Main Street, America

Back to James Kunstler...

He suggests that we should attempt to revive the idea of Main Street in our cities; shops and restaurants on ground floors, easily accessible from the sidewalk. This idea reminds of this great little street south of downtown Des Moines called Valley Junction. Lining the street are jewelry shops and clothing boutiques and art galleries. There are 50s-era soda shoppes and pizza joints and bakeries. This was my secret retreat the four years I spent at college in Des Moines. I don't remember the first time I went there, but I do know that once I found it, I wanted to drag everybody I knew there, too. Tavern Pizza boasted a to-die-for seven-cheese pizza and Nan's Nummies baked the yummiest (according to my mom) almond cookies on the planet. Cookies that I would have to ship home to my mother after she tried them for the first time and couldn't kick the craving. Cookies that I had to beg friends to send to my mother after I graduated and moved away from Iowa.

In this tiny little section of the capital city, I felt like I had traveled back 50 years in time to the era when girls wore poodle skirts and guys wore letter sweaters. People were always in a great mood there, especially the owner of Fifth Street Fountain, who served every Coke float with a smile. Children sauntered delightedly out of the candy stores, licking their lollipops and skipping over the cracks in the sidewalks. If every town boasted a "Main Street" atmosphere like this, I would happily support Kunstler's endeavor to create such an environment.