Night 8 - Detroit Rock City

Detroit is known for a lot of things.  Some good, some not so good. I suppose everyone has a story and a special place in their heart for The D. But when a major rock and roll band writes a song proclaiming you The Rock City, then you know that the music scene is nothing to frown upon.  And Detroit does not disappoint. From warehouses for techno and trance to grungy clubs, if you are a band in the area and can't find a place to play, you aren't trying very hard.

But if you are going out on the town, you sometimes miss some of the more obvious places.  Of course, you probably know about some of the bigger venues and events (which we will get to), but when there is so much indie awesomeness, the big 'chain' places get ignored.  Which shouldn't always be the case.  So maybe you are a suburbanite who hasn't been downtown for a long, long time. The Hard Rock Cafe is a great place to start seeing Detroit and music again. Look, they have only been there since 2003.  And they are in a big corporate behemoth of a building that is owned by a company that hired The Hip Hop Mayor after he was deposed from office.  But if there is good music, would you go?  Of course you would.  The real question is, did you know The 313 Hard Rock has music?

I would normally stay away from the touristy things.  But if you are a Detroit music fan, it is probably worth checking out.  The normal, somewhat kitschy memorabilia is on the walls and throughout, but with a D slant.  They even have one of The Nuge's guitars!  Is the food a little overpriced?  Yeah, a little, but it is good.  But when you go to the Hard Rock, you go for the atmosphere.  And if you happen to check the schedule, you might see a very, very intimate acoustic set with a great band.  Had a nice dinner there whilst dealing with some serious issues and saw a band I would normally never think to see, live, about five feet from me.  And they ended the night by climbing on the bar and doing their finale.  And for about an hour there, life was all right.  

With the Hard Rock, you know what you are getting, so it will probably be a good time.  Then maybe you can check out some other events in some different venues.  And really see what The D has to offer. 

Night 6 - A Rose By Any Other Name

The State of Michigan is a pretty amazing place.  We have sand dunes and ski hills.  We put America on the road.  We've got a long history with cereal, furniture, cherries, and a ton of other things. The things that Michiganians have done over the years could fill up multiple leather bound books.  It's a great state and I'm glad I moved here.

One of my favorite parts of the State is the dichotomy between the big cities and the small towns.  The D is a sprawling metropolis of rebirth and decay, architecture and opportunity.  Grand Rapids is the greenest city in America that took amazing chance on democratizing the concept of a juried art show.  But in between these anchors, and throughout the State, there are amazing little towns that each have their own place in Maslow's Heirarchy of Michigan Cities.  Some are one stoplight towns and some have a bustling downtown.

Chelsea falls into the second list.  There are some cool shops and restaurants in Chelsea.  They have an outdoor juried art show going on right now (A Sculpture Walk!).  But one of the highlights of Chelsea, I would posit, is The Purple Rose Theater.  Jeff Daniels decided that there was no reason that the midwest couldn't have an amazing theater company.  So he founded one in the town he grew up in.  The Purple Rose gives aspiring actors and playwrights (actually, anyone in theater) a place to work on their craft.  And they do a great job.  Ticket prices are affordable and there are usually four different productions a year.  I saw The Poetry of Pizza there in 2008.  It was the world premiere and it was a very good show.  The theater is intimate, but still modern and seats 160ish.  And it is right in the downtown, contributing to the vibrancy of this wonderful small town.  Well worth checking out.  Excellent date night, when combined with dinner at one of the nearby dinners.  And you are supporting one of the more unique endeavors someone has undertaken in Michigan.  And that, is Pure Michigan...

Night 3 - Behind Enemy Lines

I am an alumnus of The Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.  One of the most picturesque campuses in the Midwest, many people would say.  I did my undergraduate work there and absolutely loved it.  But once undergrad ended, I had to make a decision: grad school or real world.  Being the discerning twenty-something that I was, I obviously chose more school...at The Ohio State University.  So yeah, I am a Buckeye.  I didn't really like OSU, but I got a good (and free) education there.  Columbus is a pretty good town, but this is a blog about Michigan, not Ohio.  So let's move along this song, and try to find the plot.

Although supporting the Buckeyes is something like a hereditary disease in Ohio, disliking The University of Michigan is a state supported religion.  I have only been to Ann Arbor to get gas and only because I was afraid I couldn't make it any further. So naturally, I move to Michigan and became fast friends with a life long Ann Arborite.  But still hadn't really visited town.  Until recently.  When I got to meet one of my friend's friends...from Ann Arbor.  Clearly, it was inevitable that I was going to visit this town. So I went down to visit my new friend one weekday night after work.  I had no idea of where to go/what to see and I was hungry.  First off was a little sight seeing while we thought about where to eat.  She finally chose a restaurant after we circled the downtown forever to find a free parking space.  Something about the principle of the thing.

So where did this fine young lady take me?  Arbor Brewing Company.  And I gotta say, it was good.  First off, they are smoke free.  Not that I care if you smoke, but I really don't feel like smelling like an ash tray after a nice night out.  Naturally, they brew their own beer.  And not being able to decide on what to drink, we just got a flight of everything!  Actually, since the taps rotate regularly, this isn't the worst idea in the world if you want to try out a bunch of their beers, but also be able to walk out the front door when you are done.  The menu is interesting.  They pride themselves on buying locally and sustainably, working with local farmers and producers.  And they are dumping high fructose corn syrup and other processed things anywhere they can.  There were a lot of interesting options with local ingredients.  And since we are talking Ann Arbor here, there are plenty of vegetarian options...some of which even looked appealing to me.  We had a roasted garlic appetizer plate that was fun to eat.  Plus, if both people are eating it, you don't have to worry about bad breath, right?

