A big claim for a city that seems only able to manage one: winter.
A week has already passed since I woke up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the first time. It feels more like two or three days! Time has flown and I’ve been very busy. It’s great to be back in Iowa again – the friendly people, Hy-Vee, agricultural idylls, an industrious spirit – but I have to say, I wish spring would arrive in the midwest. As I look out my window, freezing rain is falling, and snow is forecast for later today… the third snow I’ve seen in a week. With temperatures in the thirties, it never sticks around long, but it’s not springtime yet.
Cedar Rapids is the second-largest city in Iowa (after Des Moines) and lies on both sides of the Cedar River. It’s home to the Quaker Oats factory and several other factories as well. It’s interesting to note the differences in where I grew up in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and Cedar Rapids. In Tennessee, our town had factories too, but they were broken down and usually abandoned. Here in Iowa, the factories look new and clean and productive. Arriving in Cedar Rapids, it occurred to me that I’ve rarely seen a city with so many factories that actually do the factory thing and work. Kudos, Cedar Rapids.
Although we have great grocery stores, shopping centers, a mall, and Super Target, there still isn’t much to “do” here in Cedar Rapids. It has a little bit of a small-town feel in that entertainment department. In a place with these population numbers, that surprises me a little. People here seem very happy, though, and they travel to Iowa City or Des Moines for more options.
That being said, there is plenty to explore here in Cedar Rapids. They call it The City of Five Seasons. You can read a short background here – the short explanation is that Cedar Rapids has a fifth season because the city provides such a high quality of life that residents have more time – another season – to enjoy themselves. The Tree of Five Seasons monument stands downtown by the river.
Of course, Cedar Rapids is also an easy butt for jokes. It’s anecdotally known as “Crapids” (clever and hilarious) and grumblingly referred to as “the city of five smells” because industry can be a smelly thing (agriculture, outputs, etc). However, my quality of life here is pretty good, and since I’m only here another month, I’m more interested in exploring what I can before my plane lifts off again.
Time is short. Looks like I’ll be packing five seasons into just this one.
~ The Dauntless Princess ~