If you have not yet decided on a Halloween costume, you might want to hurry up. You can’t wear that Elvis costume every year. In this issue of CITYVIEW, we do our best to help you capture some of that Halloween spirit that you may not have had since
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Posted October 01, 2025in Art News
Change is running amok in the art world. Galleries have reigned as supreme discoverers and arbiters of new and great things since the 19th century. Now, that seems to be changing, at least in cities where street traffic is influenced by crime problems. LA Louver, one of Los Angeles’ most
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Posted October 01, 2025in Belly Up To...
Walking into the 85 Bar West, patrons are greeted with Chicago Bears memorabilia. Signs, team rosters, posters, pictures and pendants line nearly every inch of the bar. Located at 432 E. Hickman Road in Waukee, 85 Bar West opened up in the fall of 2024. Its sister location in the
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Posted October 01, 2025in Guest Commentary
Ned Chiodo could be grouchy and grumpy. He could be quarrelsome and argumentative. And, on bad days, he could be irritable and irascible. And, always, he was stubborn. And he was a really good guy. He was a good guy because he cared about the city and the county and
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Posted October 01, 2025in Walks of Life
Live in a home for a while, and one is likely to start thinking, “If only….” If only the bathroom had a walk-in shower…. If only the kitchen had new cabinets.… If only the old flooring could be replaced.… If only the basement was finished…. If only a room could
Read More →‘King Sorrow’ This is a big book — an epic doorstopper with multiple narrators, a winding timeline, and a torrent of emotion that’s rarely uplifting. In other words, it is not for the faint-hearted. And, yet, if you’re brave enough to crack it open, you will find a mesmerizing tale
Read More →What is the USPS’s reason for removing mailboxes outside post offices? The reader who wrote in with this question stated that the mailbox outside of the West Suburban branch on N.W. 108th Street in Clive was removed to fix a broken lock, but the post office later stated that the
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Posted October 01, 2025in Sound Circuit
A reality cooking show, a podcast, live concerts and a new musical are all part of Johnnyswim’s multidimensional talents, and the duo is attracting fans from all walks of life. They are set to perform a concert at Hoyt Sherman Place on Oct. 6. Johnnyswim consists of Abner Ramirez and
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Posted October 01, 2025in Feature 1
Since 1938, trick or treating in Des Moines has taken place on Oct. 30, commonly called “Beggars Night,” in hopes to deter bad behavior from taking place on Halloween night. Never in my lifetime did I think I would see the return of trick-or-treating on Halloween night. I am not
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Ode to The Ritual Café, Downtown Des Moines
Bohemian waystation for 20 years — peace symbols, feminist aura, their decidedly granola menu. Smoothies and bars, quiches and cookies, oolong tea and Mayan mochas. Open-air ambience when its oversized, street-facing doors were raised on high. Incense and black candles. Protest posters, upping awareness, on every wall. Gold velveteen sofa
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