May 2015 MICHIGAN Traverse City 1 - Back to the Bay

Once again we are headed to Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. Just can't stay away. My sister and hubby, my brother (birthday May 4) and wifey (birthday May 2), and friends from Chicago (anniversary May 3) are meeting there to celebrate. It is also the annual Sip and Savor Saturday.

The day was a great one for travel. At departure time (9:09 am), it was sunny, clear and 52 degrees. As we left town we saw many white flowering trees at peak blossom. As we continued north, we saw 50 shades of green with all the trees and plants starting to bud and bloom. By the time we hit Grand Rapids it was already 59 degrees and continuing upward.

I have been trying on every trip up to get a photo of a clump of large heron (I think) nests high up in the trees. I thought they were between mile marker 100 and 110, but did not seem them so I put my camera away. Than at mile marker 113-ish (just past the Pierson exit and big trash mound) I spotted it. Just not in time to get a shot. A goal for next time.

The plan was to meet Tim and Nancy at Crystal Mountain Resort for lunch. They were coming from Saugatuk. Timing was just about perfect. It had been a year since we saw them last, at Put-In-Bay, Ohio. They were a sight for sore eyes.

We ate in the Thistle Pub and Grill. Mike had a pub cheeseburger, Tim had a baby back rib stack, Nancy had a walleye sandwich, and I had a bowl of udon noodles with steamed veggies. The food was good and we recommend it. This was the start of our weekend eating binge.

Next we stopped at the Michigan Legacy Art Park,  about a mile away. It is new as far as we know. It has about 1.5 miles of trails through the woods with works of "yard art" displayed along the way. Much of it was made with materials that melded into the landscape and felt organic in nature. Sometimes we had to really look to find the art.

We laughed at the "dinosaur eggs." There were several foot long rocks painted blue and "layed" in a huge nest of twigs and leaves. The art piece was about 7 feet wide. We would have been shaking in our shoes, if it had been in the real Jurassic Park. We didn't linger long here. Overall, not quite as interesting as we expected.


The four of us got to T.C. before the others. After a little refreshing, we met in T&N's suite. They had a top floor unit with a HUGE balcony. We had always wanted to check one of these suites out and it was impressive. The balcony was about 12x12 feet, much bigger than I ever expected. Yes, actually worth $100 extra on the room rate. 

After oohing and aching at the space and the expansive view, we decided to take a downtown stroll. Tim and Nancy were not so acquainted with the area, so we gave them the ten cent tour. The main street was bustling as usual.

We checked a few stores, bought a few trinkets, and landed at the Mackinaw Brewing Company. We had beers and wines and I ordered a hot artichoke dip. It was the best I've ever had at a restaurant with loads of hearts of chokes.

The plan was to meet the others at about 5pm at the Beacon Lounge (top floor bar at the hotel). It is one of our favorite places in T.C. with a wide and wonderful tenth story view of the area. From this height you can see much of West Grand Traverse Bay, as well as the city.  In March when we were here last, the bay was frozen over and snow everywhere. We've even seen hot air balloons drifting by at our level. Today blue skies and blue water. No matter what the weather, it is always beautiful from this vantage point. 

Bob and Lo were there when we arrived and Tom and Lauren followed shortly. We had a few cocktails and shared appetizers--crab artichoke bake, no bone short ribs, coconut shrimp, roasted potato pizza (the last sounds weird but was delicious). We caught up on old times and old acquaintances. Tim and Nancy feeling as much part of my family as my bro and sis and spouses.

After that we were too stuffed for dinner, so we walked it off with window shopping. We had planned for a Kilwin's dessert (our usual bear claw roll for Mike and caramel apple for me), but they were closed by the time we arrived. Oh well, probably for the best!