Updated again after being in more Iowa libraries.
On a recruiting mission lately, looking for census takers, I’ve seen a pretty sizeable chunk of Eastern Iowa and held meetings in lots of interesting places:

- Flutterby Cove
A church hall with a choir overhead singing “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” A room above a sanctuary where an organist was warming up to audition. A dingy basement and a chilly basement. I spent two days in a noisy mall disappointing little children.
And I’ve spent a lot of time in libraries. We have really nice libraries.
In many cases, nice is probably not a strong enough word.
Take the Independence Public Library. Its colorful Flutterby Cove with the butterflies overhead and the crazily angled windows and doorways (one big enough to let an adult inside) will make you want to be a kid again.
Maybe you can take a kid along as an excuse to get in there.
Some other terrific libraries I’ve visited lately, in no particular order:
Marion Public Library
Washington Public Library
Fairfax Public Library
Ely Public Library
Victor Public Library
Marengo Public Library
Waterloo Public Library
As they say, these are more than just places to check out books.
Thank you all for letting me use your space.