Hey there! Hope everyone’s first week of class went well and you are having a safe but fun weekend. For all of those rushing I hope you didn’t get too wet in the rain last night and you find a sorority or frat that’s perfect for you!

As I have mentioned in my previous blog I am in the honors program at the university. As an honors student you need a certain amount of credits to graduate with honors. While most students were still moving in 500 other honors students and I spent three days exploring Iowa and presenting what we a have learned. My class was “Love where you live, live where you learn.” When I first read the description of the class I was a bit hesitant about enjoying it, my professor was amazing and the things we learned about the people and city of Iowa were amazing. Instead of going on about the program I decided to share some of the amazing place my group discovered with you.

1. The Prairie Lights Book Shop: I will be the first person to say that books are not the first thing I would spend my money on but this book store is amazing. When you walk in the doors you feel all warm cozy. The first thing I wanted to do was grab a book and sit down in the coffee shop for hours on end. Sadly we didn’t have that amount of time but I was able to buy a book. Even better the prices aren’t substantially more expensive so why not find a great new book while supporting a local business that has been around much longer than most of us have?
2. Pullman’s: Although we did make this stop during my primetime I had actually been to this restaurant a few days before for lunch. This Pullman car style dinner serves everything you could need for a well-priced lunch or dinner. When I went for the lunch I had a sandwich with a side of chips and it was perfect for a simple, cheap lunch. The restaurant is great for when you are sick of the Burge and Hillcrest food. I can also say that the coffee cake is amazing. If you don’t believe me ask anyone who was in my primetime group, it was devoured every time our professor brought it to class.
3. Film Scene: I have always been a movie lover, but I have always cringed at the fact that you pretty much have to take out a mortgage to even thinking about going to movies and that’s before you add the popcorn. So when I found Film Scene at the Pedmall I was super excited. Although it doesn’t always play box office movies you can still see some great Indie films here and for the cheap price. You can either pay per movie or become a member and get $5 movies for a year. They also tend to do student discounts for certain moves. My favorite part? They do movies in their roof top garden. A couple movies coming up in their rooftop collection are the Teenager Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dirty Dancing.
4. Revival: My final suggestion when exploring Iowa City is going to visit a place called Revival. Although this wasn’t an actual stop we did explore it during our ten minutes of free time between stops. Revival is a clothing store that you can also find in the Pedmall right across the street from Film Scene. I can tell you now that I will be spending all of my money here. The store does second and you can pick up some really amazing deals which is great on a college budget. But if you’re not the type of person to wear second hand they do have new clothing as well. And if you are trying to make a little extra money while clearing out the clothes you don’t wear any more they also buy clothes.

Hope this helps when you are looking for a new place to explore downtown.

What are some of your favorite places to visit in downtown Iowa City? Comment down below and let me know if you have any questions about the locations above or if you want more suggestions.