What a treat to see the NYC Ballet for the first time in ages – and the first time in Iowa. Apparently, this was the company’s first visit to Iowa City, so I’m guessing it’s the first visit to Iowa since Iowa City hosts the state’s best dance performances (although Des Moines is improving!). The company was superb, as always, and it was a particular treat to see Iowa City native Miriam Miller dance – including in a sensational, sensual duet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon (who choreographed The Joffrey’s new nutcracker, which we saw last year during our first visit to the new Hancher.) Speaking of which, the new Hancher is stunning — I like it better than the old one. It feels smaller, more intimate, more vertical than horizontal, more peaceful with calming colors (seafoam green, grey, tan wood) and plush upholstered seats. Having sat in the balcony and on the floor, close to the stage, I’m not sure there is a seat with a bad view. (Our floor seats were way off to the side but we saw the vast majority of the stage.).
Dinner was a Takanami– for sushi and tempura, which was a nice change from all the heavy food we ate in the Deep South. We couldn’t deal with more burgers, ribs or fried chicken. We were tempted to try the new (or new to us) Szechuan Chinese restaurant, Bashu, that opened where the Linn Street Cafe used to be but it looked a little too authentic for a before-theater/meal. Didn’t want to get an upset stomach. Locals seem to be loyal to Szechuan House.
Category Archives: Iowa City
NYC Ballet at Iowa City’s new Hancher
Wilson’s Orchard/Iowa Grown Market/Yotopia in Iowa City; bike trail and Heyn Ice Cream in North Liberty
Iowa Grown Market
Iowa Grown Market
I would not advise doing what we just did – riding the strenuous bike trail in North Liberty, near Iowa City – in 94 degree heat. But it was Sept. 23 and we were thinking “crisp fall day,” even after weather reports forecasting near-record heat.
The roadside trail had its pretty moments as we cycled south from Penn Meadows Park on Dubuque Street, past high dry corn and rolling, wooded properties near Coralville Lake. There wasn’t too much road traffic but when we turned right onto Oakdale Avenue, we were deep in new subdivision land – not my favorite scenery. We found much the same heading north on 12th Street back toward town. There were also some killer little roller coaster bits, all the more killer in the heat. So not sure we’ll be doing this trail again. My quest to find a great trail in the rural countryside near Iowa City continues….
Wilson’s Orchard
We did appreciate the cold AC and sorbet inside Heyn’s Ice Cream, locally-owned and made, inside a charming corner store with an old-fashioned counter, in North Liberty.
We also took a very pretty drive to get to North Liberty from Wilson’s Orchard (a pretty place just north of Iowa City off Highway One that was packed with sweaty families with sweaty kids trying to pick apples on a ridiculously hot fall day. Good cider, donuts and, of course, apples. on trees in orchards lining a deep valley with weeping willows). The drive included a section of RAGBRAI we rode a few years ago (very scenic but rolling, with lots of gentleman farms with white picket fences, perfect barns and big new houses that reminded me a bit of horse country outside Nashville).
Turning west off Highway One past a party barn, onto country road F8W/Newport Road, we stumbled upon a picture postcard perfect farm stand, Iowa Grown Market, (open June – October) where we could not resist buying some carrots, cherry tomatoes, a mottled pumpkin and a few other things we thought would survive sitting for hours in the heat in our car. (They did survive.)
Wilson’s Orchard (and sadly, the kids are looking at cellphones, not the view…)
In Iowa City, we had another very good lunch at the Bluebird Cafe (splitting the pulled pork sandwich, our favorite from last visit, and a good Greek salad) and stopped for frozen yogurt with “popping juice pearls” (kiwi/green; strawberry/red, passion fruit/yellow) at Yotopia (also locally-owned and made) before braving Kinnick Stadium to sit with thousands of other hot football fans (quite a few inebriated – this was a 6:30 p.m. game) watching the University of Iowa Hawkeyes lose (narrowly) to Penn State.
Filed under Agritourism, biking, Iowa City
Warren Dunes State Park, Infusco coffee, Sawyer produce — southwest Michigan
Nothing like a walk along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan to loosen up my aching back after a night on a 
too hard mattress at an Airbnb in Sawyer. And at the end of our walk on the near deserted shore, on a gorgeous unexpectedly warm fall morning, it was easy to feel optimistic about life.
