Iowa City shows its colors along the Burlington Bridge

A new tradition has swept across our campus here at Iowa.

My daily walk on the Burlington and Hwy 1 bridge to get over the river and on the east side of campus used to be boring and tedious. But something new has changed since last semester. People are marking their bar adventures on the bridge like a tally of success, and its bringing life back into this once-dull bridge.

A marker on the hand is not something to be proud of, but a wristband vouches to a great night of bar-hopping through our beloved Iowa City. Each bar has their own wristband that’s unique to them, with numerous different colors and captions. One night, some genius decided to tie their wristband along the bridge over the river, and this created a new trend that has swept the Hawkeye nation.

A landmark is being born on campus

There is a similar bridge in Paris known as the “Love Lock” bridge, where millions of people lock padlocks, as well as their permanent love, to the bridge, creating an iconic symbol of love in their city. Now Iowa is doing something similar with the wristbands. I guess it shows our love of Iowa City bars, and moreover drinking. Everyone knows we Hawkeyes are dedicated drinkers. 

The word is spreading

Over the last weekend, I had some friends come visit me. They thought the bridge was a pretty cool idea and wanted to join in on the new tradition being created.

 “The bridge is so sick and I wanted to be a part of it,” said Dan McNulty, one of my friends from St. Ambrose University. “Maybe the next time I visit it will be full of wristbands.”

This awesome tradition is quickly growing on Iowa’s campus and word of it is even spreading to other schools.

I asked a fellow Hawkeye, Rory McAuliffe, about why he put his wristband on the bridge.  

“Well since I don’t need my wristbands, while I was walking on the bridge going home I thought it’d be cool to tie it on there. I didn’t expect that many people to do it as well,” said McAuliffe. 

Be a part of this

This bridge is a great memory to look back on and another reason for Hawkeyes to talk to each other and share their stories.

If you happen to have some old wristbands around, tying  them on the bridge is a fantastic way to get rid of them instead of throwing them out. Or, simply go out to enjoy the Iowa City nightlife. When your night is over, take a walk along the bridge, tie your wristband, and take the time to look out at the river and beautiful scenery.

It will be the perfect end to a great night.