Dear readers,
It is with no small amount of regret that I announce that this will be the last ever Brock About Town column. I’ll be leaving Iowa City soon, and while I would love to keep this column running until my editors wise up and stop accepting my emails, I can’t very well be Brock About Town if I’m no longer About Town. Besides, I’ll need all the spare time I can get in the coming weeks for packing and planting glitter bombs in my boss’s office and suchlike.
I’ve been living in Iowa City for nine years, and it’s time for me to go. The people I started college with have moved to Chicago or New York or Portland to become lawyers or journalists or, in one particularly bizarre case, a Buddhist monk. I’ve seen the rise and fall of so many ill-fated concept restaurants (anyone remember Melk?) and watched as half the buildings in our adorably ramshackle village have been replaced by luxury high-rises. Also, apparently drunk people can rent rickshaws downtown now? Definitely a sign that it’s time for me to split.
My friends have also mostly gone in search of greener pastures. I went to their going-away parties and helped them pack up their U-Hauls and, as I watched them drive away, I wasn’t as sad as I thought I would be, because I knew that it was the right thing for them. And now, adventure is knocking down my door and blowing up my phone and it’s time for me to answer.
It won’t be easy. Iowa City is a pretty special place, and I know that no matter where I go, I’ll never find anywhere quite like it. Like that kid who break-dances with his ferret on the Ped Mall — am I ever going to meet someone that wonderfully bizarre again? No way, baby. I’ve loved being a part of this community. Having this platform, which has allowed me to share my love with all of you, has been a tremendous privilege. Thanks, Iowa City. Stay cool.
Love always,
Audrey
This article was originally published in Little Village issue 312.
