Cedar Rapids Extravaganza Part II

The adventures continued on Saturday. While I had gone to the Wally Lamb event solo, Saturday was a friend-filled day. Earlier in the week, I had made up a fun invitation and sent it along to many of my friends in Cedar Rapids for the summer. A long list of places to go and things to see was on the invitation with the disclaimer that my friends could come to what they wanted (many had work or other commitments throughout the day). I would be happy for whatever they could come to and no matter where we went, fun would be had!

My day began with my friend Alexis. The two of us walked from Coe to the downtown area. Our first stop was the Blue Strawberry, a local coffeeshop. We grabbed some much needed coffee and a muffin to start our day. With beverages and food in hand, we chose a spot at the window so we could people watch. From there, we walked a few blocks over to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

Now, I've blogged (briefly) about this museum before. I went with Heidi to it back when I was a freshman. I returned to the museum at a later date, with different exhibits. It is a neat place and I always wished I could have spent more time there. One of the perks of being a Coe student is free admission, all day, every day to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. What is even cooler, is that from now until August 31st, anyone can see all the neat art for free!

And if you're in the area, you should definitely take advantage of it. Currently there is a lot of Grant Wood displayed (and he is such a great artist with the ability to paint in so many different styles) along with an exhibit on American life, photography of stars, beautiful ceramic pots, and a printmaker. Of course, the permanent collection of Roman life is also there for you to enjoy. Alexis and I had a great time walking around exploring and seeing all the neat work.

Some Grant Wood

Post museum, Alexis and I stopped by the library briefly so I could drop off a few books and pick up a couple. Then, my friend Kat joined us and we stopped by the Lost Cuban to grab lunch. This was one of the top Cedar Rapids restaurants I hadn't been to yet. It was delicious and I would definitely put it on the list of great places for food in CR!

The three of us, food in hand, then walked to Newbo Market. The market was busy and it was Kat's first time there. I took her through the various booths and we ended up buying some cupcakes (aka the best cupcakes I've ever had, shoutout to That One Cupcake Place). At Newbo, we met up with Peter, Connor, Rachel, and Tim while Alexis left us to go work at Hyvee. While we sat outside, soaking up the sun, we chatted with a young boy whose parents owned the Caribbean Kitchen (the same place I had so throughly enjoyed on Thursday). He was on his scooter and was having a blast zipping along on the sidewalk. Somehow I was challenged to a race and had a blast trying to ride his scooter (see photo of me in a skirt). \

    

Nourished and ready to go, the group walked across the bridge to the Czech Village. The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library was celebrating their 40th anniversary on Saturday. Their celebration consisted of family activities, live music at night, and free admission into the museum. This museum has been on my bucket list since 2010 when I visited Coe. Needless to say, this was a long overdue trip. 

This museum is legit. So much great information and displayed in such engaging and interactive ways. My mom's side of my family has some Czech heritage so there were many times where I could relate to the artifacts in front of me. I got really sentimental over the various lamb cake molds I saw. It was something my mom always made for Easter and I even got to make with my aunt when I was on New York Term and spent Easter with my family in New Jersey.

Lamb cake with my Aunt Julie

Again, definitely a place I would recommend checking out if you're in Cedar Rapids. They currently have an exhibit called Faces of Freedom that talk about Czechs and Slovaks coming to the United States along with a great and informative history about Czechoslovakia.

The rain looked probable, so the group elected to grab a drink at a restaurant in the Czech Village called the Red Barron. Then we ate dinner at another restaurant in the village called Smuggler's Wharf. Both places were great and it was nice to enjoy the outside and catch up with my friends. Olivia also joined us by the time we ate dinner.

As the storm clouds moved in, we headed back to Newbo to pick up cars and then it was back to Coe. I was so happy how the day turned out and so glad I got to spend so much time exploring Cedar Rapids. I fell asleep just like that, clearly exhausted from all the walking and FUN!