Iowa City

Iowa City proper is home to about 70 thousand people, including 20-30 thousand students. The downtown area is very centralized with dozens of options for food, beverages, and shopping within a four block area near the hotels and conference space. Fortunately for us, many of them are relatively empty this time of year with the students starting to leave town. I've listed a handful of our favorites with brief comments below.

Restaurants (View Map)

Joseph's Steakhouse - Great steak at great steak prices.
One Twenty-Six (also has Hearth) - Nice American style bistro.
Orchard Green - great food, great space.
Linn St Cafe - fancy, white tablecloth dining.
The Motley Cow - excellent local and seasonal food.
Takanami - Sushi, seafood, and Asian fusion.
Formosa - Sushi, Asian, and Ma La dipping broth.
Atlas - Interesting local and seasonal food. Nice patio.
Devotay - Good tapas.
The Summit - good pub food. Good for lunch.
The Saloon - Good Southwestern/Mexican and solid tequila offerings. Great Ped Mall patio.
Short's Burger and Shine - Very good hamburgers, excellent fries. Iowa beers on tap.
The Vine Tavern - local basement wing joint and hangout.
Hamburg Inn #2 - classic breakfast joint, home of the Coffee Bean caucus.
Blue Bird Diner - upscale diner with good breakfast.
Trumpet Blossom Cafe - All organic and vegan.
Masala - Decent, vegetarian Indian food.
Heirloom Salads - decent downtown healthy salad option.
El Banditos - good Mexican food.

Coffee Houses (View Map)

Java House
Fair Grounds Coffee House
Capanna Coffee
Starbucks
T Spoons

Bars (View Map)

Joe's Place - good neighborhood-style place, lots of space, cheap prices. Where the grad students go and alumni return to reminisce.
The Sanctuary - best pub in town. Great selection including some Belgians on tap. Good food, too.
Martini's - relatively inexpensive martinis. Good patio out back.
Graze - Fancy martinis, small.
Brothers - cheap and large.
Dublin Underground - small Irish-style basement pub.
Donnelly's Pub - small Irish pub.
The Mill - basic food and drink, big, often has live music on weekends.
Dave's Fox Head - where the Iowa Writer's Workshop people hang out.
Backpocket Brewing - nearby, recently opened brew pub.

Exercise and Recreation

City Park - right across from Mayflower dorm.
Map of Iowa City jogging and cycling trails - main trail runs from downtown to City Park.
Iowa City Recreation Center - right downtown.
University of Iowa Recreation Services - the fancy new Campus Recreation and Wellness Center and Fitness East are nearby and you can easily get to the tennis center or golf course (all have associated fees).
University of Iowa's Touch the Earth Outdoor Rental Center, where you can rent outdoor equipment, including bikes and kayaks.
Bicycle routes in the area from Bicyclists of Iowa City.
MacBride Nature Recreation Area - about 15 minutes away by car.

Local Attractions

The Old Capitol Building.
Prarie Lights - renowned local, independent bookstore.
The Englert Theater.
The Amana Colonies.
Herbert Hoover Museum.

Taxi Service

Marco's Taxi (319) 337-8294.
Five Stars Taxi (319) 358-5859.
Black and Gold Cab Company (319) 887-1976.

Weather

The average high temperature in May is 75F and the average low is 57F, so plan on it being potentially warm and possibly humid. Be prepared for rain, too.

Maps

Hotels and Meeting Space.
University of Iowa Campus maps and tours.
Iowa City Restaurants.
Iowa City Bars.
Iowa City Coffee Shops.