7 reasons why you can brag about living in Iowa City
Fossils, burritos and books! Oh my!
It’s easy to have Hawkeye pride when you spend everyday walking our beautiful campus. Aside from the stellar deals on food and drinks, there are a lot of things that make Iowa City a hidden gem of the Midwest—maybe some that even students don’t know of.
1) Prairie Lights Bookstore
Prairie Lights is one of the biggest destinations in Iowa City and a pit stop for many noted authors who take part in the readings that make Prairie Lights so special. This little literary heaven is even so famous that it was listed in Lonely Planet’s book Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the world’s most amazing places.
2) Hamburg Inn #2
This local breakfast joint has more to brag about than just their amazing pie shakes. The restaurant distinguishes itself as a political presence in Iowa City, famous for the annual Coffee Bean Caucus.
Some famous politicians who have made it to Hamburg include Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
3) The Devonian Fossil Gorge
Iowa was once nothing but a sandy ocean bottom, and evidence of this is still all over the Johnson County area. Neighboring Coralville even got its name for all of the Coral fossils that can be found along the Iowa River, and in March of 2016 a construction site on Iowa’s campus led to the discovery of a 385 million year old fossil.
4) Molly’s Cupcakes
It’s not likely that people across the country have even heard of Iowa City, or have any reason to be impressed by it. Cupcake Wars, on the other hand, is a Food Network favorite TV show, so being able to say that this local IC bakery won the TV competition is pretty cool.
5) UI Libraries Special Collections
For a lot of students it’s rare to be seen in the library at all, let alone exploring the extensive Special Collections, but how many other libraries can say that they have some of Walt Whitman’s original works, or documents from the French Revolution and Civil War? Ours can.
6) Home to the first Panchero’s Mexican Grill
That’s right. Fresh from the University of Chicago, Rodney Anderson opened up the first Panchero’s in 1992 right where it is today, on Clinton St.
Who knows, if it weren’t for the endless appetite of the Hawkeyes, they may never have become the company they are today.
7) Ashton Kutcher
Sure, he doesn’t live here anymore and he didn’t actually graduate, but Ashton Kutcher loves the Hawkeyes and walked the streets of Iowa City, and that counts for something.
