The first impressions of Cedar Rapids remind me of Rockhampton, Australia. Golden plain fields of corn beside the runway of the Eastern Iowa airport, coupled with a queue of taxis waiting lazily for an occasional passenger. The pace here is slow (and bearable as compared to Sillypore). We boarded a cab and he drove us to Mainstays Suites (USD$30). Along the way, his coffee was being kept warm in a thermo flask.

Cedar Rapids is known as the City of Five Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and "A Time To Enjoy." To some, it is also known as the City of Five Smells, due to the sometimes pervasive odor from the city's industrial businesses, which include ADM, Cargill, General Mills, Penford Products and Quaker Oats. All I gathered was the smell of a overdone bakery.

By now, I have not slept normally for 36 hours as I didn't managed to rest in San Francisco. Oh boy, I was groggy (a term that I learnt from my boss), and collapsed on the bed once I reached the hotel. Caught a good 3-hour sleep and but kept dreaming that my mum called me. I even wondered on how does mum knows the number to my room: Had just arrived and have no opportunity to call her. She sounded so familiar and real. It was in fact, my boss, updating me the time to meet up for dinner.

Went for dinner at a nearby restaurant (Granite City). It was in fact a microbrewery and damn they served good Indian Pale Ales (IPA) at USD$5 per pint.

Welcome to the United States of America, where beer flows cheap and free (and the "Lite" tasted so much like filth)!