film ain't dead. des moines ain't boring.

Did you hear? I wrote a guide to Des Moines over on Design*Sponge (which you can read by clicking here.) It was super hard to narrow down all the places I thought were worth visiting, but I ended up putting together a list I feel proud to share. After the jump are a few pictures that didn't make it onto the guide, but that I thought were too good not to show. 

All pictures by the mega-talented Elizabeth Brown. (p.s. they're all film!) 

Film seems to really compliment the aesthetics of Eden, don't you think? While we were wandering around the East Village, Liz mentioned how many of the places we were visiting had a nice continuity between them. I'd have to agree with her. Love those East Village vibes.

It doesn't hurt that the Village is probably Des Moines' most photogenic area. Routinely I see local photographers taking engagement pictures down there. The only place I've seen more photo shoots is at that dude made of letters down at the sculpture garden...

It was so windy on the day we took pictures! In fact, right as we walked into Mars, a gust of wind blew a bunch of photographs off the wall and, yeah, that was fun. #awkward 

We timed our visit well because it was the perfect time of day to take pictures of yours truly sitting at the counter, texting, drinking coffee, and trying to appear cool and serious. Please add Mars Coffee Bar to the list of places that's perfect for pictures on a sunny day BECAUSE ALMOST EVERYTHING IS WHITE. #minimal 

Obviously, we stopped at Domestica because it's more than just a store. Honestly, I pop in here all the time because Chrissy's hospitality makes this place feel like a natural stopping point when you're exploring on Grand Avenue. I always bump into people here and/or meet new friends. Chrissy is a master connector/friend-maker. She also has some of the best artwork for sale in the City and it's almost all by local artists. #winning

I keep eyeing this one poster by Karla Conrad, but can't decide if it'd fit within my apartment's color scheme. But does that sort of thing even matter when the art is speaking to your soul?!?!

We started to run out of time, so we stopped at the Des Moines Art Center for, literally, eleven minutes. We were in and out so fast that I think the front desk was worried we'd broken something.  Even though we were rushed, the pictures are still glorious. Why is film so cool?

You can see the other places we stopped at over on Design*Sponge. Do you think I missed something that should've been on the list? Leave a comment over on the site and below this post you're on now. If you liked the guide - please share it with others. I'd appreciate it!