tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61013306278326215312024-03-05T08:03:03.392-08:00Iowa City InsiderA blog for students and visitors, written by locals, for getting the most from Iowa City and the University of IowatheInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-60146365695302093822009-11-13T13:49:00.000-08:002009-11-13T21:16:43.690-08:00Great eats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mamasdeliandcatering.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMAG0014-1024x768.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 145px;" src="http://mamasdeliandcatering.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMAG0014-1024x768.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />There have been some great new restaurants in the last year or so. I haven't had a chance to eat at all of them but I know that they're good stuff, so check 'em out if you've got the time and the cash.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mama's Deli</span><br /><br />Mama's is a great place to have a sandwich or some soup. They also have some great hot dishes, like the voodoo chicken. It's a little pricier than Subway next door but more than worth the difference.<br /><br /><a href="http://mamasdeliandcatering.com/">menu and location</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Short's Burger</span><br /><br />Short's is on Clinton across from the pentacrest where Baldy's used to be. Amazing burgers and nothing but burgers. Black bean burgers for the veggie set. Hand cut fries. The only thing that could make it better is if it had a full bar and was open late. Oh wait... it does, and it is.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Graze</span><br /><br />A little more upscale, see-and-be-seen type restaurant. Cocktails, interesting and ever-changing menu. They just added a lunch buffet which they've been advertising with a guy in a chicken suit? Not sure about the relevance but it is an attention getter. Dress nice and bring your wallet.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Graze/102820455931">graze page on facebook </a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Bandito's</span><br /><br />Authentic taqueria on the northside. It's a small location, where the Motley Cow used to be, but it's cozy. There's a window bar so you can watch the market street traffic and it's open until midnight.<br /><br />Best part: they deliver!<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Chef's Table</span><br /><br />Another fine-dining establishment, focused on French cuisine. Classy interior, great food, great wines.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.chefstableiowacity.com/Site/chefstableiowacity.com.html">info</a><br /><br />UPDATE:<br /><br />Two obvious entrants I left out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hersoupkitchen.com/">Her Soup Kitchen</a><br /><br />and<br /><br /><a href="http://www.orchardgreenrestaurant.com/">Orchard Green </a><br /><br />Neither of which I know anything about.theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-22704479603157484552008-07-16T08:53:00.000-07:002008-12-08T13:19:47.336-08:00Gaming on the East Side<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKK9jqAP0geN1RZrjz9JTq4g33Q2ZQ4iettqYPdeJCK2XymPIKxATCE1bsOGClRij_WfqyjC9aMw95bOHE7IUjLFtcrVme503cFqikutOAPJ2XdvBdBlpcs6o493Ll1EvZ0OQgJv-cok/s1600-h/firstavefront.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKK9jqAP0geN1RZrjz9JTq4g33Q2ZQ4iettqYPdeJCK2XymPIKxATCE1bsOGClRij_WfqyjC9aMw95bOHE7IUjLFtcrVme503cFqikutOAPJ2XdvBdBlpcs6o493Ll1EvZ0OQgJv-cok/s200/firstavefront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223642483790779986" border="0" /></a><br />Attention wannabe knights and wizards! All anyone's been talking about lately is the flooding, and nobody seems to be mentioning its upside. That's right, I said upside.<br /><br />Due to the virtual demolition of the Coralville strip, many businesses have temporarily relocated. Thanks to this relocation, I discovered a little shop called <a href="http://criticalhitgames.net/">Critical Hit Games. </a>Apparently this place has been in Coralville for some time, but I only found out about it because it's currently holed up in temporary digs at the 1st Ave. Mini-Mall, on the south east side.<br /><br />It's been a while since I've been a hardcore dice & paper player, but this place does a lot of neat stuff. They have open boardgame demos every wednesday night. They are installing two big tabletops in the back of the store. They have a lot of seating, and are convieniently located across the street from a source of Doritos and Mountain Dew.