Why not streetcars on Dubuque * Lots this week * Chris Bell returns * BILL'S COFFEESHOP NEWSLETTER * Vol. 12 * February 25, 2011

IMAGINE STREETCAR

ALONG DUBUQUE

Bring back streetcars. That's the most significant step Iowa City could take if it wishes to turn River Crossings into a showcase of urban development. 

This city, like so many others, has based most of its planning on auto-mobility -- making it easy for cars to get around. But that's not the only way people get around (or want to get around). A streetcar line along Dubuque would be a major step to reduce reliance on cars and make urban life more pleasant. 

Streetcars, now called light rail, are making a comeback all over the US. Minneapolis now has a line from downtown to the airport and is considering another to downtown St. Paul. San Diego has a line from its downtown to the Mexican border. And San Jose has several lines which crisscross the Santa Clara Valley.

Ten years ago I wrote a column for the Gazette proposing a light rail line along Interstate 380 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. That line could continue along I-80 to Dubuque Street and then all the way down to the River Crossings district where Uptown Bill's is located. 

Streetcar service once did run between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway and Light Co. started "interurban service" in 1904. It was part of a remarkable network of streetcar lines all over the United States. Most of these lines disappeared as automobiles took over the streets, Passenger service ended on the Cedar Rapids to Iowa City line -- or CRANDIC -- in 1953. But CRANDIC has survived as a short-line freight railroad.

Opponents of light rail argue that it won't work here because of the low-density urban sprawl which has been the dominant pattern of development for more than 50 years. Yet many of the California cities long associated with urban sprawl have invested in light rail.

San Jose is a good example. It now has light rail service on several lines  which run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. we could do that right here in eastern Iowa, too.

We could start with a line along Dubuque Street through the River Crossings district. It could run along Dubuque from downtown to the train station where trains to Chicago will be stopping again in a few years and then on to Kirkwood Avenue. Later, the line could be extended from downtown to I-80. (The section could take a jog onto Clinton Street for a few blocks to avoid the Ped Mall and the Sheraton hotel lobby.) 

What a great way to enhance the proposed River Crossings development. In fact, nothing else would have the positive impact of a streetcar line. And it could be the start of a new regional transit system. 

COMING THIS WEEK

AT UPTOWN BILL'S

Here's a look at some of the events this week at Uptown Bill's: 

Wednesday, March 2

2 pm. Social Justice Film: Standing Silent Nation. For more information, check www.standingsilentnation.com

Thursday, March 3

6 pm. Art & Music Night. This week's project: Mardi Gras masks

Friday, March 4

7 pm. Open Mic Night. Check Uptown Bill's on Facebook for more information. 

Saturday, March 5

1 pm. Iowa City Go Club

7 pm. Saturday Night Music: Dave Moore

AA MEETINGS AT 

COFFEE HOUSE

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are held every weekday at noon at Uptown Bill's. These are open meetings. On Saturdays, an open AA meeting is held at the original Wild Bill's Coffeeshop in North Hall on the university campus. 

AFRICAN-AMERICAN

HISTORY IN IOWA

February is Black History Month. Check the Facebook page for Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop for links to websites with information about the history of African-American families and communities in Iowa. 

WE THOUGHT YOU'D BE

INTERESTED IN...

...Individuals with disabilities are being exploited as slave labor in China, according to the Los Angeles Times. For a link to the story, visit the Facebook page for Uptown Bill's. 

...Do you know about The Vintage Shoppe, another of the businesses which is a part of Uptown Bill's. Find out more at the new Facebook page for the Vintage Shoppe.

...Looking for good used books? Check out the books at Uptown Bill's. Great selections at great prices. Paperbacks are $1.50; hard cover books are $3.

...Like to perform on the stage at Uptown Bill's? Call Tom G. at (319) 339-0491. Right now, we're looking for individuals and groups who would like to be a part of Art & Music Night on Thursdays. We're also booking now for summer concerts.

...Have you seen "A Friend Indeed," the new documentary about Bill Sackter's life and legacy? Copies are available for $20 at Uptown Bill's.

...Books by and about individuals with disabilities are the focus of Sackter House Media, another of the projects which is a part of Uptown Bill's. Check out the display at the coffee house.

...Remember Chris Bell? The musician who played the cello like a guitar? He played at both Uptown Bill's and Wild Bill's last summer. He'll be back in Iowa City on Sunday, March 20 for a concert at Uptown Bill's. 7 pm. 

...A Bill Sackter Birthday party is being planned for Sunday, April 10, 2-7 pm. Music, food and a showing of the Bill movie. Barry Morrow, Bill's friend and screenwriter for the Bill movie, will join the celebration by phone from his home in California. 

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Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in it 10th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open every day from 8 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0401. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.