Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Come to Michigan for vacation! Please?
Things aren't going very well in Michigan right now. We and the big three led the charge into the economic downturn. Unemployment is the highest in the country at 7.1% while foreclosure rates are in the stratosphere. The mayor of Detroit is a certified jackass. The Democratic National Committee hates us. Of the four people that have most recently left my small engineering company three have been forced to leave the state for work. I think it's safe to say that we're facing some hard times.But we're still truckin, and we're still trying to figure out how to get our economy out of the dumps. You may have seen Jeff Daniels on the telly at night encouraging you to move your high tech or manufacturing company into our beloved state. Thanks Jeff. We appreciate your help.
We're also trying to woo the tourist dollar, for while Detroit is pretty far from a hot vacation spot, there are a ton of quaint towns and beaches in the state. Last week, Michigan.org launched its redesigned website in a new attempt to reinforce this, complete with surprisingly thorough city guides and uber-slow flash java navigation.
From a person who has lived in the Wolverine State for the last twenty six years, it's really not that bad of a place. It gets wicked, wicked cold here during the winter and the mountains and ocean are far away, but you can't beat the huge sandy beaches of the Great Lakes, beautiful nature in the Upper Peninsula and amazing colors in the autumn.
When this recession of sorts is over and we start to pick up the pieces, I hope things come back together ok.
Filed under: United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul D Mar 25th 2008 2:43PM
*sigh* I DO miss Michigan a lot. Lived there for 25 of my 27 years. Once I earn my kajillion dollars, I will buy some nice cottage between Grand Haven and Holland on the lakeshore to vacation for 4-5 months a year....*sigh*...
Rachel at the Window Seat Mar 25th 2008 7:16PM
Thank you for pointing out Michigan's more enchanting qualities. I LOVE Michigan, and there really are some truly beautiful beaches along the Great Lakes that are quiet and not overly developed (Manistee, for example). Plus, Ann Arbor is such a fun town to spend some time in, with great food, culture, and, of course, U of M football. Go Blue!
Mary Hunt Mar 26th 2008 9:51AM
As for beaches, nothing can hold a candle to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.... over 2,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, much of it public land. You do have to choose your months (July is OK for lakes Michigan and Huron, it's August for Superior, except in protected, shallow spots. And early September is a great time. Everything's open, few people before the leaf peepers.) Then there are the inland lakes and trout streams. The U.P. is inexpensive, occasionally cool, friendly, 1/3 public land, good on trails, with lots of active mountain bikers, skiers, runnere — and the long winter makes for a culture of folks who don't complain and aren't self-important. Search UPTRA or visit our own hunts-upguide.com for a look at the U.P.
Chi Mar 26th 2008 8:58AM
I've seen the Jeff Daniels woo on CNN Europe and BBC as well. It's kind of weird to be in a hotel in southern Spain and see an advertisement for Michigan.
p.s. 27 years.
Mary Hunt Mar 26th 2008 1:51PM
Rock-picking on beaches.... I forgot to mention. Not weather dependent. Better in spring and early summer, and after storms. Agates, interesting beach stones (some with tiny gemstone deposits) are along much of Superior.... fossils are in places on northern Lake Michigan and Huron.
Take "Diving for Agates" class in Copper Harbor, go on kayak tours with a naturalist in Les Cheneaux Islands on Lake Huron, where Aldo Leopold spent boyhood summers. .... See gorgeous minerals at the outstanding Seaman Mineral Museum in the Keweeenaw, on Michigan Tech's campus in Houghton.