Later, we had my dream picnic (smoked whitefish, raspberries and russet apples, all fresh fromMichigan) at a not quite perfect picnic spot– aa concrete picnic table at a rest stop along I-80, just over the border in Illinois.
We explored some more of the area around Sawyer, getting coffee at Infusco and produce at the local greenhouse including more raspberries and heirloom tomatoes. WE drove on a beautiful morning around Lakeside, spotting some fancy vacation homes off narrow dirt roads cut into the woods. new Buffalo didn’t make much of an impression but we liked the area around it and can see why it draws big city folk from Chicago (only an hour away).
Dinner was in Iowa City at Pullman, a newcomer that has been on our list for awhile for good reason, as it turned out. Delicious fried chicken and over-the-top “kitchen fries” with crispy fries, melts cheese, a mustard sauce and bits of what tasted like burnt ends from the best Kansas City rib joints. BAck to cottage cheese and carrots today in Des Moines.
New restaurants to try in Iowa City…
We are kind of stuck in our ways when it comes to dining in Iowa City but here are some places that may be worth trying accouting to “Bread & Butter: 2015 Dining Guide”:
- Leaf Kitchen (locally sourced food and freesh squeezed juice
- Nodo (fresh baskery items and Brew City fries, sandwich board
- Sushi Kitcchin
- Oyama – Japanese, chirashi suschi
- Clinton Street Social Club – pork belly
- Donnelly’s
- El Banditos – beef barbacoa taco, brunch
Ragbrai 2015 – greatest hits….
I rode the last three days (210 miles plus) this year – but my husband and son rode the whole week (500 miles plus) from Sioux City to Davenport (actually Moline, Illinois, where the Team Skunk bus was parked). Here’s the stuff I (and they) liked the best.
Most charming little overnight town: Eldora – beautiful courthouse and square; Storm Lake close runner up.
Best meal: pulled pork sandwiches at the Masonic Lodge in Wilton, Iowa (Day 7); runner up – Mexican restaurant in Storm Lake (Day 1) and Monica’s for pasta Bolognase in Coralville (Day 6); homemade glazed donuts from Bread Garden in Iowa City; the Skillet where we hunkered down during a rain storm in Mount Vernon (although still miss the Lincoln Cafe there).
Best homemade lemonade: Not the chemical stuff – lemons, sugar, water. outside Moscow, Iowa
Best ice cream: the The Outside Scoop (food truck from Indianola and visits Des Moines weekly!) Best flavor: lemonhead custard.
Best overheard comments:
“I’m kind of leaning towards Walker – he’s the governor of Wisconsin”
“Great shirt – I’m tired of looking at all these bike jerseys” (someone praising my son’s Kafka shirt)
“I used to think this guy I work with from Iowa was such a nice guy. Now I realize after being here he’s not that exceptional.”
Toughest ride/but most gorgeous scenery: Day 5 from Cedar Rapids to Coralville (via Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Coralville Dam.)
Most memorable shower: Cattle wash at the Hardin County Fairgrounds in Eldora.
Awesomely generous overnight hosts: Jim and Myrna in Cedar Rapids (great company, conversation, shower, dinner, bed, tour of revitalized NewBo area and beyond downtown)
Best beer garden: Back Pocket Brewery; runner up: Jackson Street Brewery in Sioux City
Eldora Iowa courthouse
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa, Iowa City
Iowa City – Hawkeye football and Short’s burgers
After watching Iowa trounce Northwestern in football on a cold clear day, we warmed up at Short’s Burger and Shine, which didn’t disappoint – excellent burgers with top-quality meat, prepared just as requested, and hand-cut fries. I tried the Greek-inspired burger with feta, cukes and tzatziki sauce (although after awhile I couldn’t resist adding ketchup.) My only complaint is that we were told we’d have about a half hour wait so we dawdled a bit at Prairie Lights, the great book store around the block, and returned about 20 minutes later to find we’d lost our table. So we had to wait some more- but only about 10 minutes (after bracing for another potential 30 minute wait…). Moral of story: stay put for the wait, which may be shorter than you were told.
