To love Iowa, you must maintain a balance of hope and grief. To stay or to return here, to deepen your roots, to be here at all, you must operate from a place of unconditional love. A lot has changed in this state since I started working at Little Village in 2014. Public school funding […]
Jordan Sellergren
Posted inFood & Drink
Peak Iowa: What’s the secret to the perfect dill spread? Ask Elijah Wood.
Years ago, Cedar Rapids was a real deli town. You could pop out of work or school to grab a good sandwich at any number of locally owned shops peppered throughout the quadrants. But the city looks different after decades of restaurant closures — Cork ‘n Fork in 2014, Sub City and Emil’s Delicatessen in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Crossing the Reub-icon: Seven Iowa-made sandwiches, reviewed
From this year’s Reuben pageant sprung an unexpected star — a deviation, a meatless challenger from the sidelines. In the spirit of progress, we allowed its ascension; perhaps to set up 2025’s review, when the kitchen at Octopus in Cedar Falls should be in full service (owner Dave Diebler describes his tempeh Reuben as “off […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The University of Iowa’s anechoic chamber — where soundwaves go to die
Deep within (OK, down a flight of stairs beneath) the University of Iowa’s Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center is an anechoic chamber. The antithesis of an echoey cave, the ultra-soundproofed space prevents sound waves from bouncing off the wall or floor, creating a useful environment for audio research. The chamber, built during construction of […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Iowa runners on running
Since the pandemic began, more people are running than ever. It is one of the most popular, and for many, accessible forms of exercise there is. Little Village asked a range of runners from Des Moines, the CRANDIC and the Quad Cities areas to comment on their experiences: advice for beginners, motivations to move, injury […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The kraut-er in the rye: Five (more) local Reubens, graded
After publishing the original Reuben review in Little Village’s March 2021 issue, I received a few comments aghast that I had not featured a Reuben from downtown Iowa City’s popular Irish pub, Micky’s. I regret my error!! I’m here to attempt to make good and have rounded up a few others for a new class […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: Iowa Running Company helps joggers face winter head on
Best of the CRANDIC 2021 winner: Best Shoe Store Iowa Running Company, tucked between a pizza restaurant and donut shop in Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia neighborhood, stocks a solid variety of running shoes and practical activewear and even features a couple of treadmills for checking your gait to find the best possible pair of sneakers. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: The Webster, new to the IC restaurant scene, has already made a big splash
The Webster (202 N Linn St, Iowa City, 319-800-0720) is the winningest Best of the CRANDIC competitor this year, taking home Best Appetizers/Small Plates, Best Atmosphere, Best Chef (Sam Gelman), Best Food Scene Game Changer, Best Restaurant, Best Restaurant for a First Date, Best Restaurant Staff, Best Restaurant to Take Your Parents To (tie), Best […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Press Coffee debuts in its new location on North Dodge Street
Residents of Iowa City’s far northside have a new hangout. Press Coffee opened this week at 1120 N Dodge St, adjacent to Hy-Vee and St. Joseph’s Cemetery and within staggering distance of Hilltop Tavern. Press Coffee, originally opened in Coralville by friends Chad Andrews, Ryan From, Sam Thibodeaux and Swen Larson in 2013, and was […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Elizabeth Moen and McGuirk rocked the Ped Mall with reflections on pandemic solitude, cowpoke vibes and an ode to ‘Lizzie McGuire’
The first show of the Mission Creek Summer Sessions was a breath of fresh air, if you could manage a full inhale in the withering heat on Thursday evening. Seeing Iowa City poet Sara McGuirk and now Chicago-based musician Elizabeth Moen live, outside, in a dispersed but solid crowd on the Ped Mall was well […]
Posted inFood & Drink
For the love of Reuben: Grading local corned-beef beauties
When my beloved and I became a serious couple, his son asked us what our favorite foods were. We both said Reubens. The first Reuben I ever ordered was in 2000. I was out for Bloody Marys and brunch at the Uptown Diner in Minneapolis (RIP) and a friend insisted I have one. I was […]
Posted inUncategorized
Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: Habitat for Humanity ReStores
Q&A with Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore Co-Directors Thorin Peugh and Aaron Kiesey and Communications Coordinator for Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity Galen Hawthorne. Both ReStores won Best Appliance Store in Little Village’s 2020 Best of the CRANDIC competition. What’s the most interesting appliance you’ve seen come through your doors? IV: A gas chromatograph […]