<br /><br />The owner said they're only going to be in this spot for around 6 months, so the decor is rather sparse. But it's no worse than your friend's mom's basement, and they have way cooler stuff going on. Check out the event calendar for upcoming sessions of your favorite CCG or RPG.theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-17772221075840194632008-07-15T06:50:00.000-07:002008-07-15T07:01:53.759-07:00Apartment HuntingWell if you haven't found a place by now, you're in trouble! Moving day is fast approaching, and soon we will lose the glorious peace that besets Iowa City every summer upon students' departure.<br /><br />On <a href="http://thedailyblog.org/">The Daily Blog</a> there's a good <a href="http://thedailyblog.org/?p=172">list of apartment rental companies' websites</a>. The University of Iowa also offers a fantastic page on <a href="http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eoffcamp/finding.html">off-campus living</a> with resources and apartment hunting tips and moving advice, useful for students and non-students alike. <br /><br />If you're getting desperate, or unlike me, don't mind the company of other humans, remember to check ads in the <a href="http://www.dailyiowan.com/">Daily Iowan</a> and craig's list for roomate-wanted listings.theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-27375580025091402022008-07-13T11:00:00.000-07:002008-07-13T11:03:57.645-07:00Arcade and Pinball finderSince the arcade in the Old Captiol Mall disappeared, I've been wishing there was a good way to find arcade and pinball games in Iowa City.<br /><br />I guess I'm not the only one. Someone named Michael is now running a blog dedicated to keeping track of what games are where, with a current feature post on one of my favorites, "Medieval Madness" and other good ones located at the Deadwood bar, always a good spot for pinball.<br /><br />Check out his blog over here:<br /><br /><a href="http://iowacitygamefinder.wordpress.com/">http://iowacitygamefinder.wordpress.com/</a>theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-68761997093833076532008-06-28T21:53:00.000-07:002008-06-28T22:05:49.237-07:00Online transaction monitoring - Contact GrassleyFirst, I apologize for the posting hiatus, but in case you didn't notice...<br /><br />WE'VE BEEN UNDERWATER!<br /><br />I had all these great ideas for posts about what to do and then I'd realize the place was flooded out.<br /><br />Anyway, this post has nothing to do with stuff to do in Iowa City. This post is about Chuck Grassley being a dick, again.<br /><br />This time around, ol' Chuck is pushing a housing bill with a buried provision that will require paypal, amazon, and other online services to report details of each and every online transaction to the federal government. As chairman of the Finance Committee, he is in position to get this bill to the floor.<br /><br />The privacy implications of this provision are very serious, and there isn't a plan in place to deal with those risks, or to limit what the federal goverment can do with this information.<br /><br />You can read more about it here:<br /><a href="http://www.freedomworks.org/newsroom/press_template.php?press_id=2571">http://www.freedomworks.org/newsroom/press_template.php?press_id=2571</a>theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-92215141726536927082008-06-05T11:03:00.000-07:002008-06-05T11:10:27.889-07:00Iowa Smoking Ban - what does it mean?<a href="http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/iowa/doc480533121753c228143659.txt?sPos=2">This piece</a> from the Quad City Times answers some, but not all, of my outstanding questions about the Iowa state-wide smoking ban.<br /><br />It implies to me, that since Tobacco Bowl a) is enclosed and b) has employees, it will not be exempted from the ban.<br /><br />But I got to discussing this with a friend of mine the other night, and I came to an interesting realization:<br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><br />The ban is ostensibly about public health. If consenting adults have nowhere to go to smoke in public, it will either cause them to quit or (more likely) drive them to smoke at home, espeically during the inclement weather at the peaks of summer and winter. Since certainly some of those driven home will have children, this may actually increase the health impact on children: the very group second hand smoke is shown to give the greatest risk factors to.<br /><br />What do you folks think? Will the ban actually help anything?<br /></span></span>theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-10979687830254471812008-06-05T09:51:00.000-07:002008-12-08T13:19:47.506-08:00Unsubstantiated rumor - Bar closings and moreWhere would we be without unsubstantiated rumor? Oh sure you could rely on only having the "facts" but where's the fun in that?