STREET CARS & TRAINS * POETRY READING * NEW MUSLIM COOL * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 13 * March 18, 2012

STREET CARS & TRAINS:

KEYS TO A SHOWCASE

Bring back streetcars. Restart the trains to Chicago and Omaha. Those are the two most significant steps 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 on Dubuque would be a major step to reduce reliance on cars and make urban life more pleasant.  So would a train to Chicago.

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 building 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 follow the CRANDIC tracks all the way 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 street car line beginning near the historic train station on Dubuque Street. That's the station where passenger trains to Chicago used to stop -- and could again if the plan for revived passenger rail service gets enough support. The street cars could use the CRANDIC tracks which cross Dubuque Street just a few feet south of Uptown Bill's. The new passenger trains would run on the tracks just a half a block north of Bill's  

These are not difficult steps to take. And they would be great ways to enhance the proposed River Crossings development. In fact, nothing else would have the positive impact of a streetcar line and revived passenger train service. And these could be an inspiration for other cities, including Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Sioux City.

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The biggest objections to reviving street car and passenger train service revolve around the cost. It will cost several million dollars to get passenger train service restarted to Chicago. And there will have to be public funds to support service for at least several years after that. The same is true for street car service. That would require electrification of the CRANDIC line (or building a new one) which is expensive.

But highways are expensive, too. At least as expensive as street cars or trains. And those are paid for with public funds, too, both to build and to maintain. Yet somehow, we think of those expenditures differently.

Terry Branstad, Iowa's governor, is a good example of this kind of thinking. He says he opposes any public funds for operating expenses for the new passenger trains. Yet, he doesn't object to taking public funds for his own transportation. For nearly half of his adult life, taxpayers have provided free public transportation for Branstad. This includes cars, drivers, planes and more. 

So instead of thinking of trains as something special or extraordinary, why don't we think of them as part of a balanced transportation system. Cars, streetcars and trains can all be part of this plan and all get public support. 

THIS WEEK'S WEDNESDAY
FILM: 'NEW MUSLIM COOL'
See this excellent film on Wednesday, March 21 at the coffee house. Presented by Uptown Bill's and Bill's Bookmart in collaboration with POV, the award-winning nonfiction film series from PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/newmuslimcool/trailer.php
Puerto Rican-American rapper Hamza Pérez pulled himself out of drug dealing and street life 12 years ago and became a Muslim. Now he's moved to Pittsburgh's tough North Side to start a new religious community, rebuild his shattered family and take his message of faith to other young people through hard-hitting hip-hop music. But when the FBI raids his mosque, Hamza must confront the realities of the post-9/11 world, and himself. New Muslim Cool takes viewers on Hamza's ride through streets, slums and jail cells — following his spiritual journey to some surprising places in an America that never stops changing.

COMING UP AT THE

COFFEE HOUSE...

Tuesday, March 20. 7 pm. Reading and book signing with Paul Van Nieuwenhuise.

Paul will read from "Wishing After Dawn," his collection of poems.

Wednesday, March 21.
1:30 pm. Film: New Muslim Cool.
6 pm. Craft Night hosted by Arts Enterprise.
7 pm. Spoken Word. 10 minute readings.
8 pm. Live broadcast of 'The Smartest Iowan.'

Thursday, March 22. 6 pm. Artvaark (Art activities). 7 pm. Open Mic.
Friday, March 23. 1-4 pm Chess Group.
Saturday, March 24. 7 pm. Saturday Night Music: Bree Nettie with Marty Letz

Wednesday, March 28. 1:30 pm. Film. 7 pm. Spoken Word

Thursday, March 29. 6 pm. Artvaark (Art activities).
7-9 pm. Big Open Mic hosted by Arts Enterprise (Five minute performances)

Friday, March 30, 1-4 pm. Chess Group. 5 pm. Music with Almost Circle
Saturday, March 31. 7 pm. Saturday Night Music: Pennies on the Rail.

RIVER RUN COMING
SUNDAY, APRIL 29
You can register now for the annual River Run. This year's event -- a benefit for Uptown Bill's -- is set for Sunday, April 29.Check this website for details: www.riverrun.uiowa.edu

HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE
VINTAGE SHOPPE?
Looking for collectibles or antiques? Check out the Vintage Shoppe. Located at 2203 F. St. (near the First Avenue HyVee, it started inside Uptown Bill's and is now in its own location. Open daily from 10 am. Closed Mondays.

LIVE BROADCAST OF
'SMARTEST IOWAN'
A live broadcast of the "Smartest Iowan" quiz show is planned Wednesday, March 21 at Uptown Bill's. You're invited to come down and be a part of the studio audience for this lively quiz show. It starts at 8 pm (following Spoken Word). For more information, check the PATV website: www.patv.tv.

WE THOUGHT YOU'D
BE INTERESTED IN...

...Self-help books are on sale this month. $1 each. Hardcover and paperback. Most other books: $2 for paperbacks; $3 for hardcovers.

...Looking for about a dozen more coffee mugs. If you have one you'd like to part with, we'll give it a good home.

...Have you seen our fireplace? It's on the wall right behind our stage. Actually it's a sketch of a fireplace made for us by a friend of the coffee house.

...Plant an extra row of vegetables for the food bank at theCrisis Center. That's the message from Dylan and Sage, two of our young friends. Check out their display in the coffee house for details.

...Draw on the sidewalk. And the parking lot. We'll provide the chalk. Just ask at the counter for the bucket of sidewalk chalk.

...What about the tree? It will be staying up for Easter and Passover. If you have decorations which fit these holidays, feel free to bring them in and put them on the tree.

...Stay in touch: Find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, watch us on You Tube.
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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 its 11th 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 Monday through Saturday from 10 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's website or Facebook page. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0804. 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.