.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Forget the caucuses. The real winner this winter is Des Moines. The votes are in, and one Adam Nagourney now ranks as the city’s all-time most popular New York Times reporter.

We know, it’s pitiful the way we crave affirmation from the coasts. Pitiful, but unavoidable. So when the Times’ chief political correspondent wrote a flattering profile of downtown Des Moines in the paper’s Travel section that was headlined “In the spotlight, ready for its close-up,” for civic leaders it was like winning an Oscar or finding a Maserati in the driveway on Christmas morning – or maybe it was just like feeling the way the leaders in Chicago or Minneapolis feel every day.

“I’m not sure I would go so far as to say that Des Moines has become a vacation destination. But it has most certainly become cool,” Nagourney wrote. We’ll take that.

“Vacation spot” is down a ways on our wish list, below “more new companies,” “more major events” and “more articles like Nagourney’s.”

He rhapsodized about downtown only, but that’s how our fellow “cool” cities are generally evaluated. Central Iowans need to care a lot about our residential neighborhoods and our unglamorous business districts. Visitors never will.

Typical of many travelers, Nagourney judged us largely on the basis of restaurants and general appearance. We’re still feeding on low expectations; people with a dismissive opinion of Des Moines are surprised to find something here besides hamburgers and fried eggs.

The next step, of course, is to make sure everyone who’s anyone sees that Times article. Anyone who’s looking for a new job, a place to go to college, a place to raise a family, a city that’s engaging and interesting but doesn’t beat you down to the ground.

Another step would be to make sure another group of people learns to appreciate downtown – the thousands of Iowans who live nearby but still think of downtown as a place to avoid.

Hey, if we’re good enough to impress a Times reporter …