For Those Coming to Iowa This is Your Photo Guide to a Fun Trip

[RememberKinnick]

Hey guys... i saw that several of you will be making it to Iowa City for the showdown at Kinnick... thought I'd do everything I could do make your stay a pleasant one... from the city to gameday festivities, here are my recommendations and general information regarding Iowa City.... i made a thread like this a while back so i thought i'd copy and paste it for you guys...




Basic Info Regarding the Iowa City Area

-Metro population of slightly over 100,000. Your textbook college town.
-Outdoor Magazine: "Best Midwest Town"
-Used to be the capital of the state, now the capital buildings are university owned.
-Granted 'City of Literature' status (one of 4 such cities in the world)
-US News and World Report Top 10 "Healthiest, Safest, Sexiest Places to Live"
-there is a laundry list of economic, social, and educational accolades from national magazines but i'll spare you guys. in any case it's a nice safe, smart, and clean place to visit. it has college town written all over it. a mix of urban and small town blended into one.



Iowa City in Photos

Living out here we have to deal with totally off the wall stereotypes. So here is Iowa City/campus in pictures with helpful tidbits:



Playboy's #9 Party School and Princeton Reviews #12 Party School is home to the largest concentration of bars of any Big Ten school. We have over 45 bars in a 4 block radius! This area called the Pedestrian Mall is where you will do most of your partying outside of tailgating. Be sure to head here after the game. Last call is at 1:30 AM. You can also be 19 years old to go inside many of these bars. On Fridays for FAC (Friday After Class) you will find some ridiculous deals at some of these bars from around 2PM-7PM. This is around 1 mile from Kinnick Stadium.



The Iowa River runs through the heart of campus and separates the East and West sides of campus. Last summer this river broke the 500 year flood plane. You may have seen the images on the national news. That is City Park in the backdrop. A great area to go for a run/walk for you exercise buffs. This is about 1.5 miles from Kinnick Stadium.




There are hardly any hotels downtown. If it isn't all sold out already I would highly recommend the Sheraton downtown. If you like a little upscale the building on the right side is Hotel Vetro. I've heard nothing but great things about that place and it has an outstanding sushi restaurant/night club ont he first level. Otherwise you are likely staying in Coralville and will take a cab to Iowa City. Which is no big deal nothing more than a $10 ride from most Coralville locations.




An aerial view of Iowa City. You can see the 'Old Capital Area' in the center of this pic. That is a good starting point if you want to stroll around campus/downtown.




The domed building in this pic used to be the state capital building. Iowa City served as the capital until it moved to Des Moines. The buildings on the left are all bars on those on the right are classes.




On Friday in the Pedestrian Mall there is some sort of music act that is free to the public ranging from jazz/blues to rock bands. If you are staying at the Sheraton this is located right next to the exit to the Pedestrian Mall.




If you are the outdoors type there are two lakes in the area. The Coralville Reservoir/Lake (pictured) is located less than 5 miles from downtown. Lake MacBride is something like 10-12 miles from downtown. You can rent boats at the Coralville Marina. There is also a frisbee golf course named Turkey Creek nearby.





In my next post I will give you the gameday/tailgating guide...

[RememberKinnick]

YOUR GUIDE TO GAME DAY FESTIVITIES



The Beer Band
-The night before the game I highly recommend you head downtown to the bars and be on the lookout for the beer band. Some 20-40 Hawkeye Marching Band members basically stroll from one bar to the next and play a few songs for a beer ("The band wants a beer!"). They will play our victory song which is "In Heaven There is no Beer" (yes that is our official victory song at games) and a funny song mocking the other Big Ten squads. Good times.




The Hawkeye Express

The Hawkeye Express may be your ticket if you are staying in Coralville near the Coral Ridge Mall and are there as a family with kids. This train picks up passengers and takes you to Iowa City LITERALLY two hundred yards away from the stadium entrance all while you are accompanied by the great songs of Iowa football. It leaves promptly at 8AM and 9AM and picks up people on rotation after the game as well. Round trip tickets are $10. Here is an insider tip: They do not check ticket stubs for the trip back to Coralville. It's a really unique and fun experience. And with the 2:30PM start it gives you a decent amount of time to tailgate. In Coralville it is located right next to the IHOP. You may want to check ahead of time on the departure times since this is a 2:30 game.



