Restaurants in Iowa City Ranked

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Hey y’all! I did a coffee shop ranking last time, so here’s a restaurant ranking! (Out of 5 stars)

  1. Get Fresh Cafe: 5/5. A bit on the pricy side, but bomb freaking everything. I’ve heard good things about their smoothies and other menu items. My personal favorites are their acai bowls and spinach salad. I was a bit disappointed in their chia pudding, however. Worth the wait for the food to be made, and super cute cafe decor.
  2. Pancheros: 3/5. Iowa’s Chipotle. I was a bit disappointed. Why have blue corn chips instead of yellow corn? Their burrito bowls do not taste as good as Chipotle’s. I’ve heard their burritos are better though, so maybe get those.
  3. Chipotle: 4/5. Also a Chipotle in town. Obsessed with their tortilla chips and salsa. Their bowls always hit the spot. They need to work on having better chicken though, it’s so chewy.
  4. Airliner 4/5: Fantastic pizza and Caesar salads. $1 slices on Sundays!!
  5. Noodles and Company: 3/5: Depending on what you get it, it can be pretty good. I feel like the quality is meh – I’m picky about my pasta.
  6. Basta: 5/5: Delicious pasta!! Everything is made fresh there and hands-down the best Italian in Iowa City.
  7. Zzmarik’s: 5/5. My favorite place in Iowa City! $5 Mac Mondays and delicious menu. Never busy in there and I love their pasta wall art.
  8. The Webster 4/5: Bougee restaurant! Like the interior and pretty good food. I’m not adventurous when it comes to food so the menu had slim pickings for me. Great dessert though!
  9. Masala: 4/5. Pretty great Indian cuisine! I like their Tikka Masala, which is rare for me to find one I like. Their naan bread is fantastic.
  10. Buffalo Wild Wings: 5/5. Loveee their wraps and mac and cheese.

There are wayyyy more restaurants in town, I haven’t eaten my way through them all yet. Iowa City is definitely a foodie town, so you won’t be disappointed!

-Solenn

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ISLE Leadership Conference Storytime

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Hi everyone!

This past weekend I attended the Iowa Student Leadership Experience hosted at the University of Northern Iowa. Students from Iowa State, UNI, and Iowa were invited to attend, and all expenses were paid. I went solo, with the intention of making friends and exploring a part of Iowa I hadn’t seen since I was out of state.

The bus ended up not coming to pick us up due to miscommunication, so the fifty people who planned to attend did not. Me and three other students ended up carpooling and we were the four to represent Iowa there.

The conference was great! There were a few guest speakers, breakfast and lunch were provided, and we had breakout rooms to choose from. The speakers were very well-spoken and I learned a lot about what it takes to be a good leader. Most students came representing organizations they are involved in on campus and left knowing how to better the leadership for them.

We got to try a new Coca-Cola product, a spiced cola which basically tasted like root beer. Delicious!

We also got free swag like shirts, pens, notebooks, and Linq, a business card that activates via the app. It was fun meeting students from other universities and we were all eager to connect.

I left the conference with three new friends and some amazing connections from that day. Hopefully, next year’s conference goes smoothly, and definitely attend!

-Solenn

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RA Application Process

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Hello all!

I’m going to talk about the resident assistant application process, which I recently went through.

A Resident Assistant is a student who lives on the floor of a residence hall and ensures floor community. They are there to help students living on campus feel safe, comfortable, and happy. They are the first person to go in cases of emergency, roommate problems, and other advice/situations. They also host floor events to help students meet one another and create a fun living atmosphere. Being an RA at Iowa involves a stipend and free housing, a great perk.

RA applications open near the end of the fall semester, and they have short answer questions about yourself. If the committee likes your application, you are pushed forward to the interviewing round. This is a Zoom call with members of the housing department and RAs who ask you questions about yourself and the RA position.

Then there is about a month until you hear back if you got the position, waitlisted, or declined.

You can apply to be a general RA, an Honors one, a Reach RA who works with various disabilities, a Belin-Blank RA for high-school students accepted early, or a Living Learning Community RA who helps run a community for students with a shared interest or identity.

This is a great leadership experience!

