A Newbie's Guide to Des Plaines

I've been working in Des Plaines for just over 17 months now, and writing this PlainTalk blog for about 15 months. Another one of my responsibilities at the Library is maintaining a page on our Web site about the Des Plaines community - which is difficult to do when you don't know every nook and cranny of a city.

To be sure, I've found a lot of things I love about this town. It's fun to work in what feels like a living, breathing city. I live in a very quiet "bedroom community," which is great for sleeping but not very energizing and inspiring for one's creative sense! I love that I can take a short walk and pick up a burrito at Mexico restaurant, or a dozen kolacky from Shop And Save to bring to Mom (the kolacky are almost as good as Mom's, without the need to knead, if you know what I mean!). I like that friends can take the train to come and visit me here, but I'm also so close to major expressways. (Granted, an "expressway" in Chicago is something of a misnomer - they're never moving too quickly!) I can drop those last-minute bills in the mail at the little post office on Lee Street, and try whenever I can to patronize other local businesses, like Walgreen's, Panera, Jewel, etc. I figure Des Plaines is working hard to employ me, so I ought to give back to the local economy.

From time to time, pretty darn cool things happen in Des Plaines. Yesterday, there was a good, old-fashioned circus parade, with elephants and horses taking a stroll through town on their way to the Allstate Arena in neighboring Rosemont. (My coworker Linda Knorr took in the parade and got some photos.) Did you see it? We've got a great 4th of July parade that people come from far and wide to enjoy. There are big events like Taste of Des Plaines and the New Year's Eve celebration, but also small, everyday treasures, like the train at The Choo Choo and the pretty drive past Lake Opeka on a sunny day.

So, can you help me add to our page of resources on the Des Plaines community? You can find the current page here. What else should be listed here? Should we create a community photo gallery? A list of "hidden gems?" A place to review local restaurants and businesses? What do you love most about DP? Tell me what would be most useful to you - use the "Comments" space here to make your suggestions. Thanks! Also, you can always send me your suggestions about the entire Library Web site. To do that: On the Library Web site, look for the "How Do I" pull-down menu in the top right-hand corner. Choose "Contact the Library" and find the link to mail the Web Services Librarian.