TAILGATING SPOTS FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE ROAMING




My best recommendation to visitors is just to stroll around from spot to spot and take it all in. You will find friendly hawkeye fans who will take you in and offer you some beers and grub. Here are some of the tailgating spots from lamest to craziest:



Dental Lot:

Located right next to the basketball stadium this is a reserved lot that is fun but not too crazy. A nice place to converse with Iowa fans and I'm sure they'll offer you a brat and a beer.



Kinnick Lot

This is where most of the big time donors are lucky enough to tailgate right next to the stadium in the small parking lot. Kinnick is kind of in the middle of the Hospital grounds and residential living so you won't see many large open space parking lots.




Melrose Place

For the younger crowd, this is an off street from Melrose with a dead end located very close to the stadium. Every house on this street is hosting a keg party. Very close to the stadium and mostly consists of house parties that anyone can walk up to and join in on the fun.




Myrtle Lot

This may be the spot if you want to see how tailgating is done in the midwest. After this huge open field named Olive Court was closed down the students relocated to Myrtle Lot. As you can imagine when you have students and beer things get a little crazy. A bit further away than some of the other tailgates but still only like a half mile from the stadium. Look out for the traveling beer pong race mechanism. The Myrtle Lot is located near the law building on top of a hill facing the Iowa River. If you find the Kum & Go gas station on Riverside Drive you are near the hill. People come here to tailgate before the sun comes up.




The Magic Bus

Ah yes. My favorite tailgate spot. Sports Illustrated formerly tabbed this place the #1 tailgating spot in the country. Here is the rundown:

-Right across the street from the south side of Kinnick in the backyard of a house.
-$10 for one person or $15 for two. Unlimited Miller High Life beer once you're inside.
-A band plays on top of the bus. Music varies by the week but usually they are good acts. A couple of small tvs are on top of the bus as well.
-You will see girls go up to the top of the bus and expose themselves now and again for shirts and beads.
-The Miller High Life guy from the beer commercials on tv makes it out here at least one fall saturday.
-Get there around 9AM before it fills up. It's not a huge area so it gets crowded closer to kick off.
-If you don't want to be in a tight crammed area like the Magic Bus I highly recommend the Myrtle Lot.


No matter where you go be sure to talk to Iowa fans we really are not known to be hostile at all. Join in on some drinking games while you're at it. Corn hole, flippy cup, and beer pong are king around these parts.




FOOD



Across the street from the South Side of the stadium you'll find a bunch of food stations set up. I recommend the award winning 'Big Ass Turkey Legs'. They are a staple of Iowa City tailgating and the guy who runs the joint is on a loud speaker. He flirts with the ladies and talks a bit of smack here and there.

Here is a piece on the Big Ass Turkey Legs stand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk7fJIY_AQE







KINNICK STADIUM

So you've managed to make it to the game after consuming copious amounts of alcohol and food. Congrats you're halfway there! Just a few things you should know about Kinnick:



-Be sure to check out the Kinnick Statue on the south side and rub the helmet for good luck for your Wildcats. When the team shows up they go through this area and thousands show up to greet the team. They too rub the helmet for luck.



Sit back and enjoy the Kinnick Magic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ6rqtss8fQ


i kid i kid... here are some final things you should know once you're inside:

-Naturally there is a rush of people to the stadium about 20 minutes or so before kick-off. You won't be waiting in line too long but just anticipate having to wait some 10 or so minutes so plan accordingly.
-The Iowa pre-game consists of playing Nile Kinnick's legendary Heisman acceptance speech at a time when the United States was on the brink of entering WWII. Really captivating material. Then you will see the team come out to 'Back in black' (home black jersesys) and the 'Swarm'. The Swarm consists of the team holding hands and trotting out to the field to signify team unity.
-Every coin in the conference that is used for the kickoff has Nile Kinnick on it. He died in uniform after volunteering to serve during WWII despite being offered a lucrative NFL contract.
-If you are a woman you shouldn't be waiting too long for the restrooms. But for some reason there are far more stalls for women than men so plan accordingly guys.
-Once you go in you can't leave and come back. Don't be the bonehead that makes this stupid, stupid mistake.
-If you are trying to sneak into the student section just walk in to the seating area when there is a rush of people so the old men on 'security' can't check everyone's student ID cards.




