Carnagge is the local lan party community. I haven't joined any of the events, so I can't comment on their quality.
As for the smells of the city, well, I won't deny them

We've got a Quaker Oats, General Mills, ADM, Ralston and one other company that put out a very "interesting" collage of odors. The best days are when General Mills are putting out their fruity flavored cereals. It's almost pleasant
For those of us in our 20's, yup, CR is pretty boring. I personally live closer to Iowa City than I do to Cedar Rapids. I live in a bedroom community called North Liberty. It's a halfway point between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, it's for families like mine that have one member that works in CR, and one that works in IC. Pretty nice, especially since it's considerably cheaper than Iowa City.
Better "scenery" down in Iowa City also. Mucho chicas muy bonitas