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBH1eVdFkEuP5-j8WzH_tJFEH9qTMPhF0V4h-vbD_lTdNRwxlRvrf423qBw1NGV-EtihW3pWR5ByCgd08-cN-XeQWr_fZS6vnI82thQp9lpooBQsbdcKQ7VyQqhO3D7ESP2fwZ_QWomU/s1600-h/vball.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBH1eVdFkEuP5-j8WzH_tJFEH9qTMPhF0V4h-vbD_lTdNRwxlRvrf423qBw1NGV-EtihW3pWR5ByCgd08-cN-XeQWr_fZS6vnI82thQp9lpooBQsbdcKQ7VyQqhO3D7ESP2fwZ_QWomU/s200/vball.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208445730262600834" border="0" /></a><br />Fitzpatrick's on the way out?<br /><br />Fitzpatrick's, at 310 E. Prentiss, has been having slow business for quite a while now, and their liquor stocks are getting lower each day. Fitzpatrick's liquor license is set to expire in early November of this year, and the Insider has it on reasonably good authority that the licensee will not seek renewal. Rumor has it that a bidding war between some current local bar owners may erupt to try and acquire the location in November.<br /><br />So Long First Avenue Club?<br /><br />First Avenue Club, at1550 S. 1st Ave, a longtime East Iowa City bar and probably the only country&western bar in the city, may close or move this summer. Exact dates are unknown, but rumor is that the owner is seeking possible alternate locations. Maybe he'll shoot for Fitzy's old spot?<br /><br />Send your unsubstantiated rumors this way!theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-72793448526581031092008-06-03T17:30:00.000-07:002008-12-08T13:19:47.673-08:00Public Access Television<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2YA30H3RaewnVA2NmHRrFHq-VK8DTfAg5pxVvUCyWo_kVN9w-u6m72_nffXzEC8N204Jix-zzdTa5Cw2DUbV-3-EVa-FV6TlJy858CoJKhgPeWrbAzvnL4k86VGOwWCk9ANtysZcIoU/s1600-h/tv_man.thumbnail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2YA30H3RaewnVA2NmHRrFHq-VK8DTfAg5pxVvUCyWo_kVN9w-u6m72_nffXzEC8N204Jix-zzdTa5Cw2DUbV-3-EVa-FV6TlJy858CoJKhgPeWrbAzvnL4k86VGOwWCk9ANtysZcIoU/s200/tv_man.thumbnail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207820765276392562" border="0" /></a>I was going to talk about some good-weather activities today, but I'm going to skip that topic for today and talk about what I've spent too much of my life doing: watching TV.<br /><br />Not just watching it, but participating. Youtube has become all the rage because of its egalitarian nature and the ability to reach a wide audience. But before Youtube, lots of us got involved with video through <a href="http://www.patv.tv/">public access television</a>.<br /><br />Public Access is funded by a combination of user fees, state funds, and support required by the city's charter with the cable company. The fees are very affordable, and PATV allows you use of video equipment, studios, and editing bays provided that you let them broadcast whatever you make, and it isn't commercial material.<br /><br />Public access is a great resource whether you have your own recording equipment or not. People at PATV have a lot of experience in producing and editing video content. They can also help you get your message out to a good portion of the community that doesn't have internet access, or doesn't use it for video-watching. They can also help you find other people who are interested in helping you complete a project that might be much tougher to tackle on your own.<br /><br />PATV is a great place to spend a rainy day and "Guidelines," their introductory course, is free. Hop on over and sign up for some courses!<br /><br />PATV cablecasts on Channel 18 in Mediacom's Iowa City market.theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-31410697787031583962008-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:002008-06-01T18:24:16.990-07:00Discount Computers - Mac and PCSummer in Iowa City means, among other things, infrastructure projects. The drop in local population over the summer makes it an ideal time to get stuff done that's harder when the town is crowded. An annual UofI summer project is overhauling the campus and hospital computers.<br /><br />New machines are rotated in, and older machines, sometimes broken and sometimes working, are shuffled off to a little facility off South Gilbert called "<a href="http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Efusmm/surplus.html">University Surplus</a>."<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1225+S.+Gilbert+Street,+Iowa+City,+Iowa+52242&sll=41.65782,-91.52653&sspn=0.131074,0.376282&ie=UTF8&ll=41.655984,-91.527872&spn=0.002048,0.005879&t=h&z=14&iwloc=addr&output=embed&s=AARTsJq44q6KQldRfBF65sUGPt-rkMxUnA"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1225+S.