This summer, I'm on a mission to explore uncharted territory in my own backyard and improve Michigan's economy one purchase at a time. The strategy is simple. Visit 10 places I've never been before...just because I've never been. Next on my list: Korner Gem Korner Gem Ever since I received an unusual Fordite necklace from [...]
Chateau de Leelanau Winery is now closed This summer, I'm on a mission to explore uncharted territory in my own backyard and improve Michigan's economy one purchase at a time. The strategy is simple. Visit 10 places I've never been before...just because I've never been. Next on my list: Chateau de Leelanau Winery Chateau de [...]
Hodge Podge Lodge is now closed This summer, I'm on a mission to explore uncharted territory in my own backyard and improve Michigan's economy one purchase at a time. The strategy is simple. Visit 10 places I've never been before...just because I've never been. Next on my list: Hodge Podge Lodge The Hodge Podge Lodge [...]
Some businesses are now closed This summer, I'm on a mission to explore uncharted territory in my own backyard and improve Michigan's economy one purchase at a time. The strategy is simple. Visit 10 places I've never been before...just because I've never been. Close your eyes and think about this for a moment. Wait...that [...]
I love my Michigan Wine, but sometimes summer calls for a cocktail. So I decided to share a collection of drink recipes made from Michigan wine, spirits and beer. Cheers! Raz Be Daz | Recipe from Black Star Farms To make this, pour ¾ glass of Black Star Farms Be Dazzled Sparkling [...]
Regional Convention & Visitors Bureaus throughout the state are faced with the question of whether or not to increase their room assessment, also known as a "Bed Tax" from 2% up to 5%. What's the impetus behind this proposal? And what do our local CVBs plan to do? Here's what I discovered. The Facts [...]
Mealtickets & Unusual Ideas is proud to present a brand new iPhone app called Traverse Traveler. The Traverse Traveler iPhone app is a handy mobile guide for the Traverse area visitor designed to promote local restaurants, wineries, attractions, shopping, events, services and more. And best of all...it's a FREE download for iPhone and iTouch users. Whether you're planning [...]
Digging Around in the Lost and Found How many times do you check your belongings, dig through suitcases and peruse the room before closing the hotel door on the final day of vacation? If you're anything like me, about a dozen. And yet, we still leave important items behind. When I was a child, [...]
The beverage business is booming in Michigan. And everyone from visitors to lodging personnel to locals wants to keep up with what's new in the world of wine, beer and spirits in Northern Michigan. So here are some highlights from our customers in the industry. Right Brain Brewery 90 lbs of asparagus were grilled [...]
Considered "The Oscars of the food world," by Time Magazine, the James Beard Foundation Award is one of the highest honors a chef can receive. And three Traverse Area chefs are on the cusp of receiving this very honor. Semi-finalists in the category Best Chef: Great Lakes 2010 are chef Miles Anton of Trattoria Stella, chef Randy Chamberlain of Blu, and chef Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse. [...]
The Village at Grand Traverse Commons Tour with Ray Minervini Did you know...the entire campus at the old Traverse City State Hospital—one million square feet of brick, wood and stone— was built from the ground up in less than 2 years? There are 400,000 square feet of space in Building 50 alone! That's an architectural [...]
Charming Carriage House still has Room at the Inn When I roam around the county filling displays at hotels, motels, resorts and wineries, I try to take a moment and chat with the owners and staff. I stopped this week at the Wellington Inn in Traverse City and was surprised to learn that there was still [...]
Spartan Flag Company is now closed Did you know, the majority of the world's golf flags are made in Northport, Michigan? I had no idea. That is, until I had the chance to get a tour of the Spartan Flag Company, in beautiful Northport, Michigan. It was there I came to see why the [...]
The arrival of spring is full of excitement. The snow is finally gone, the trees begin to dress themselves in leafy green, and the woodland floor comes to life. But it's the elusive morel mushroom that draws me in amongst the trees each spring for a long and hopefully fruitful walk. For as long [...]
The Making of a Michigan Specialty I grew up in Suburbia. Our food came from the grocery store, not a garden. We prepared meals from fresh, canned, or frozen foods like everyone else I knew. On weekends we'd enjoy a breakfast of pancakes, always topped with pure Michigan maple syrup. Never had I imagined [...]
There's a Black Star in The White House; Black Star Farms to be exact President Barack Obama and his wife recently hosted a governor's dinner where the featured wine was something special; a Michigan ice wine. Paired with a dessert of huckleberry cobbler and caramel ice cream was the A Capella ice wine from Black [...]
The Cherry Capital is the Perfect Place to Celebrate National Cherry Month Traverse City is home of the Cherry Festival and known as the Cherry Capital of the world. So what better place to celebrate National Cherry Month than right here in Northern Michigan? The Cherry Stop has christened it Febru-Cherry and they're throwing a discount party [...]
New Plaques for the 'Old Soldier' in Grand Traverse County On the Old Courthouse Lawn at the corners of Washington and Boardman rests the 'Old Soldier' monument and the Civil War Naval Cannon. This morning, August 23, 2008, the Robert Finch Camp No. 14 presented two bronze plaques to Grand Traverse County as part of their [...]
Did you know the first drive-in movie theater opened on June 6, 1933, in Camden, New Jersey. The patent held by Richard Hollingshead first began with one car, a screen stretched between two trees, and a radio hidden behind it. After several beta tests to determine, among other things, the best position for multiple cars [...]
When it comes to protecting their precious vintage some local wineries are making the switch from corks to screw caps. What it lacks in drama, it makes up in efficiency. According to Lee Lutes, winemaker for Black Star Farms, the Stelvin closure, otherwise known as the screw cap, does a better job of protecting [...]
