Treasured memories from Sidecar, Salt Company, Big Woods, Prairie Lakes Park, UNI’s Campanile lawn, Cedar City Creamery and George’s Local
By Morgan Ryerson
College is an exciting yet confusing time in your life. You find yourself in a new place with new people, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, and it doesn’t quite feel like home yet.
But when you do return to your hometown, it oddly doesn’t feel like home either.
I often felt like a nomad—living out of a bag I would take home, carrying a mix of things from home to my dorm at UNI. I was caught between the home I’ve always known and the new home I was trying to create here in Cedar Falls.
But, little by little, I began to discover the spots and meet the people who made an unfamiliar place start to feel like my own.
Here they are:
Sidecar Coffee (College Hill location: 2215 College St.)
Sidecar became a place of peace for me throughout my weeks. The cozy, lively spirit of the cafe brought light on gloomy weeks (the weather and emotionally). It has become my favorite coffee shop of all time. Not only is its coffee uniquely and distinctly flavored, but the atmosphere is welcoming. The baristas are personable, the music features popular folk and indie bands, some locations have fun-colored couches, the menu has been intentionally crafted by the owner and previous sidecar baristas, and it’s hard to visit a Sidecar without seeing someone you know. All to say, it’s a coffee shop that makes you want to stop in and stay for a while.
Coffee shops are also more than just a place to drink a caffeinated beverage. People do a lot of life over coffee, whether it be enjoying a fresh cup with a friend, going on a first date, or having hard conversations. I love that a simple thing like a drink gets to bring people together in all different seasons of life. This is definitely what Sidecar has been for me.
Salt Company / Candeo Church (1405 Greenhill Rd)
Speaking of doing life over coffee, I’ve had a lot of meet-ups with my small group leaders from Salt Company at Sidecar.
The Salt Company, a college ministry at UNI, was a sweet, unexpected surprise of my college years.
What started as trying out a campus ministry, turned into living a life dedicated to serving the Lord with my best friends.
Communing with like-minded girls and hearing a teaching over the Bible once a week were the highlights of my weeks. It provided me with a community that supported, encouraged, and challenged one another. We helped each other get through our college years.
Big Woods & Prairie Lakes Park (1228 Big Woods Rd & 924 Viking Rd)
Going on long walks and runs became something I picked up in college.
It was also something that helped clear my head during busy weeks. Both places provide a paved trail that wraps around a lake: the perfect spot for college students to get their steps and sunshine in.
Campanile Lawn
On sunny days on campus, you can find me sitting on the grass outside the campanile. Sometimes my roommate and I would sit and read outside, or one time me and one of my small group of girls got pizza from Urban Pie and had a little picnic on the grass. This, along with hammocking around campus, has made me love UNI even more.
The Cedar City Creamery (110 Lincoln St)
Within the past year or so, the Cedar City Creamery became the favorite sweet treat spot for me and my friends. “Wanna go to the triple C?” is a question frequently asked in my friend group. We have gone on late night ice cream runs after small group meetings or randomly throughout the week. One of my favorite times was the night before senior year started.
We talked about life and the things we were excited about for our last year at UNI. If you haven’t tried the strawberry cheesecake sno cream you definitely should 🙂
George’s Local (108 E 4th St)
If there’s a celebration or birthday of any kind, you could find my friends and I dressed up, talking and laughing away at George’s. I’m glad Cedar Falls has a scrumptious place for nice dinners. From fun mocktails to unique appetizers like Brussels sprouts, George’s has been our favorite place to celebrate each other. Fried chicken sandwich with Korean BBQ will certainly be missed.
The people and the memories most definitely make the place, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else for my college years!