Super duper super 8 in Le Claire
My husband warns that we haven’t yet heard the truck drivers likely to be partying here tonight, but so far I am liking this Super 8 in this eastern Iowa Mississippi River town. I do have to admit that my thumbs up may be colored by the relief I feel at no longer being on Interstate 80 driving in the dark through a “wintery mix,” with trucks zooming past us, their tires flinging rain, ice, snow onto our windshield. This Super 8 seems pretty new. It’s clean, the bed is firm with ok linens, there’s s big flat screen tv (we are watching a Seinfeld episode so old that George has hair. sort of.)
Anyway, we didn’t hit bad weather until after our delicious middle eastern dinner at Oasis in Iowa City and with any luck we won’t encounter much more during the duration of our trip to Chicago.
What’s with the tree sweaters in Grinnell and Iowa City? Yarn bombing?
During a recent visit to Grinnell, we were struck by the tree branches sporting colorfully hand-knitted sweaters on the campus’s “Peace Grove.”
On a cold winter day, the trees looked bundled up and warm.
It took me a few minutes to remember where I’d last seen – and been intrigued by – trees wearing sweaters. It was in nearby Iowa City, of course. According to a recent story in Patch, the Iowa City sweaters are a public art project dating back to Nov. 2012 – the handiwork of dozens of volunteer knitters who hand knit “tree-huggers.”
History (from wikipedia)
Yarn bombing examples have been recorded as early as May 2004 in Den Helder, Netherlands. In the U.S., in 2005 Texas knitters used their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide with custom pieces being created by artists.[1][3][2]
The start of this movement has been attributed to Magda Sayeg, 37, from Houston, who says she first got the idea in 2005 when she covered the door handle of her boutique with a custom made cozy.[4] Though artist Shanon Schollian was knitting stump cozies in 2002 for clear cuts in Oregon[5]. The Knit Knot Tree by the Jafagirls in Yellow Springs, Ohio gained international attention in 2008.
Yarn bombing’s popularity has spread throughout the world. In Oklahoma City the Collected Thread store yarn bombed the Plaza District of the city on September 9, 2011 to celebrate their three-year anniversary as a functioning shop.[10] and in Australia a group called the Twilight Taggers refer to themselves as ‘fibre artists’.[11] Joann Matvichuk of Lethbridge, Alberta founded International Yarnbombing Day, which was first observed on June 11, 2011.[12]
New in Iowa City – Iron Hawk restaurant for all things pork
The Tenderbites ($7) at Iron Hawk are breaded pieces of pork loin served with a choice of barbecue sauce, chipotle ailoi and ranch. /
It’s hard enough already deciding where to eat in Iowa City – so many options, so little time. But here’s another restaurant to add to the “to try” list courtesy of Family Living, the Iowa Farm Bureau publication (that, full disclosure, my husband edits): Iron Hawk Restaurant serves pork from a local family farm in nearby Kalona. There’s pork burgers and pork marinara sandwiches, pork loin appetizers, even pulled pork atop pizzas. And of course that Iowa staple, a pork tenderloin sandwich. Seems like good timing since pork is so popular these days at restaurants. (We ate it all over New Orleans).
Touring Iowa’s beautiful barns
The NYTimes travel section had a good story with great photos last week of barn touring in northeast Iowa around Decorah, one of my favorite Iowa cities. Here’s some tips on how/where to do it:
– The annual Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Barn Tour is scheduled this year for Sept. 22 and 23. (see: iowabarnfoundation.org)
– There’s also a barn tour in the Johnson county-Iowa City area on June 23 and 24.
– Stone-Haus Farm, a 165-year-old Norwegian farmstead in northeast iowa near Waukon, will soon be available for vacation rentals. (stonehausfarm.com) Photos below!
StoneHaus Farm
The NYTimes travel section had a good story with great photos last week of barn touring in northeast Iowa around Decorah, one of my favorite Iowa cities. Here’s some tips on how/where to do it:
– The annual Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Barn Tour is scheduled this year for Sept. 22 and 23. (see: iowabarnfoundation.org)
– There’s also a barn tour in the Johnson county-Iowa City area on June 23 and 24.
– Stone-Haus Farm, a 165-year-old Norwegian farmstead in northeast iowa near Waukon, will soon be available for vacation rentals. (stonehausfarm.com)
Filed under Agritourism, Iowa, Iowa City
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