Not a warm welcome for Cedar Rapids visitors

My 17-year-old daughter and I visited Cedar Rapids for the first time to tour a college last weekend. But thanks to a couple unfortunate incidents, we're not sure how much we want to come back.

After arriving at our hotel, we found dinner at a downtown brewery. Per COVID-19 protocol we're used to in Kansas City, we wore masks when we weren't eating or drinking. No biggie, although we were alone in our protocol. Walking back to our parked car, masked, we stopped to consult our GPS. Out of nowhere, male voices from a car driving by yelled angrily at us, 'You don't wear your masks outside!” then added, almost thoughtfully, 'Bitch!” Wow.

Since interacting with one set of bullies wasn't enough, the next day we were waiting at a red light to turn right out of a mall parking lot. A white SUV was in the left turn lane next to us. My daughter, who was driving, was trying to see oncoming traffic in order to turn. As she crept forward to get a view, so did the SUV, matching her move for move and completely obscuring her sight. I turned to look at the driver, an adult male, laughing right at us. Two unsolicited bullying incidents within 24 hours? One more and that's officially a pattern, and a bad reputation for Cedar Rapids. I sincerely hope these are rare, and not just an example of what awaits you if you decide to move here.

Kristin Raven

Overland Park, KS