Iowa City Real Estate Blog

Valentine's weekend is a big movie weekend, at least judging by the star power out there this weekend it is.  Writing this post on new movies and events in Iowa City and Coralville for this weekend February 12 through February 14 it became clear that Valentine's weekend is a very important weekend on the calender - Probably more important here than anywhere else in the world I've lived. Just carry on reading and you'll see what I mean...

The first of the movies you can catch at the Coral Ridge Mall Movie Theatre in Coralville and the Sycamore Mall Cinema in Iowa City is The Wolfman - This is of course based on the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror. It stars Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Anthony Hopkins, who I am proud to say comes from the same corner of the world as me. (Wales is a tiny country that most folks not living there have difficulty finding on a map, so I need to give it a special mention every now and then!)

The next new movie is Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightening Thief. Percy is a regular high school student who's life gets interesting when he finds out his father was Poseiden, the God of the Sea, which naturally makes him a demigod. A bit of a Harry Potter knock-off by all accounts, not that it matters. A good story is a good story. Once again there's a whole bunch of stars, this time in supporting roles. We've got Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean supporting Logan Lerman as Percy. 

The last new movie for this week has the give away title of Valentine's Day. No clarification needed there... And if you thought the previous two movies were star laden, this one takes the cake! There are more than a dozen famous names in it. Here are a few of the names for you to make my point: Julia Roberts, Kathy Bates, Taylor Swift, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper and George Lopez.  Pretty diverse bunch of actors, I'm sure you'll agree... Add Patrick Dempsey, Queen Latifah and Shirley Maclaine and you've got quite a hot pot there... (I'm going to stop now or this will start looking like a grocery list!)

Moving onto the regular theatre... The Englert has an amazing show lined up this weekend with two performances by the Peking Acrobats on Saturday. I'm sure that will be a totally awesome show not to be missed by anyone who appreciates acrobatics.

End Days continues its run until February 21 at The Riverside Theater If you follow my blog you'll know this is a play about science, religion and suburbia. (A surprising combination for a comedy for sure).


The Mill will deliver as usual of course. They kick off Friday with the Jazz after Five Concert Series and continue through Valentine's weekend with other events. You'll find the schedule on their website.

If you like your country music with dance then check out the Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon. Great music and great food and free wi-fi...They often have specials too like all you can eat ribs on Wednesdays...They're on Facebook and do a great job of keeping fans updated on events and specials on their fan page. 

Last, but definitely not least for this week I'm going to round it up again with the Riverside Casino. It's not all about the casino, they have plenty of live entertainment. They have landed themselves quite a catch this weekend with Kris Kristopherson playing there tonight, (Friday). And you know they don't come any better than that!

Iowa City is a busy little town and this is just what caught my eye for this weekend. The Press Citizen is a good source for more events and entertainment in the Iowa City area.

And in an effort to pull things together and make them easier to find in one place I've put together a list of theaters in the Iowa City area, also including telephone numbers.

Exciting weekend coming up as we look forward to Super Bowl Weekend. While you're preparing for the big game there's still time for a trip to the movies or take in a show before Sunday.  If you're looking for choices, this is what I've come across in Iowa City and Coralville for this weekend February 5 through February 7... 

Two new movies to share with you this week. The first is From Paris with Love - A deceiving title I think... I would have expected a romantic comedy and I would have been wrong... It's an action adventure movie with John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Myers. John Travolta plays a trigger happy CIA agent with his green side kick (Jonathan Rhys Myers) who are running around the streets of Paris causing mayhem as they try to prevent a terror attack. John Travolta is great in this kind of crazy roll so probably steals the show.

The other movie is Dear John, Lasse Hallestrom's adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel. It stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. It's about a young man who goes to war after meeting the love of his life. The letters his new love sends him are what get him through his days, but these very letters have consequences that neither could have envisioned. I've said it before, I've never seen a movie that truly lived up to the book. I love Lasse Hallestrom movies, but I'm going to stick by that statement!

You can catch these movies at the Coral Ridge Mall Movie Theatre in Coralville and the Sycamore Mall Cinema in Iowa City.

Moving onto the regular theatre... Lots of fun to be had this weekend in Iowa City. I'll kick off with the Englert where you can see improv sketch comedy at it's best with the 50th anniversary of Second City on both Saturday and Sunday. This is where some of today's most famous comedians started out, so you can expect big laughs as the troupe looks back at 50 years of classic sketches.

More comedy at The Riverside Theater where End Days continues it's run until February 21. This is a play about science, religion and suburbia. (Yes, I did say comedy... And I'm sure you're as surprised as me that a play about science and religion makes it into the comedy gendre!)


Another great weekend at The Mill of course. Friday sees the return of legendary singer-songwriter Dave Moore.  Dave has played on nationally known radio programs like A Prairie Home Companion and The World Cafe.

Just to prove the point that The Mill is "the in place in town" Dr Dog with the Growlers is performing on Saturday and that show is sold out already! There's a reason The Mill was voted Best Live Entertainment Venue in the Press Citizen's Best of Area list...

