Being something of a camera nerd, I tend to a more-than-average amount of photography equipment. I usually shop mail order, especially from B&H Photo in New York. But this weekend I decided to support my local camera dealer and buy a new lens from them. I’m very happy that I did, as I got to witness God’s favor upon some other customers. A mother and her teenage daughter walked in just after I dropped off some film and headed over [...]
This past Monday, the new Red Robin restaurant opened in Cedar Rapids. This is a new branch of a national chain restaurant, so not something totally original, but nevertheless it’s good to see more big chains open up shop here in Eastern Iowa. The atmosphere is a little dark and noisey for my tastes, although it reminds me more of a true big-city restaurant than any other place I have been to in the area, and I enjoy that. Even [...]
The core downtown area consists mostly of corporate businesses. There are relatively few shops or restaurants, and most of those are only open during regular working hours. Performance venues include the U.S. Cellular Center, host to a variety of public events such as music concerts and craft fairs; the Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre, which has in recent years offered performances ranging from Russian ballet to local talent to Bill Cosby; and Theatre Cedar Rapids, specializing in local productions of plays. [...]
Cedar Rapids is one of the largest cities in the state of Iowa. Founded in 1841, the city used to be two cities, Cedar Rapids and Kingston, divided by the Cedar River. Reminders of this still exist, such as the city’s Kingston Stadium and street names changing as they run across the river. The city is divided into quadrants, namely, northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. Every street name in Cedar Rapids includes a quadrant designator, except for First Avenue, which [...]
