – YPC’s Non-profit Forum at People’s from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. : Looking for a great way to give back in the Des Moines area? This event will feature great non-profits from around the Des Moines area, including information on how to get involved. Come and go as needed and you need not be a member of Young Professionals Connection (YPC) to attend.

Friday, October 22 – Linn’s Supermarket Haunted House from 7:00 p.m. to Midnight: Halloween is just around the corner and that means that it’s haunted house season. Stop by the haunted house at Linn’s Supermarket, which has been around for 26 years, for a haunted house that takes about 25 minutes and is full of frightening fun. Cost: $10 per person.

Saturday, October 23 – Mystery and Mayhem from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. : Salisbury House and Gardens and the Des Moines Social Club have joined forces for this mysterious event – Mystery and Mayhem. The event begins and ends at the Des Moines Social Club with a shuttle to Salisbury House and Gardens for a spooky scavenger hunt using your cell phone camera. Grab a team of 6 or come as an individual for $20 per person or $100 per team in advance or $25 per person or $125 per team (up to 6 people) the day of.

Sunday, October 24 – “Da Vinci – The Genius” at the Science Center of Iowa: Head to the Science Center of Iowa for this 14,000-square foot, internationally renowned exhibition, which is all about Leonardo da Vinci. The “Genius Package,” which includes admission to the Science Center and a timed ticket to the exhibit is $17.75 for adults ($2 dollars off this price for seniors) and $12 for children ages 2-12. Give yourself at least 2 hours for the exhibit and audio tours are available for $3. Sunday Hours: Noon t0 5:30 p.m.

Iron Heart Tattoo: Creating art on a different kind of canvas

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What’s the first thing you think of when someone mentions the Des Moines art scene? Does your mind wander straight to the Des Moines Art Center? Or maybe it goes to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park? For me, I have a new way of looking at art and it’s all thanks to Josh Bowers at Iron Heart, a local tattoo shop located in Beaverdale.

When I first realized that I wanted to get a tattoo, I didn’t have much direction. After a lot of Google and soul searching, I finally landed on what I wanted to get – a brightly colored peacock.

Why a peacock you might ask? From an artistic perspective, I love the shape and the lines of the peacock. The colors and complexity of the feathers really drew me in, but what spoke to me even more is what the peacock symbolizes. One definition I found states, “Peacocks are a symbol of beauty reminding us to take pleasure in the finer things in life. The peacock is pure of heart, loyal and faithful to their partners.” To me the peacock symbolizes growth, change and strength, which is exactly what I wanted my tattoo to portray.

As I started asking around for recommendations for a local tattoo artist on Twitter and Facebook, Josh Bowers at Iron Heart constantly came up in discussion. I took a look at Josh’s work and stopped into Iron Heart to have him take a look at a few designs that I was considering. We discussed what I was thinking/wanting and within minutes he drew up a beautiful sketch. Needless-to-say, I made my appointment that day. I knew that Josh was going to do a great job, especially when I found out that I’d have to wait over a month just to get an appointment with him.

Yesterday was the big day, and as I entered the shop again, I couldn’t help but notice how clean and modern the shop is. The folk music that the artists were listening to seemed to ooze out of the speakers creating a calming effect. While I was still nervous, I couldn’t wait to get my tattoo. I was lucky enough to have a few friends stop in throughout the process (thanks to Emilee Richardson for taking some awesome photos – like the one pictured to the right) to keep my mind off of the process. I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t hurt, especially on the ribs, but two hours later when Josh had finished, I could believe the piece of art that he’d created for me. I looked in the mirror and couldn’t stop staring at the excellent job that he’d done.

Josh has been tattooing for seven years and has done many different, unique tattoos over the years. The reason why I like Josh’s work is because he worked with my ideas and body shape to create a unique piece that really compliments my body and style. On top of that, his shading and color work is phenomenal, and he has a really relaxed, yet humorous, personality.

While I think that I will forever be humming Katy Perry’s song, “Peacock,” I’m 100% impressed with Josh’s artwork and the overall experience that I had at Iron Heart. This process has really given me a new respect for tattoo artists, a new perspective on “art” and I now recognize the artistic ability needed to master the craft of being a tattoo artist.

What art inspires you?

Man vs. Food takes on Des Moines

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It’s crazy how things happen when you are the right place at the right time. A few months ago after the Young Professionals Connection marketing committee meeting, a few of the committee’s members, myself included, decided to go to Jethro’s BBQ near Drake University to grab a bite to eat. As we pulled up to the restaurant we could tell that something was going on that night…and as we looked closer we found the answer.

We had accidentally run into the taping of the Des Moines episode of Man v. Food! While we were unable to get into the restaurant that night, I was really excited to see that Des Moines was finally getting recognized as a great place for good eats.

As Chris Juhl, Social Media Specialist with Jethro’s BBQ explains, “We are very proud to be a part of such a successful show, that has decided to highlight our hometown and all that it has to offer. This is a great opportunity for us and we hope the rest of the area gets a bump from the recognition Man v. Food can offer the city.”

The Des Moines episode of Man v. Food will air this Wednesday on the Travel Channel at 8:00 p.m. To celebrate this event, in Des Moines, the High Life Lounge is offering an order of free bacon wrapped tator tots from 7-9 p.m to you and your friends and Jethro’s BBQ will have their regular Mug Club night, and they are reserving tables for parties of eight or less, but one person in the party has to attempt the Emmenecker Challenge.

Man v. Food’s host, Adam Richman, is a major foodie with a serious appetite who travels around the United States taking on the biggest and best food challenges. So you may be asking yourself – what foods and establishments brought Richman to the heart of Iowa? Here they are:

The High Life Lounge – Adam enjoyed real mid-west comfort food at the High Life Lounge, where he indulged in juicy broasted chicken and bacon wrapped tater tots topped with cheese.

Black Market Pizza (in Ames) – Adam experienced the Reuben pizza, a favorite sandwich turned into pizza. This pizza is sweet potato-crusted and topped with sliced corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese, a secret ingredient, and sauerkraut.

Jethro’s BBQ – Adam took on the Adam Emmenecker Challenge. This challenge is named after local sports hero, Adam Emmenecker, and weighs five pounds! The challenge consists of a deep fried pork tenderloin, two buffalo chicken tenders, a cheeseburger, bacon, brisket, two fried cheddar cheese cubes, and is smothered in white cheddar sauce. Adam will have only 15 minutes to take on the challenge, and only two who’ve attempted in the past have succeeded. Which Adam – Emmenecker or Richman – will win this challenge?

Make sure you watch the episode (I’ve had it set to record on my DVR for a week) and support Des Moines! If you want to be active in the conversation on FB or on Twitter – make sure you post pictures or send tweets during the show: @MmmJethros, @JethrosBBQDrake, @JethrosJakes, and @ManVFood, High Life Lounge,  @JethrosBBQDrake and Man vs Food.

Also, check out this awesome slide show of photos from when Adam visited Des Moines!