Not for all the Parking Spaces in the World

I am one of those lucky few who with a "reverse-commute." I live in the heart of the city, but I work in the suburbs. The rush-15 minutes is in the opposite direction. In theory, I understand why people move out to the hinter lands of Ankeny and Waukee: new-development housing, plenty of parking, and all the big-box stores a shopper could hope for.

In practice, though, I just don't see the appeal. Who wants to buy their groceries in the same place they buy underwear or tires? It's nice to find a parking spot, but really, when a store is tens of thousands of square feet, are you really saving any walking, or time, or energy?

But, answering those types of questions, at least for myself, is what this crazy-adventure-every-day quest is all about. So, before I headed home during reverse rush-hour, I availed myself of the shopping experience that is East 14th Street, whoops, I mean Ankeny Boulevard.

First stop. Super Target. Well, Super is right. They've got it all. Glasses. Portraits. Hardware. Bath Products. Clothes. Coffee. Movies. Toys. Stationary. Everything. It was like a small town crammed into one warehouse-style building. Wait. Glasses. Portraits. Hardware. Clothes. Coffee. Movies. Stationary. That sounds like my neighborhood. There are shops for all of those items and more in Beaverdale, but the dedicated shopper would have to depart one building and re-enter another. The horror.

Second stop. Tuesday Morning. When I lived in New Orleans, and had television at my house, I remember seeing commercials for Tuesday Morning. They featured a batty old rich lady and her driver, who were simply mad for the deals at Tuesday Morning. Well, I love me some deals too, but I was surprised to find Tuesday Morning both dumpy and spendy. Billy, my darling companion, described it as the Big Lots of department stores. Yikes. Imagine some old gal, sifting through piles of do-dads and Nittney Lions to find the cheapest possible goblet. No thanks.

Sure, everyone needs a Target every once in a while, and it is nice to have the new-house smell, and I am sure a lot of soul searching happens during those slow fifteen minutes of backed-up traffic on I-235, but, for me, I'm going to do my best to shop locally, street-parking and all.