+Gilbert+Street,+Iowa+City,+Iowa+52242&sll=41.65782,-91.52653&sspn=0.131074,0.376282&ie=UTF8&ll=41.655984,-91.527872&spn=0.002048,0.005879&t=h&z=14&iwloc=addr&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />They don't just have computers either... disused lab equipment, office furniture, phones, tv's, housewares from UI catering, all kinds of strange things can be found if you spend some time looking around.<br /><br />Surplus is open from 10am to 6pm each Thursday.theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-67539624593406571232008-05-31T12:36:00.000-07:002008-12-08T13:19:48.078-08:00Iron and Wine @ Englert, Iowa City - June 12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ml67lIBhLk_6zr4Ven6NqPpOGV4eayXjjNad4-db83kR-KjcYgpliRSqfJ2D3eqjYz91eMmp6MFPBwavgsyx_FkqZrnBc2cbWvkO_Tt12aHx-7EbE8OwqXNuFTHZJYGjpTIttASqp_U/s1600-h/ironandwine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ml67lIBhLk_6zr4Ven6NqPpOGV4eayXjjNad4-db83kR-KjcYgpliRSqfJ2D3eqjYz91eMmp6MFPBwavgsyx_FkqZrnBc2cbWvkO_Tt12aHx-7EbE8OwqXNuFTHZJYGjpTIttASqp_U/s320/ironandwine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206629208204495938" border="0" /></a><br />As reported at<a href="http://corridorbuzz.com/articles/june_12_iron_and_wine_concert_moved_to_iowa_city.htm"> Corridor Buzz</a>:<br /><p></p><blockquote><p>Folk-rock singer/songwriter Sam Beam's <a href="http://www.ironandwine.com/">Iron and Wine </a>concert set for June 12 has been moved from Davenport to Iowa City’s Englert Theatre.</p><p>The show begins at 8 p.m. with opening band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theuglysuit">The Uglysuit</a>, an indie folk-rock group from Oklahoma City. </p></blockquote><p></p>Alright, hipsters: call the Englert box office as fast as possible because you know this will be a sold-out show if it isn't already.theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-73304334461297763772008-05-31T12:10:00.000-07:002008-12-08T13:19:48.187-08:00Two Wheels are Better<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12rqh0qIICYoc3DWlF4HoInYGJKNxv87ovuJouqth7yTTeZ6UZlvPALC1kh5v8wArtJjDThoVF7xpXkkYh9xXeHqWz30Pl2Hz1eu_bX3zJWUDhVYqJqt2aw887jCxfWZFLKOW0w6L3uo/s1600-h/night+sign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12rqh0qIICYoc3DWlF4HoInYGJKNxv87ovuJouqth7yTTeZ6UZlvPALC1kh5v8wArtJjDThoVF7xpXkkYh9xXeHqWz30Pl2Hz1eu_bX3zJWUDhVYqJqt2aw887jCxfWZFLKOW0w6L3uo/s320/night+sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206624436495830066" border="0" /></a><br />One of the perpetual gripes I have heard about Iowa City over the past 15 years is how abysmal everyone thinks the downtown parking situation is. I think most of this complaining comes from people who haven't lived in a city where you can't park for less than $2.50/hr, and you're lucky if you get a spot within five blocks of your destination. I digress...<br /><br />That, and the rising price of gas, suggests that a bike is a more ideal mode of transit for many students. But bikes are expensive, especially if you're already making car payments, insurance, and paying for gas.<br /><br />Enter the<a href="http://bikelibrary.blogspot.com/"> Iowa City Bike Library</a>. From their site:<br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>The Bike Library is a volunteer-run community bike project located in Iowa City, IA. We repair donated bikes and check them out to the public. Bikes are priced with a deposit (ranging from $20-$80). If a bike is returned in good condition within the six-month checkout period, the full amount of the deposit will be returned to the user. Alternately, patrons can choose to keep their bikes and forfeit their deposit.</blockquote>What a deal!<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101330627832621531.post-66110693201191921602008-05-31T11:51:00.000-07:002008-05-31T12:01:04.089-07:00Insider Tips for Students and ResidentsThe idea behind this is to create a sort of travel-guide to Iowa City, Iowa, the biggest little city in the Midwest.<br /><br />I plan on pointing out little-known happenings and locations, and covering the events that the papers don't cover. I welcome feedback from anyone who has tips and tricks to enjoying life in the city also known as "The Paris of the Prairie."<br /><br />My emphasis will be on enjoying Iowa City on a budget. Due to our large student population at the University of Iowa, I expect for most of them money is often tight, and those of us who have been around here for years know how to get stuff done on the cheap. We'll also venture just outside Iowa City to the surrounding communities of Coralville, North Liberty, Solon, Kalona, West Branch and others.<br /><br />Locals: Send me your blog links and useful tidbits about living in Iowa City!theInsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07513336014617265277noreply@blogger.com0