-Solenn

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Rating Iowa City Coffee Shops

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Hello all! I’m back to discuss my favorite thing – Iowa City’s coffeeshops! There are so many, that you will never run out of places to study, hang out with friends, or people-watch. Here are some of the places I tried ranked on a scale of 1-5 (1 worst, 5 best)

  1. Starbucks: 3/5. There are a few different locations on campus and one downtown, which makes getting caffeine quite easy! I always like a good refresher or cake pop, but actually studying there is not for me. It is busy practically any time I go to the one downtown and not much room to sit down. The ones on campus are generally easier to study in because they are located in study areas. Starbucks is also ridiculously overpriced and kind of overrated.
  2. Tru Coffee 2/5. I have personally only been to Tru once and tried one thing, but many people I know love their coffees and food, so I need to go again and try some more things! Their shop is super cute with lots of plants and friendly staff. My chai was served in a cute little Mason jar. However, it tasted kind of watered down and a little too cinnamony for me.
  3. Java House 2/5. Cute art on the walls and nice dim lighting. However, every time I have gone, I find their coffee too bitter despite always getting the sweet stuff. Their caramel latte was good, though. Also a bit on the pricier side. They have great cinnamon rolls!
  4. Fix! Coffee. 4/5. My best-kept secret cafe. It is on the second floor of the Chauncey and Film Scene. Lovely view of Iowa City and gets plenty of sunlight. Offers a student discount early in the fall semester and the baristas are so friendly! They have great chai for a fair price and I love the glasses they pour the drinks in. I like to spend hours here.
  5. Mammita’s 3/5. A cute little coffee shop my roommate worked at! HUGE drinks for the price and great food! Their horchata is so gooddddd. I haven’t been here enough to rate it higher, so I’m staying relatively neutral.
  6. Prairie Lights 3/5. A cute little cafe tucked into the famous Prairie Lights bookstore. A great place to study or read a book and support a local business! They have good iced/warm chai and fun seasonal drinks. The only problem is they exclusively take cash which I do not often have on hand. Relatively cheap drinks!
  7. Encounter Cafe 5/5. Worth the long line!! This place is super popular for its drinks and delicious breakfast menu. Their chai is easily the best I’ve ever had, especially with vanilla pumps! The interior is very cute and sort of farm-themed.

There are many other coffee shops that I have not yet had the chance to visit, but they are all great places to explore and support since Iowa City is home to hundreds of small businesses. Feel free to check them out during your next visit!

-Solenn

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Caitlin Clark Breaks the All-Time Scorer Record!

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Welcome back, everyone!

This past Thursday, our very own Iowa women’s basketball team made history! Senior point guard Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA All-Time Scorer record with 3,569 points, beating Kelsey Plum. She also scored 59 points, the most scored in one game for an Iowa women’s game.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was loud! When Clark dropped a 3 that broke the record, everyone was cheering and clapping. The energy was unmatched throughout the entire game. I am so grateful I was able to go for only $5 with a student ticket when many were being sold for a few hundred or more! This will definitely be one of the highlights of my experience as a Hawkeye.

At the end of the game, there was a celebration ceremony for #22. The team were all given Nike shirts celebrating Caitlin’s record, which are now on sale on the Nike site and the Iowa Hawkshops! Caitlin’s family attended the game, as well as comedian Theo Von. Carver played a video that brought #22 to tears with various members of Caitlin’s family, former teammates McKenna Warnock and Monica Czinano, her coaches, and other greats. The Des Moines Register printed copies headlining Caitlin’s achievement and confetti poured onto the court to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

The love for women’s sports here at Iowa is incredible. Beyond basketball; soccer, field hockey, swim and dive, track and field, cross-country, rowing, gymnastics, cheer, wrestling, and dance all deserve the same energy and are just as fun!

 

Go Hawks!

-Solenn

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Working as a Campus Tour Guide!

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Hello all,

Today I will be talking about being a tour guide!! With this job, I either lead walking tours, residence hall tours, or help out at Admitted Student Days!

I am currently training, so I will start leading tours very soon. There is a lot of information to learn but I love getting to talk with incoming or possible students and sharing why I love being a Hawkeye!

On campus tours, visitors get to explore the east side of campus and visit some buildings like the Iowa Memorial Union, the Recreation Center, and Papajohn’s lecture hall!

During residence hall tours, visitors get to see the lobbies of Burge, Currier, and Stanley!

My campus tour as a junior in high school helped me make the decision to come to Iowa! It really is a full circle moment now to be leading tours at my dream school.

I highly recommend scheduling a tour – hearing about student life from a student tour guide is the best way to know what your experience might be like!

That’s all for now,
Solenn

 

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Ink Lit Launch Party!

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Hello all,

Today I will be writing about the launch party for my literary magazine – Ink Lit Mag! I wrote a post about it previously, so feel free to check it out. It is a first-year teaching magazine that I had the honor of being Editor-in-Chief for this past fall. We had 25 first-year submissions that we celebrated this past Saturday at the Dey House; the home of the prestigious Writer’s Workshop for graduate students.

Several staff members, including me, spoke and shared our letters published in the magazine. Some of the published writers volunteered to read as well. We also had a cake with the magazine cover on it and a ton of copies for people to take!

It was a lovely sunny day outside and I had fun reading my speech in front of a small crowd.

Feel free to get involved in literary magazines, either as a writer or staff member. It is a great experience and accomplishment either way and a fantastic way to make friends in a supportive environment.