If you like your country music with dance then check out the Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon. Great music and great food and free wi-fi...They often have specials too like all you can eat ribs on Wednesdays...They're on Facebook and you'll find a list of their specials there.

And for those of you who feel like kicking it up a notch the Riverside Casino might be just the place for you this weekend. It's not all about the casino, they have plenty of live entertainment too. This weekend they have quite a show lined up on Friday and Saturday with The Britins, a Milwaukee band who entertain audiences with a tribute to The Beatles. Talk about a trip down memory lane... It seems we have quite a bit of that going on this weekend in Iowa City.

All of this of course culminates with the big game on Sunday. Who are you rooting for? I think the soft-hearted amongst us will be rooting for the "underdog." From what I can see they know how to celebrate in New Orleans and if they pull this off that will be one heck of a party!

Home for Sale: 814 20th Ave, Coralville, IA 52241 - $149,500

Lots of space to grow in this wonderfully maintained ranch home in a fantastic central location. Large family room and 4th non-conforming bedroom in basement. Nice large eat-in kitchen leads to the 3 seasons porch. Fenced in yard with mature trees, patio and pond. 1 car attached garage w/ extra wide driveway for extra parking. Live in a great neighborhood with shopping, schools and parks all within walking distance. Short commute to UIOWA and UI Hospitals and Dental School.

Built: 1969

Style: Ranch

Bedrooms: 3 (4th non-conforming bedroom in basement)

Bathrooms: 1 Full on main level, 1 three-quarter bath in basement

MLS# 20100741

Excellent first time home buyer opportunity!

What's the biggest misconception about Iowa City? That would be the rural image folks have about our area. As someone who relocated to the Iowa City area 10 years ago I have plenty to compare this to and I can tell you that it ain't so...That we have a vibrant college town with absolutely loads going on. In fact there is so much to do I decided it's worthy of a series. I figure my best plan is to break down all the things you can do in this surprising town into categories and will start with theaters...


Coral Ridge Mall Movie Theatre is, as the name suggests, located at the Mall in Coralville. It's a pretty big theater with 10 screens and stadium seating. Tel: 319-625-1010

Sycamore Cinema is located on the east side of Iowa City at Sycamore Mall. It has 12 state-of-the-art auditoriums and in addition to movies often shows unique events that include simulcast live concerts, sporting events and the New York Metropolitan Opera, (MET). Tel: 319-351-8383

Bijou Theater is a non-profit student run theater at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City that focuses on independent, art house, foreign and classic movies. They have 1 screen and tickets are available at the box office only on the day of showing. Tel: 319-335-3041.


New Strand Theatre is in West Liberty - Now this is a bit rural. It's a 15 minute commute east of Iowa City. New Strand is not just a movie theater, it's also home to wonderful puppet shows from the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theater. (I love puppet shows, they bring back lovely memories of my sons growing up in Germany). Tel: 319-627-2014


The Englert Theatre is a Community Arts Theatre in downtown Iowa City. It was built in 1912 by William Englert and his wife Etta who wanted to rival the finest stages and movie houses in the Midwest. The local newspaper at the time wrote that "Iowa had nothing finer." It is still an impressive building. Well-preserved and adds to the atmosphere of the historic part of downtown Iowa City. In the spirit of Vaudeville, The Englert embraces all the Arts and hosts performances from all over the world. Case in point, The Peking Acrobats will be performing there in February. Tel: 319-688-2653

Riverside Theatre is located on Gilbert St and is Iowa City's resident professional theatre. It was founded in 1981 and strives to offer an artistic home for theatre professionals while entertaining audiences with intimate, engaging productions from the classics to world premieres. Tel: 319-338-7672

Hancher Auditorium was damaged in the floods of 2008, so does not have a physical address at present. That doesn't stop them organizing events though and these take place at a variety of locations, depending on the needs of the performers and ranges from West High School Auditorium to The Englert and The Mill in Iowa City. (Check out the website and you'll see they have 11 different locations). Tel: 319-335-1160

Iowa City Community Theatre  was established in 1956 and is dedicated to promoting the dramatic arts in and around Iowa City. They perform at a variety of locations, including Johnson County Fairgrounds and The Englert.

Home for Sale: 307 E 6th St. West Liberty IA 52776 - $128,900

Warm and inviting best describe this beautiful home with lots of updates and so much attention to detail. New laminate wood floor in dining/foyer area. New deck. Nice fenced in backyard. Large, light and bright kitchen. Newer ceramic tile in kitchen, main bath and laundry room. Newer paint, newer carpet and newer appliances. Live in a wonderful rural area close to schools and shopping and just a 15 minute commute to Iowa City... And save on utilities too! Loads of space, with living room, a separate family room and separate dining room and laundry room all on the main floor. (4th Bedroom on upper level is non-conforming).

Year Built: 1883

Sq Ft: 1680

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 1 + 1/2 Bath

Garage: 1 Car Detached + Pad - Rear, side entry

Gross Tax: $1,576.00 (Tax year 2008)

MLS ID: 20100294