Hoopla: A new publication shares the passion for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor

I recently stumbled across a new publication created by, and for, young professionals – Hoopla.

Hoopla isn’t about professional journalism. It isn’t about us telling you what’s cool. You know what’s hot. So tell us what rocks, where the coolest place to eat is, who makes the meanest martini.

The magazine appears to have been started by some fresh, young corridor lovers that want to help get the word out about what makes the corridor so cool. Since that’s also what we’re trying to do here at Discover the Corridor, I am excited to have another group out there telling the “why it’s great to live here” story!

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Looking for a job? Try Iowa City!

In a time when unemployment rates seem to be skyrocketing and lead stories on the news tend to be about bailouts and layoffs, seeing Iowa City rated as on of the 30 best cities to find a job last week by CareerBuilder.com was a nice surprise. Especially for local job hunters!

According to the article, job seekers are much better off to look for employment in cities such as Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and our own Iowa City, Iowa than New York, Chicago or Los Angles.

Why? These cities registered some of the lowest unemployment rates in September 2008 – something very few other metro areas can say. Unemployment rates were higher in 349 of the 369 U.S. metropolitan areas surveyed, which means 92 percent of cities have seen an increase in their unemployment rates.

The Corridor

The Corridor
What it is . . . why it’s important

The Technology Corridor is a multi-county region combining the culture and the commuting patterns of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City metropolitan areas and its neighbors.

From energetic cosmopolitan metro areas, friendly communities to the beauty and serenity of the University of Iowa campus, scenic vistas, gentle rolling hillsides and pastoral tranquility, the Corridor is a reflection of diverse businesses, populations and cultural communities.

The Corridor is more than a roadway, passage or route. The Corridor is the historic heart, focal point and business hub of eastern Iowa. There are extraordinary advantages, coalitions and services that make living and doing business in the Corridor compelling.

Second Annual Pink Ice Hockey Game

This Saturday, the Cedar Rapids Roughriders game against the Omaha Lancers will be played on pink ice as part of a “Pink Game” promotion to promote breast cancer awareness. One dollar from every ticket will go to St. Luke’s Spirit Fund, which provides financial assistance to women diagnosed with breast cancer. The team and game officials will wear pink jerseys that will be auctioned to benefit the Spirit Fund.

The ice will remain pink for Sunday evening’s meeting between the Riders and Green Bay Gamblers.

For more information read the media release.

Leaf-peeping in the Corridor

Here are some pictures from the beautiful fall foliage we’ve experienced here in the corridor the last few weeks.

If you haven’t had the chance yet, get out and enjoy this beautiful October!

The Corridor Offers Many Spooky Attractions for Halloween

From haunted corn mazes, to mansions and crypts the corridor offers some great options for those looking for a fright this Halloween.

Here’s a quick list of haunted houses in the corridor. If you’ve been to any please comment, and feel free to mention any I may have missed.  

Frightmare Forrest
Check out their Web site – I bet they are the only haunted house in the corridor with a blog and myspace page. Ha!  Anyway, my husband and I and another couple went to this last year, and it was fun.  Go in with an open mind and be prepare to wait – because it’s usually an hour or two. Their FAQ says it best:

Fall Foliage Hits the Corridor

So many people travel to New England to see the amazing colors of Fall, but if you haven’t noticed, it’s quite gorgeous around here right now. 

I heard on the news that this weekend will be Eastern Iowa’s peak in terms of color, so let’s all go out and take some pictures of the beautiful reds, oranges and auburns gracing our trees.  Submit your pics to discoverthecorridor@gmail.com and we’ll post them next week.

Let’s show the world just how beautiful Iowa is in autumn.