I hope this helps... be sure to head out to downtown after the game for more fun! It is a 20 min walk downtown but thousands of people will be making their way out so just follow the crowd east on Melrose Avenue.


If any of you are interested in hanging out let me know. My friend is possibly holding a keg party near Kinnick Stadium. Have fun and good luck!

[AZ_BEAR_DOWN]

Informative! Nice campus.

Who's the dweeb in the last photo?

[RememberKinnick]

Originally Posted by AZ_BEAR_DOWN

Informative! Nice campus.

Who's the dweeb in the last photo?

not sure if that was sarcasm but that is 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry being offered a beer pong at an Iowa tailgate

that pic made the New York Times...

[Merkin]

I actually thought about retiring there, low cost of living, low crime and so on, but the older I get the warmer I want it to be. More sun, more heat, less wind.

[RememberKinnick]

Originally Posted by Merkin

I actually thought about retiring there, low cost of living, low crime and so on, but the older I get the warmer I want it to be. More sun, more heat, less wind.

yea several publications have Iowa City nationally ranked as one of the top 10 places to retire... right now i'm a big fan of living in a place where you get to see all the seasons... especially the fall by far my favorite so beautiful when the trees change colors...

i used to live in southern california before heading out here so i know what i'm missing out on... i just think the people here are more personable and i could NEVER put up with the bandwagon USC fans... they didn't exist when i was out there... my parents live in Albuquerque and it's nice to get away down there when it's 10 degrees up here...

anyway... the only real reason i want to retire here is to go to Iowa games

[AZ_BEAR_DOWN]

I was joking, but alas I failed to notice the Beer Bong, that's great!

[big mike #3]

Damn I wish I could make that game.

[azcat49]

Looks like your ath dept decided long ago to make football Saturday an event.

Our dumbs it down as much as possible. Can't take a chance is their theme

[Absolute Cat]

RememberKinnick -

Great recap. I showed this thread to my Hawkeye wife and we agreed it is spot on. Anyone making the game will find Iowa City to be a great gameday experience.

AbsoluteCat

PS You should have included George's gyro stand and Marco's grilled cheese stand in the ped mall (right outside of It's Brothers/The Union). You can't beat those snacks at 2:00 am. I can't wait!!!!!

[ASUHATER!]

although our campus is great, until we redo some of the areas around the stadium and our university stops being scared of tailgating, our gameday experience (with exception of homecoming) is thoroughly a big "eh its alright".

simply by allowing tailgating closer to the stadium and allowing people to start tailgating a couple hours earlier before games would make it a much better thing. once we have the expansion and stuff, it will be a lot better.

[Class of 1990]

Great posts RememberKinnick.

Makes going to an Arizona game depressing.

I think JL's last action before he goes into the sunset is to remake game day for Arizona football.

[SJCAT]

I love it!


God willing I will be there to experience how you do a tailgate right....



Thank you!

[MacKiernan]

Thanks RememberKinnick.

I've been to the Pedestrian Mall a couple of times and it is definitely a good time. Both times I was there during the middle of the summer with my cousins and a number of the bars were still very busy. The cost of a drink at some of the bars make drinks on 4th Ave. in Tucson look expensive.

I'm looking forward to celebrating the Arizona victory that night at one of your many fine bars on the Ped Mall.

[chitowncat]

Thank your for taking the time to post that great information RememberKinnick. Really classy post.

Chicago alone has over 4,500 Arizona alumni so I expect a decent size Arizona crowd on game day. There is a good size group of us heading to Iowa City Thursday night after work and staying at the Sheraton until Sunday. Really excited for the trip but have a couple questions for you about Iowa City.

1) Any local places you recommend for food on Thursday/Friday night? Any bars you recommend for Thursday/Friday night?

2) Any good golf around Iowa City? Depending on how we are feeling on Friday we are thinking about getting a round of golf in

3) How is the Hawkeye village as this is where the Arizona Alumni pre-game tailgate is? Would you recommend us to go to a place like the Magic Bus and other tailgate spots?

4) Where is the visiting section at Kinnick?

I look forward to the Iowa game. Going to a game at Kinnick will be a great experience and hopefully the fact that Stoops is a former Hawkeye football player will help the Cats get ready for the game