So yeah, Ann Arbor apparently isn't just a 'lady of the night.'  It is a pretty cool town.  I am sure that I will be back, spreading my love of Ohio throughout the land of my mortal enemy.  As long as they keep feeding me well and producing interesting people, I guess I can call a truce. 

Night 2 - Right In Your Backyard

When I first moved to Michigan, I bought a condo in Waterford.  It is probably best classified as a suburb of Pontiac, but by now, everything in Oakland County is just one big suburb of Detroit.  Something along the lines of Neptune in relation to the Sun.  I.e, it is pretty far away from The D.  But each of the 'levels' of suburbs have built up their own little identities.  Hole in the wall bars, very nice restaurants, fun events.  Each of them trying to create their own place in the world and separate identity, somehow, maybe, orbiting out of the shadow of The D.

In the seven years I lived in Waterford, checked out some of these cool places and events.  But, and I am ashamed to say it, I/we tended to end up at the chains more often than the local joints.  It really pains me to say it, but you have to admit you have a problem before you can confront it, right?  Waterford didn't have a ton of these interesting little joints, which is part of the problem, so you have to travel to the nearby burbs.  Slowly but surely, I visited some interesting places.  But undoubtedly, one of my favorites was pretty much right in my backyard.  Not in Waterford, of course.

Exit 91 on Interstate 75 will take you to Clarkston, Michigan.  One of the 'small towns' that are slowly being swallowed by urban sprawl in the surrounding townships.  People have worked hard to maintain Clarkston's downtown and businesses generally do pretty well there.  Head towards downtown; the south end of it specifically; and you will see the Clarkston Union (of course, they don't have a website).  Parking might be a little tight right at the restaurant, but feel free to park throughout downtown and walk around.  But I firmly believe that this is one of the best places to go for a date in Northern Oakland County.

Now that is admittedly a pretty big statement, but here's why I say it.  The seating in the restaurant (which was originally built as a Church) is family style, with big tables throughout and people sitting pretty close together...on pews.  Not elbow to elbow, but close.   Which is totally takes the pressure off of trying to constantly keep up a conversation.  Because it is a little loud.  But you can really relax, have a good time, and enjoy the food.  Which leads to the other factor of why it rules for a date spot.  The food is inventive, but isn't scary.  Their signature dish is the mac and cheese...and it is outstanding.  And you can get it with jalapenos and/or lobster or just straight up.  The portabello gratin is also well worth a try.  They have a good list of rotating beers from all over, heavy on the micros.  Some oddball ones and some well known.  All in all, well worth a night out.  Outdoor seating for the summer and apparently a basement bar type area that was described to me by a 'slightly' inebriated gentlemen as a 'f#cking grotto man!'  Although I am guessing there are no playboy bunnies down there.

Although I won't guarantee a good date, you could certainly do worse than The Union.  And if you turn out not to like it, there are a couple other good restaurants within walking distance.  Or you could check out the grotto...

Night 1 - Go With What You Know

I have never written a blog before.  In fact, I don't write much at all.  I had a tenth grade teacher once tell me that, and I quote, I have "the unique talent of wrecking the English language with my eloquence."  I have always taken that as a compliment for some reason.  But I have always wanted to write more.  I feel like I am a pretty good storyteller.  And I do have a lot to say...

But a blog takes a certain amount of work.  Specifically, it appears as though I need time and ideas.  I have the time all the sudden.  And I have plenty of ideas.  But how do you start something like this?  I laid out the premise yesterday, intending to keep it a little quiet for a while, fleshing out a few of the first posts.  I had talked to my buddy Jeff a few times about the idea over past few months, how to do it, what to say, etc.  So I emailed him today that I was doing this.  And Jeff's reaction, as with any new/interesting/fun idea he runs across, was to tweet and faceypage it.  Dude is really plugged in.  But I still didn't know where to go first.

So over a beer tonight, it dawned on me to just write about what I know.  Cliche, yes.  Easy, sort of.  Good way to get the creative juices flowing, hell yeah.  So Night 1 in our travels throughout Michigan takes us to Beggar's Banquet in East Lansing.  Which is where I was having a beer...

Beggar's is one of the longest operating restaurants in East Lansing ("Gimme Eat since 1973!") and has long been known for its wine selection and an eclectic menu.  They definitely don't attract the typical college crowd, but they are certainly welcome.  It really is the perfect blend of town and gown, with a solid, but not overly expensive menu, and good beer/wine mixed amongst more accessible labels.  Wednesdays are the legendary 1/2 off night for bottles of wine.  And their beer selection has come a long, long way and is now one of the best in the area.  They haven't really changed much (including a relatively 70's-ish interior), but that is what works.  It feels comfortable.  Even if it is your first time.  I am sure it feels even better for someone coming back to town for a ten, twenty, or even thirty year reunion.  If you are new to town, it is definitely one of the places I would suggest you check out.  They are just north of MSU's campus, on Abbot Road, and parking is around back, in the City lot. 

So there you go.  Enjoy Beggar's if you get a chance.  Check back here for new fun-ness on a regular basis (hopefully at least thrice a week).  I have some interesting places to throw out that I think more people need to know about. Send me your idea of fun too.  I always need more good ideas.  I think this thing has legs, so strap in, this might be a good long road trip.