Bye for now!
Solenn

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My Spring Semester Schedule!

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Hello everyone! I’m back to discuss my spring semester schedule!

One thing I like about college is switching classes at the end of a semester – it keeps school new and exciting!

Mondays: Earth Science lab and Foundations of an English Major lecture.

In the lab, I work on worksheets with fellow honors students and do lab quizzes based on lectures. It is fairly laid back and a good review of content. My Foundations of an English Major lecture is interesting. My class is full of my friends and peers in the major I know. The professor Dr. Stecopaulos is interesting and engaging to listen to as he reviews the readings.

Tuesdays: Entrepreneurship and Innovation lecture, Oral Expression in French II, Earth Science lecture, Sociology lecture.

I enjoy my Entrepreneurship class a lot, there are a lot of discussions and projects besides just readings and quizzes. Professor Hensley has a lot of real-world connections and brings in guest speakers. My French class is with my professor from last semester, who is just so kind and knowledgeable. I like the small class size and am close with my classmates. We speak exclusively in French, watch lots of videos, and do debates there. My Earth Science lecture is interesting, Dr. Swanson keeps it fun and explains concepts clearly from the textbook. My Sociology lecture is great. Professor Haylett helps break down the readings into understandable language and prepares us for the quizzes super well.

Here is a photo from my Entrepreneurship class!

Wednesdays: Honors Outreach Ambassadors, Foundations of English major lecture.

The first class is basically training to be an Honors program ambassador, which includes serving as a panelist for student visit days and leading tours of the Blank Honors Center. We also suggest ways to improve the Honors program and a lot of really cool things. My Foundations of English lecture is just like it is on Mondays.

Thursdays: Entrepreneurship lecture, French, Earth Science lecture, Sociology lecture, Sociology discussion.

All my classes minus the discussion are similar to earlier in the week. My discussion is the Honors section and I have some friends in there. We do readings and discussion activities, review material, and do group projects.

Friday: Foundations of English discussion

We turn in essays during class, practice writing, do free writing, and discuss the books and readings from lectures. I know quite a few people in here and it is fairly laid back!

And that is my course schedule! I will write some posts about my extracurriculars for those curious.
-Solenn

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Iowa vs. Nebraska Women’s Basketball: The Eras Tour

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Welcome back to the blog, everyone!

Today I will be talking about my experience at the Taylor Swift-themed women’s basketball game this past weekend!

The energy was enchanted Saturday afternoon at Carver with a sold-out crowd to watch Caitlin Clark and the Iowa women take on Nebraska. There were friendship bracelet stands set up for people to make and swap with others.

Taylor Swift songs played during warmups and timeouts, and many people came dressed as different Swift albums. Most of the women on the team are big Swifties, so they shared their favorite songs and albums.

The Iowa Dance Team danced to songs as well, bringing great energy to the crowd!

The crowd got really into it as well, hyping up our Hawkeyes while intimidating the Cornhuskers. Our women played a great game and it was LOUD. We won of course! And the sound system played “22” for 22 of course.

It was by far my favorite game of the season that I have attended.

Cheer on the Hawks at the next game or watch it streaming!

 

Go Hawks,
Solenn

 

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Residence Hall Life: Daum Hall

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Welcome back, everyone!!

Today I will be talking about life in the Honors dorm, Daum Hall. Not only do we have the biggest rooms on campus, but it is attached to the Blank Honors Center, which contains classrooms, study areas, a computer lab, and Honors Program activities.

Daum is co-ed, which is fun having girls and guys on the same floor since we all just hang out and study together. The bathrooms are separated, each locked room containing a sink, toilet, and shower. There are enough that I am never waiting for one to open up, and they are cleaned multiple times a week.

The lounges on each floor are very nice, with whiteboards, tables, and comfy seats. My RA is also super friendly and hosts lots of fun activities like game and movie nights. The Honors Program hosts lots of events like late-night study sessions and we had a Knives Out movie night. On Halloween, there was even trick-or-treating! Daum even has events in our basement lounge space like a Legally Blonde movie night and foosball. The laundry rooms are conveniently there, too.

Daum is also right on the East side of campus, close to most classrooms and the town of Iowa City as well, which limits walking time by a ton. Burge and Catlett dining halls are right there as well, and Fitness East is a five-minute walk.

I highly recommend putting up lights or having lamps to light the place a bit, I find the dorm light to be too bright. My roommate and I got cubbies for our desks to put books since we are readers, it makes it so cozy in here.

We also have a large closet taking up a wall, and there is plenty of room for our things. We also have a sink in our room which is nice.

You can bring your own fridge and microwave or rent them from the University.

We have low beds, but many loft theirs! I also recommend having a rug to cover the floor and a coat hanger for jackets and umbrellas.

Decorate your walls too! Have photos, wall art, artwork, flags, maps, whatever fits your personality.

 

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