Iowa City

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Iowa City is a city of just over 60,000 people in eastern Iowa. It is primarily known as the home of the University of Iowa.

[edit] Understand

Iowa City was the first capital of the state of Iowa, before the capital was moved westward to Des Moines. The city is primarily a college town; the University of Iowa and its associated teaching hospital are among the primary employers in the area. Some manufacturing and a small but growing amount of university/commercial joint ventures also contribute to the economy.

The University of Iowa has an enrollment of approximately 30,000 students. When school is in session, Iowa City is a community of some 90,000 people, 1/3 of which are college students. As such, the university has a strong impact on the culture of Iowa City. College football and basketball games regularly draw large numbers of fans, resulting in a festive atmosphere on game days. In terms of the arts, the university both attracts major performing artists and nurtures developing artists. The Iowa Writer's Workshop (part of the university) is regarded as the premier writing workshop in the country. Perhaps because of the university, Iowa City is significantly more liberal, more international and more ethnically diverse than most of the state.

[edit] Newspapers

• Iowa City Press-Citizen [1] is Iowa City's biggest daily newspaper.
• Daily Iowan [2] is the University of Iowa's daily newspaper.

[edit] Tourist information

Iowa City/Coralville's visitor information center offers maps, brochures and other information for tourists.

• Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau [3]
  • Main office: 900 First Avenue, Coralville - Open M-F 8AM-5PM, +1 319 337-6592 or 800-283-6592
  • Coral Ridge Mall office: 1451 Coral Ridge Avenue, Coralville - M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM–6PM, +1 319 625-3112 or 800-283-6592

[edit] Get in

[edit] By car

Iowa City can be reached by Interstate 80 from Chicago to the east and Des Moines to the west. Other popular roads include I-380, which has travelers from the north near Waterloo.

[edit] By plane

The nearest commercial airport (CID), the Eastern Iowa Airport, is in Cedar Rapids, about 20 miles to the north on I-380. A taxi to Iowa City may cost $45; a shuttle $15. Sometimes lower-cost flights are available into Moline (MLI) or Des Moines (DSM).

[edit] Get around

[edit] By bus

Walking is the easiest way to get around downtown Iowa City; the university is right in the middle of downtown. For greater distances, Iowa City has an extensive bus system ($0.75/ride). The University's Cambus system covers most of the campus buildings and is free and open to the public.

[edit] See

• University of Iowa Museum of Art, 150 N. Riverside Drive, +1 319 335-1727 [4] - Open W, Sa, Su noon-5PM, Th-F noon-9 PM. Closed M-Tu. Some European paintings, large collection of African art, changing exhibitions. Gift shop, coffee bar. Free admission.

• University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, Inside MacBride Hall at the corner of Jefferson and Clinton Streets, +1 319 335-0480 [5] - Open Su 1-5PM, Tu-F 10AM-PM, Sa 10AM-5PM. Displays of Iowa's geology and ecology, as well as Native American culture. Features a reconstruction of a giant Ice Age sloth and a large collection of birds. Gift shop. Free admission.

[edit] Do

Spend time walking around the pedestrian mall (ped mall) in downtown Iowa City.

Only minutes to the north, Lake MacBride and Coralville Lake offer camping, hiking, and boating.

[edit] Events & Festivals

• Friday Night Concert Series [6] - A different local group performs each Friday night from mid-May to early September at the ped mall. Music from 6:30-9:30PM. Free.
• Saturday Night Free Movie Series [7] - Free, family-friendly movies are projected on the wall at the Pentacrest on the corner of Jefferson and Clinton Streets. Movies shown each Saturday at 7:30PM from mid-May through early September.

[edit] Buy

• Prairie Lights Book Store, 15 South Dubuque Street, +1 319 337-2681 [8]. This large bookstore in downtown Iowa City frequently appears on "Top 10 Bookstores in the U.S." lists. It features regular readings by nationally and internationally known authors.

• Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, a small city on the western edge of Iowa City on the south side of I-80. It is anchored by JCPenney, Younkers, Dillard's, Target, Sears, and Best Buy and also features an ice arena and the Iowa Children's Museum.

[edit] Eat

• Confusions Cafe, 2431 Coral Court #3 in Coralville, +1 319 545-7386. The place to go to get a taste of anything you've been craving.

• The Hamburg Inn No. 2, 214 North Linn Street, +1 319 337-5512 [9]. Open daily 6AM-11PM. Hamburgers, soups, a large selection of omelettes and more. An Iowa City institution.

• Linn Street Cafe, 121 North Linn Street, +1 319 337-7370. Fine Dining.

• Lou Henri, 630 Iowa Avenue, +1 319 351-3637. Open only for breakfast and lunch. (The best breakfast in town! Great music.)

• Masala, 9 South Dubuque Street, +1 319 338-6199. Open daily from 11:15AM-2:30PM and 5-9:30OM. East Indian vegetarian food. This place is leagues above the other Indian restaurant in town, despite their fully vegetarian menu. A delight!

• The Motley Cow Cafe, 327 E. Market Street, +1 319 688-9177. Wonderful. Must try.

• Pagliai's Pizza, 302 East Bloomington Street, +1 319 351-5073. Open M-Sa 4PM-midnight, Su 4PM-11PM. Pizza from family recipes. Best pizza in town. Thin-crust style.

• Whitey's Ice Cream, 112 East Washington Street, +1 319 354-1200 [10]. This regional chain has been making ice cream since 1933. Famously thick milk shakes.

• Z'Mariks Noodle Cafe, 19 South Dubuque Street, +1 319 338-5500. Asian, Greek and Italian noodle dishes. This is a local favorite. A must-try.

[edit] Drink

Because of the university, downtown Iowa City is usually very busy on weekend nights. There is a bar for everyone, including bars that are more off the beaten track.

• The Airliner, 22 S. Clinton Street, +1 319 351-9259. The Airliner is an Iowa City staple; it's been around for decades. It's known for incredible pizza ($1/slice on Sundays) and cheap drinks.

• Joe's Place, 115 Iowa Ave, +1 319 338-6717. Joe's is a bar that, though downtown, generally caters to an older crowd. Fairly laid-back atmosphere.

• Q Bar. Is a good place to play pool and get cheap beer. Draws a fairly diverse crowd and has great music with frequent shows upstairs.

• Brothers Bar & Grill, 125 S. Dubuque Street, +1 319 338-6373. Due to the large cover for underagers, Brothers also caters to an older crowd. There's a dance floor and it's pretty upbeat.

• Atlas World Grill. Is a pretty classy place, though the drinks are a bit more expensive. Great wine and cuisine.

• Hanrahan's. Good townie bar.

• The Vine, 330 E. Prentiss Street, +1 319 354-8767. The Vine is a good place to get wings and drink beer on a game day.

• Sports Column. Caters mostly to college-age folk with a variety of cheap drinks. Great place to watch football and basketball games. It gets pretty chaotic on the weekends, but if that's your thing, it's great.

• Studio 13, 13 S. Linn Street Studio 13 is Iowa City's only gay bar and dance club. DJs most nights of the week, plus fun drag shows, karaoke, theme parties & contests. Mixed gay, lesbian and straight crowd of mainly college students (19+).

[edit] Sleep

• Hotelvetro And Conference Center. 201 South Linn St. 800-592-0355. Downtown on the historic pedestrian plaza.

• Sheraton Iowa City Hotel. 210 S Dubuque St. +1 319 337-4058. Located 3 blocks East of the University of Iowa Campus in downtown Iowa City.

[edit] Stay Healthy

• University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics has a Level 1 Trauma Center as well as urgent care at the Emergency Treatment Center. The University of Iowa Hospital is a large teaching hospital, more than capable of handling any medical need. The Emergency entrance is located right off Grand Avenue. +1 319 356-2233. For non Emergencies and Urgent Care, contact the University of Iowa Family Care Center at +1 319 384-8442.

[edit] Get out