Thanks to Iowa’s bipolar weather, the hike we had planned for today didn’t happen. It rained all day yesterday likely making the trail too muddy for us.
But the day wasn’t a total loss.
RealID
With the push to get everyone a RealID, the drivers license with the gold star on it, we made our initial effort to get that done today. We showed up to the Iowa DOT office in Iowa City, but there was a snag in the fact that Brandy hadn’t gotten her hard copy ID from the state of New Mexico. Long story short, she didn’t get a license today.
Iowa City
By the time we finished up at the DOT, I was quite hungry as I didn’t have dinner last night. Brandy texted her mom’s friend, Matt, who always has the inside scoop in the Iowa City area. He suggested the Bluebird Diner but when we drove by, it was packed, so we passed. We moved on to the second suggestion, The Dandy Lion.
The Dandy Lion
We walked into the diner and wound up being seated at the last available table which was right next to the window. The mid-morning sun was shining right into my eyes so I wound up wearing my sunglasses pretty much the whole time we were there.
We ordered some coffee, which came promptly, then placed our order for food.
Then, we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I understand, the COVID pandemic has caused some pretty major staffing issues across the country, especially in the service industry, but there were what appeared to be three servers managing the floor, which was not very big. They also have a full bar but there was a bartender that was handling them.
The fact that it took so long for us to get our food wasn’t that big of a deal, but I took issue with the fact that once our orders were taken, we were completely ignored. I had to flag down a server to get a refill on my coffee after it was empty for like 5 minutes. In every other experience I’ve had at a breakfast diner, my cup has never been emptied before an offer was made for more. This only made the extended wait for the food more irritating.
Meanwhile, new patrons kept entering and being right by the door, we were blasted with cold air every time it opened. We overheard the host telling people the wait would be 25-35 minutes, then 45 minutes to an hour. We agreed that we were glad we got there when we did.
When we finally flagged down another server to see where our food was, our server finally returned and said their kitchen was running behind and we were offered a cinnamon roll to tide us over.
When it came, it was clear it had been thrown in the microwave (you know how bread gets when it gets microwaved, all chewy and hard.) I scarfed it down anyway.
Shortly after, our food arrived.
Brandy ordered the chicken fried steak breakfast and I ordered the biscuits and gravy breakfast. I feel like our forgotten-about food was thrown in the same microwave that just reheated our cinnamon roll. My biscuit had that same over-hardened consistency. Aside from the seemingly interminable wait and the freshly-reheated food, it was actually pretty good. I wouldn’t mind returning on a not-so-busy day and see if the service is any better.
I took my card out of my wallet in preparation for the arrival of our check, but the host saw it and took it and ran it before I ever saw what the total was. (Turns out it was about $32.)
Kinnick Stadium
After breakfast, Brandy asked if we could drive by the stadium where the University of Iowa Hawkeyes play football. We made the short drive to Kinnick Stadium, which happens to be under the watchful eye of the children’s ward at the nearby University Hospital. Evidently, during every home game, the team and fans will face the kids watching from the windows of the hospital and wave to them, making the nearby road, For The Kids Way, aptly named.
We drove around the stadium, taking in the magnificent architecture, and snapping a picture, before hopping on nearby highway 6 and heading home.
Conclusion
Iowa City is a very short drive from Coralville. They have a nice downtown district with a pedestrian mall that I would very much like to explore more thoroughly.
Today was a good start though.
Coming soon, we will be attempting a walk (not a hike) tomorrow if the weather cooperates. We do have a couple of easy errands to run, including going to see if we’re going to be moving again in the near future.
We will see though. It’s very early still…
It feels good to be back on here. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of myself in all of the madness lately, but writing here again helps me re-center.
For any of you that stumble into my little corner of the internet, as always, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you.
See you soon!
-Phil