Sioux City, IA

Sioux City sits on the border of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. We parked Dyna at the city park in South Sioux City, Nebraska, which was across the river from the actual Sioux City, Iowa.

The city park where we parked, Scenic Park Campground, was highly parkable. We picked a riverfront site with water and electric. We decided a view of the river was more important than being able to dump our nasty water tanks.

The view of the river was great, until the view was hijacked by a person climbing a crane across the river, and having to be talked down by a full squad of law enforcement. It was terrible to watch someone’s worst day play out in our front window. The person eventually climbed down safely (not without some scares) – and hopefully is surrounded by the help he likely could benefit from. But, he didn’t make it down quickly enough to evade some shouting from a group of men on our side of the river, egging the person atop the crane to ‘jump’. What the fucking fuck?

Sometimes I forget that horrible people exist. And then I am reminded and I feel so freaking blind-sided and sad. Jake and I left notes reminding these men that the person atop that crane was, in fact, a person, and that life isn’t a reality TV show. Kindness and empathy. Please dear lord people – just practice it.

And this story kind of sums up how we felt about our few days in Sioux City. We found it to be a kind of depressing place.

We walked over the bridge to town for coffee and donuts. The staff at the shop were miserable and the coffee tasted slightly of butt. We popped into a Thai restaurant and found unenthusiastic employees plopping drab plates of Thai-ish food in front of us.

I was stoked to find out that there was a Jolly Time Popcorn corporate store/museum… until we went to said store/museum. It was a single room of a few flavors of bagged popcorn with a couple of signs telling about how Jolly Time started.

Even the chocolate store was of the shittiest chocolate variety: Palmer’s. Everyone knows that Palmer’s is the candy that you eat last when you find it in your Easter basket because it kind of tastes like lard.

The running/biking trails in town were okay. And they were dotted by the occasional cute mural or artwork.

Otherwise, the highlight of our stay in Sioux City was the fact that we got to cross state borders everyday. Which is a pretty lame highlight due to the rather arbitrary nature of a state border.

We celebrated Easter in Sioux City, our day starting with a run and mimosas, filled in with napping, Peep eating, and enjoying the sunshine, and ending with the ‘crane incident’.

We don’t plan to celebrate any future Easter in Sioux City – nor do we feel particularly drawn to return to the city. But if you have a reason we should, do let us know.

2 comments on Sioux City, IA

  • Tom and Patty

    We have stayed in the same location when Patty was traveling with me on business. I know how you feel. Right down to the PALMER’S chocolate that we made sure NOT to buy when we were getting chocolate Santa’s for the grandsons stockings this year!!!

    • Liz (author)

      I am so glad to hear I wasn’t just being being ‘uppity’ or overly ‘picky’. Or at least if I was being those things – I wasn’t the lone person feeling/thinking those things! 🙂

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