The H Hotel Welcomes Michie!

Ahoy, friends!  I’ve just arrived at the H Hotel on Main Street in downtown Midland … check me out at their Main Entrance!  Looks like a beautiful day to me!

Here I am with some friendly folks at the Midland Farmer’s Market – which happens every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm … it’s also home to some of the freshest, delicious, and home-grown goods around!  Did I mention it’s within sight (and walking distance) from the H Hotel?  There sure is a lot happening in Downtown Midland this summer!

Look at me, look at me!  I’m just about to get on the “Tridge” – the world’s only 3-legged pedestrian walking bridge!  This bridge, also located within sight of and within steps of the H Hotel, connects the shores of 3 rivers – Saginaw, Chippewassee, and Tittabawassee.

Here I am again – at the ‘center’ of the Tridge and over-looking the Chippewassee River!  By goly, it’s gorgeous up here!

I met this fine fellow, “Geoff Miles Stone” (he’s pretty handsome, huh?), who stands (and welcomes guests) at the H Hotel’s Main Street/Courtyard entrance … he’s part of downtown Midland’s 2011 Summer Sculpture Series! There are 18 different troll sculptures (by local artists) situated around downtown and are so unique, you can’t miss ‘em!

Ah … a cocktail party at it’s finest!  Lucky for me, I was visiting when the H Hotel served as host of the Regional Chamber of Commerce’s (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw, and Mt. Pleasant) hosted a ‘Business After Hours’ networking event!  Over 1,200 business folks were at this event … did you know the H is deemed the Great Lakes Bay Region’s premier venue for special events, meetings, and even weddings?

Here I am on the Café Zinc Main Street patio – outdoor dining at it’s finest!  Café Zinc is a French-bistro type restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner – they also feature fresh made pastries and specialty coffees and is quickly coming Midland’s ‘hot spot’ for dining out-The Great Lakes Bay Regional Lifestyle Magazine voted Café Zinc the best place to dine outdoors, best place for a business lunch, and best croissant!

Ready to plan your next visit to the H Hotel in Midland?

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Michie Dives into Greater Lansing!

No trip to Greater Lansing is complete without a stop at the State Capitol Building, so that’s where I decided to launch my big visit! The artistic beauty and historical significance of this building was just awesome.

After my tour of the Capitol Building, I took a stroll through Washington Square and downtown Lansing. Wow! So many restaurants, shops and night spots from which to choose! I really got a cool and lively vibe downtown and knew for sure I’d be back for some fun later tonight.

I’m a fish, and heights are SO not my thing… but when I heard about the event in downtown Lansing called “Over the Edge”; I just HAD to get involved. Rappelling down the side of the 23-story Boji Tower for charity? Absolutely! This nice young lady let me ride down with her and we raised $500 for Team Lansing Foundation. I may not look nervous, but I was pretty much freaking out.

I had heard a lot about all the automotive history in Greater Lansing, so I had to check out the R.E. Olds Museum. Just so cool! I mean it – this is American innovation at its best. Although General Motors doesn’t make Oldsmobile anymore, the Lansing Delta Township GM Plant is absolutely state-of-the-art and provides the world with Cadillacs. I entered a drawing to win this 70’s era Olds Cutlass. Wish me luck!

Whew! I’m always looking for places to take a dip when I get into a new town. I mean, I like to get around and do things, but at the end of the day, I’m just a fish out of water. I had a great time chatting with these kayakers going down the Grand River. Feeling cool, refreshed and ready for some serious cardio, I swam upstream all the way from downtown Lansing to the Red Cedar River in East Lansing and the campus of Michigan State – Gorgeous!

After my swim, I had to check out Michigan State University. What a happening and beautiful place it is, too! I did some shopping, got a little ice cream and took in the scenic campus. I’ve literally never seen anything like it. You wouldn’t believe how surprised I was when I ran into MSU’s mascot, Sparty and a nice student from the School of Hospitality Business. This picture is a total keeper!

