Cedar Rapids, Iowa: City of Five Seasons

Written August 20th, 2007

Good morning from Cedar Rapids, Iowa!

One of the greatest pleasures we experience in traveling around the US is discovering all of the fabulous towns we have not yet heard of. Now and then it is nice to actually explore closely and root out revitalized arts districts and regional cuisine. This is just what we have been up to this weekend in Cedar Rapids, IA, where we have come to perform at a swank private event.

Fairly soon after landing at the airport, we discovered the local tourist information desk. We really just headed over there to find out where we might find vintage clothing stores, but the gentleman behind the counter was so full of enthusiasm about his town, we found ourselves weighted down with pamphlets detailing the weekends activities, maps of the downtown arts district and directions to the Chrome Horse Saloon. Mr. Tourism described it as "a faux biker bar with good food." That was about all we needed to hear.

A ten minute drive into downtown saw us parked down the block from the Chrome Horse's 19th century, red brick facade. Our inner shopping radar immediately tuned in to the 2nd hand shop catty corner to our parking space, but it had to wait, as everything else comes in second with us when we are looking for food. The Chrome Horse turned out to be our Cedar Rapids HQ.

We generally try to eat pretty healthy on the road – seeds, nuts, berries, baked Lays – so Sas and I got salads, D a yummy wrap. I had the taco salad, a ridiculously good (and big) concoction of lettuce, taco flavored chicken, cheese and a nice fat layer of crumbled tortilla chips. That salad ended up being a hit for the whole trip. Even thought we were recommended a couple of other places that sounded delicious (like Cibo and Granite City) we kept going back for that bowl of piquant goodness. In the process we happily discovered that the Chrome Horse hosts a bloody mary bar for Sunday brunch. Yum.

Cedar Rapids, you have fantastic second hand shopping, and for that I thank you. The second-hand shop near the Chrome Horse is a miracle. Where else can you find a basket of mini stuffed Dinos available for a scant 50 cents each? (That’s Dino from the Flintstones.) We are glad that our career is such that The Lascivious Biddies tend to travel by plane now instead of minivan, but it does somewhat get in the way of our purchase power. Saskia picked up a modernist farm painting by someone named Lisa Jarosh for 5 bucks & Deidre an antique autograph book. The book was easy to stash, but I think the painting became the bane of Sas’ existence by the time we got home. It was too big for the suitcase and awkward to carry, so we each too turns helping her with it. As I write, she still hasn’t decided if she likes the thing still, of if the experience of transport has forever turned her against its pastoral sunniness.

For the show, we rented some musical equipment for the weekend at The Music Loft in your Czech Village section of town. Carrying amps along with us takes up all the room we would rather reserve for shoes. After picking up the amps, Sas and I wandered into an antique mall across the way. We wanted to take home just about everything we saw! Instead of actually purchasing, however, I made liberal use of my camera to do some virtual shopping.

The party at the elegant Cedar Rapids Country Club went off without a hitch. Jason at Pratt A/V did a great job setting up and running the sound. My “Lee Ann Westover’s Super Awesome 80’s Dance Mix” was a hit that took the party well into overtime. We biddies were what we like to think of as the life of the party, spazzing on the dance floor with the rest of the guests.

Come morning, we were tired, but sated. After returning our gear, we inhaled another round of Chrome Horse taco salad and made our way to our own personal mecca, the strip mall. We had a couple of hours to kill before takeoff, and in those situations we like to fill the time with eating and shopping. Nothing new here. D went to hang at Borders, while Sas and I dug around TJ Maxx. So often folks in Cedar Rapids would ask us incredulously, “Why would you shop HERE?! You live in New York!!!” Well folks, I hate to ruin our image, but we aren’t exceedingly wealthy (in fact we are flying coach class right NOW if you can believe it!) and the deals to be had in American’s mid-size cities have us salivating at the mere thought. Each one of us loves to track down a good coffee shop, an artsy clothing boutique running a clearance sale, all the Salvation Army stores we can stand and farmer’s markets when available. (Cedar Rapids has a nice one up on Collins Road on Saturdays, by the way) The big box stores are just the cream cheese frosting on our hummingbird cake.

Sas and I were strong, purchasing not a thing at TJs, but at Borders, we bought a new journal. We have kept one since the beginning. In it we record silly quotes, restaurant reviews, a great many cartoons of varying quality, and countless wish lists. It's a good time to have a fresh one, and Cedar Rapids, you have supplied!

Thank you for a great weekend!

xo
The Biddies
As recorded by Lee Ann