Awesome my trip! [Sioux City Edition]

April 4, 2012 8:25 AM

In Sioux City, IA, this weekend. What to do and where should I stay? AirBnB fails--Yelp is anemic--the center does not hold. I like weird bnb's, actual humans, small towns, couch surfs, glbt stuff, sci-fi. Enjoy rural life just fine :) Happy to spend money. (Me: 30s, male, if it matters!)
posted by gregglind to Travel & Transportation around Sioux City, IA (8 answers total)

Response by poster: Not to threadsit, but this seems inauspicious: Sioux City Will Smell Better in one Month.
posted by gregglind at 8:28 AM on April 4, 2012

I wish you luck in your travels, and I am sure Sioux City has its proponents, but please do not let this city sour you on the state of Iowa if it has its failures. I assure you, it is not typical of much of the state.
posted by mikeh at 9:30 AM on April 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: mikeh,

I lived in Grinnell :) I love Iowa, no worries there!
posted by gregglind at 9:31 AM on April 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

I asked a couple of friends who work in Sioux City, and here's their response:

"Hm. There is the "English Mansion B&B" - phone is 712-277-1386 but don't know about quality. Otherwise, not much here. But the Pierce Street Coffee Works a few blocks away from that B&B is nice. For sci-fi, hard to beat Trinity Heights park."
posted by MsMolly at 10:03 AM on April 4, 2012

I would stop at Tastee Inn & Out for loosemeat sandwiches and onion chips for sure.
posted by superduperfly at 10:13 AM on April 4, 2012

I haven't been out there since the mid-'90s, when a relative worked at Gateway, but I remember the Tastee Inn & Out, the WinnaVegas Casino (run by the Winnebago tribe) a short drive away, and the Flight 232 Memorial (commemorating the '89 plane crash & rescue efforts) near the river. If you're from an area with a lot of light pollution, the night sky is breathtaking just outside of town. Such a treat to see the Milky Way if you're not used to it! My only negative recollection is that I couldn't drink the water at all. Not even coffee or ice in the soft drinks at the restaurants. I've traveled quite a bit and am usually not too sensitive, but it honestly tasted like a mixture of sulphur and fertilizer runoff to me.
posted by gimli at 11:24 AM on April 4, 2012

Do you have to stay in Sioux City? What about renting a rustic cabin in the beautiful and lovely Ponca State Park? In fact, here is a photo gallery. Ponca is very scenic -- you can see three states at once from atop the river bluffs. It's quiet and absolutely beautiful. And it's close to Sioux City!
posted by Ostara at 12:22 PM on April 4, 2012

Response by poster: I ended up enjoying a good donuts at a coffee shop.
posted by gregglind at 3:09 PM on May 4, 2012