Seeing Sparty got me thinking about sports. I know that when it comes to summer in Greater Lansing, everyone is going nuts – for the Lansing Lugnuts that is! I hustled back downtown and met up with some friends from the Greater Lansing CVB. We had an awesome view of the game from suite level of the Lugnuts stadium, now called Cooley Law School Stadium. What a great game and a great time. I caught a foul ball, ate about 7 hot dogs and watched the Lugnuts pull off a fantastic win!

While at the game, I met a man who told me he was a CTA. I wasn’t familiar, so he told me all about the Greater Lansing Certified Tourism Ambassadors. He was just one of hundreds of local residents that have taken a course offered by the Greater Lansing CVB, which educates area residents about all there is to see and do in Michigan’s Capital City area! What a great idea, and as a newbie to the region, I really appreciated his insight. He even took the time to walk me through the steps to download the Greater Lansing Mobile App to my smartphone. Suddenly, I had maps and all kinds of information right there in my fin. Thanks to the Greater Lansing Tourism Ambassador, I’m now all about Lansing and the Greater Lansing Mobile App!

Armed with the Greater Lansing Mobile App on my iPhone, I took to the streets after the Lugnuts game and found all kinds of walkable dining and nightlife. It was so nice out, I decided some outdoor dining and drinks would be just the thing. After seeing there wasn’t too much fish on the menu, I chose a hip place downtown called Tavern on the Square known for tapas dining. What that means is you get little plates of food to sample and share with friends. Even though I showed up alone, I soon met a bunch of friendly people and we ended up sharing some great food and drink.

Turns out the people I met at Tavern on the Square had plans after dinner, and wouldn’t you know it… they were so nice, they invited me to come along. At first, I said I was too tired. I mean, just today I had already toured the Capitol, strolled through downtown, rappelled down a skyscraper, checked out some cool classic cars, swam in the State’s longest river, met Sparty, tore it up at a Lugnuts game, and now just had more great food and drink at this cool place, Tavern on the Square! I was beat, you know?! Well, they were persuasive… and when they wagged a free ticket to the Common Ground Music Festival in front of me, I rose to the occasion. I was going to totally maximize my visit in Greater Lansing and not wimp out! So I pounded an energy drink and ten minutes later, I was crowd surfing with thousands of my new best friends at the Stone Temple Pilots show!

Thanks Greater Lansing! You sure know how to show a fish an amazing time - I’ll never forget it!

Michie Discovers Kalamazoo!

My stay in Kalamazoo started off on the fast track! At the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, I did laps on the race track and blew away my competition! I then headed off to the other fantastic exhibits this hands-on museum had to offer!

I tried my hand-or should I say fin- at the banjo. Turns out I’m rather good! Maybe I’ll take this act on the road…

I then made my way over to the Mummy’s tomb! She wasn’t very talkative but I did find out a lot about her past!

After the museum I decided to make my way over to Nature Connection of Kalamazoo, a local novelty shop. I found out a lot of neat things about our wonderful state and even got a chance to take a dip in their pond!

At Wild Bull Saloon and Steak Pit, I held on for dear life as I took my chances on the mechanical bull!

A piano man I am not, but that didn’t stop me from dropping by Monaco Bay for their dueling piano shows!

At Tempo Vino Winery I enjoyed a class of their signature wine, ‘I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo’-wish the Missus was here to enjoy it with me! The wines here are hand crafted in small batches from grapes grown all over the world!

I really worked up an appetite after all this sight seeing so I decided to head on over to Zazios for some yummy Italian cuisine. I felt like I was part of a live cooking TV show at the Chef’s Table! I got a 5 course meal cooked up right in front of me!

After a long day, I decided to kick back with a bottle of Oberon at Bell’s Brewery. This classic summer beer goes great with a slice of orange! Pick up your own case of Oberon or try one of the other fantastic beers brewed right here in Kalamazoo!