As we’re staying about an hour out of anything that might resemble a “big city” it’s a treat to head into John’s old university stomping grounds when we come back for a visit — It’s only fair to say that I’m a big University of Iowa supporter, especially since I was recently seen on the big screen at GM Place (in front of 18,000 people) wearing my Hawkeyes sweater.
The day started out with breakfast at the Hamburg Inn after which John noted there’s a serious lack of a patty option for your breakfast sausage back in Vancouver.
We walked around a bit, explored the Ped Mall and strolled past the old and new bars and boozing establishments for all those good college kids.
After a visit with some of John’s old co-workers and a trip through the mall (that is slowly being taken over by the university) we headed out to… a different mall but not before stopping in at what John lovingly referred to as “Dirty John’s” to pick up some refreshments for later in the evening.
We drove past many places that were still closed due to the floods last year, including a restaurant that we were going to eat at tonight that we’ve been meaning to go to every time we come to Iowa City but have never had the chance.
Over at the mall we missed the public skate by just a few minutes (yes, in Iowa they have ice rinks in their malls) and we took a walk through the sporting goods store where I had to pose for this photo (above) in honor of Keira’s blog post from yesterday. We also had some time to pick up tshirts in support of our favourite baseball team.
When all is said and done, Iowa City is a great place and I love visiting – from Fridays at the Java House, to warm summer walks along the river holding hands with my man. Culture, innovation, and fantastic down-to-earth people are truly the reason Iowa City has such a special spot in my heart.
I recently got my hair cut and coloured for the first time in 12 months from our friend Minoo at Envy Hair Studio on Denman. She is never too busy for John and me as we’ve been trusting her with our locks for the last 3 years – and I have to say she is a master colourist – she always gets it just right and makes sure you’re happy.
My “before” hair.
My “after” hair.
Envy has recently expanded with a few more staff as they used to get so busy it would take hours to get your hair done, which I always factored in when making my appointment. She’s recently hired on a new esthetician who is offering up a free massage with every facial treatment, which starts at just $28 (ladies only, first time customers only).
If you’re looking for a great local neighbourhood salon, check out Envy on Denman (and let them know Rebecca and John sent you).
Disclosure: I was not paid to write this review, or have any services done, Minoo has just become a good friend of ours over the years and I’d like to help her business grow.
Prototype WordCamp Toque
My long-time friend and logo design specialist, Linus, has been brewing up a very special swag item that we’re offering to all those who attend WordCamp Whistler.
These toques are one-of-a-kind swag items (and the first WordCamp toques as far as we know) and they are being specially made by Linus for this event.
Linus was also responsible for my Miss604 laptop sticker and John’s now SkyTrain-infamous Johnny Canuck t-shirt.
WordCamp Whistler 2009 tickets are currently $35 (early bird price ends Friday) and we’re adding new speakers to the lineup daily so sign up today. Check out the website and our conference blog for more details – the only way in (and to get one of these toques) is to get your ticket today.
I’ve been known for profiling dozens of local bloggers on my site however sometimes I get approached by new websites in town that simply want to get the word out and start building their audience. Instead of adding them to the lists upon lists of urls on my Link Love page I often offer up the option to do a quick interview for my readers. This way they get a link, and we all get to learn more about this new online spot in town. I’m well behind on a profile interview I did with EnglishBay.com (I have some messy audio to transcribe from that) so I’ll start with Cool in VancouverTM. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
When John and I landed in Iowa I was surprised to see less snow on the ground than there was back in Vancouver. I’m so used to telling his relatives that we don’t get much snow back where we’re from in Canada, which usually results in incredulous looks, however this time around things are different. With the Lower Mainland being pelted with yet another layer of white powder, here in Iowa last night we had a mild ice storm.
Vancouver Snow – Photo credit:
Keira on Flickr
It looked like it was raining outside, which to me (being a local West Coast gal) means that the snow is going to melt away and the streets will be covered in slush, boy was I wrong though. This certainly is a different climate than on the coast as when it’s -10C and the rain showers down in sheets in Iowa, it forms an instant layer of translucent and dangerously slick ice that coats every surface outdoors.
After the mild ice storm. That’s not shiny pavement, that’s pure ice.
We just took a walk down to the store and while it’s pretty much perfect road hockey conditions, I almost slipped and fell about 6 times. Coming back in the house I checked the temperature and it is -18C outside (with the wind). Rain in the winter is not to be taken lightly in these parts… and now I know.
