Friday, March 27
With spring officially upon us, timing was ideal for a quick overnight trip to eastern Iowa. We spent Friday night in Cedar Rapids and Mt. Vernon before making the drive north to Cedar Falls and Hudson on Saturday; both days we were able to spend some time with Amanda’s brother, known by Emmie and Noah as Uncle Adam.
Before our trip had officially started, we made a lunch stop at our favorite metro-area Arby’s, located on Northeast 14th Street in Des Moines. I ordered the classic Beef ‘N Cheddar while Amanda and the kids split orders of chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks. We rounded out our healthy meal with two large orders of curly fries.
Amanda and Noah outside Arby’s.
Noah sports a contemplative look as we await our meal.
We didn’t take advantage of the fish deal during this Arby’s visit.
The kids quickly fell asleep in the car and we began the first leg of our journey to eastern Iowa. Naps were cut short, though, as we planned to break up the 120-mile drive with a stop in Brooklyn, which calls itself the “Community of Flags.” The slogan comes from the town’s display of all 50 full-size state flags, along with Armed Services flags and an even bigger United States flag.
This photo captures one of the rare moments during our stop I was not carrying a tired Noah.
Emmie relaxes on the Opera House steps.
In addition to the state flags, various international flags lined the town’s Main Street, where we parked. The flag collection has likely seen better days but the kids enjoyed the stop nonetheless. We were then off to Cedar Rapids to meet up with Adam in the Residence Inn parking lot.
Noah was excited to share the back seat with Uncle Adam.
There was a little time to spare before dinner, so we made a stop at one of the Asian grocery stores in Cedar Rapids. Amanda, Adam and Emmie stayed in the car while Noah and I perused the little market. Noah was inquisitive about the jackfruit and marveled at the giant bags of rice before picking out a treat from the candy section.
Noah stands in front of Saigon Market in Cedar Rapids.
Noah proudly holds his bag of candy outside the market.
Two of the three purchases we made were a bust. The jelly straws from the picture were messy, and neither Emmie nor Noah ate more than one from the large bag. The intriguing fruit punch-flavored beef jerky ended up as a treat for Adam’s dog Max. The favorite treat was a 3-pack of banana milk cartons, enjoyed by Noah, Emmie, and many residents in South Korea.
We were able to tolerate about a bite each of this fruit punch beef jerky.
After a quick stop at Gander Mountain, we got out of the van for a few minutes to explore the swings and play area at Cleveland Park. Noah and Adam played a rousing game of tag, Emmie attempted to climb the various ladders, and we generally had a fun time before driving to Tomaso’s Pizza for dinner.
Noah and Emmie shared a chair inside Gander Mountain.
Noah and Amanda pose before racing down the slide.
Adam’s first experience at Tomaso’s was a good one, as the five of us were able to eat almost all of the large, Detroit-style pepperoni pizza. I then insisted on a trip through the Chick-fil-A drive thru to try the new frosted lemonade, which was impressively refreshing. Amanda was skeptical of the combination of lemonade and soft-serve ice cream but changed her mind after a sip.
It’s always a pleasure to return to the Cornell College campus; Noah marveled at the size of King Chapel, where the concert was held, and both kids loved the spiral staircases. For Noah, the highlight of the steel drum concert was the performance of “Under the Sea” by Pandemonium. Emmie had no interest in sitting still for the concert, spending more time outside the auditorium than inside.
Noah runs up the hill to King Chapel, site of the steel drum concert.
The Pandemonium performance was solid albeit a bit more subdued than usual.
A relatively short show meant time to stop by Zoey’s in Marion before calling it a night. While Tomaso’s is home to eastern Iowa’s best pizza, Zoey’s holds the title for best dessert: the previously-blogged-about Zookie. From our last Cedar Rapids blog:
The “Zookie” consists of a warm, deep-dish, chocolate chip cookie topped with three scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. Paired with ice-cold milk, it’s an all-American dessert which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Noah practiced the art of spoon balancing as we waited for our Zookie.
A different angle of Zoey’s than the picture included in the last Cedar Rapids blog.
Saturday, March 28
Emmie once hid in the closet during our game of “hide and seek.”
After breakfast, swimming, and a rousing game of “hide and seek,” we checked out of the Cedar Rapids Residence Inn and hit the road to Hudson to rejoin Adam for the second day of our adventure. We started off with lunch at the new restaurant in town, The Neighborhood Grill.
Noah and Adam stand in front of The Neighborhood Grill.
I tried the “Bacon Burger Dog” per Adam’s recommendation; Amanda went with the blackened blue cheeseburger; Adam had the grilled tenderloin; the kids split a grilled cheese, and we all split an order of cheese balls, made with cheese from the local dairy. The cheeseballs and hand-cut french fries were high points, while the hot dog quality (or lack thereof) was a mark against the otherwise-good “Bacon Burger Dog.”
Hamburger, bacon, and a hot dog, on a hoagie, with hand-cut fries.
Before heading to Adam’s house, we crossed the street to check out Hudson’s local grocery store, Randall’s Stop N’ Shop. The store interior was run-of-the-mill, but it may be the only grocery outlet in Iowa with a giant cow to advertise the weekly specials. I insisted on a family picture before leaving downtown Hudson.
Adam gave us the grand tour of his home on the outskirts of Hudson before heading outside for the kids and his dog to burn off some energy. Max caught several tennis balls while Noah and Emmie were able to play on a few toys shared by the neighbor.
Emmie’s attempts to push Noah weren’t entirely successful.
We backtracked a bit into Waterloo where Amanda, Adam, and Noah watched the newly-released movie Home. Emmie and I had approximately 94 minutes to explore the area. The theater was conveniently adjacent to the Waterloo branch of Scratch Cupcakery, where we each ordered a cupcake and milk to enjoy in-store.
I’ve now been to three of the four Scratch Cupcakery locations in the state.
Emmie sat on her stool carefully eating her “Raspberry Love” cupcake.
After cupcakes, we did a bit of exploration in downtown Waterloo and picked up the rest of the crew from the movie theatre. Home apparently had its moments but will not be a show we purchase once available on iTunes. We dropped off Adam before an uneventful but pleasant drive back to Ankeny.