The Awesomeness of My Former Home State Called....Michigan (Michigan)

Member Name: i_heart_elo

Product:	Michigan
Date:	05/02/09 (162 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The scenery, The Cool Towns, The Beaches, Making fun of Detroit

Disadvantages: Detroit, The Mass Amount of Snow, Detroit, The Cold Winters, Detroit, The ICE storms, Detroit

I can't believe i'm the first to write a review about my home State! I have to say though the picture they put next to Michigan is pretty crap.....

Ahhhh Michigan.....it's shaped funny.....it's freezing and snowy half the year, and hot and gorgeous the other half.

The End

PYSCHE! Read on for a much more in depth insight into the beautiful land mass called, Michigan.

***** Michigan, where are you? *****

Michigan is located in the United States above Ohio, to the right of Wisconsin, to the Left of Pennslyvannia, and below Canada.

It is also "somewhat" connected to Indiana and Illinois on the far Southwestern side of the state.

A lot of "Michiganders" , what indigenous Michigan people are called, use the "Hand" gesture to show where they live in the state. They do this because the main, lower portion of Michigan, has the same of...well....a Hand. =) The right hand palm up to be pricise.

The biggest cities in Michigan are; Detroit (obviously), Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Ypsilanti (I have no clue who named those last two cities=), Muskeegon, Flint, and Port Huron.

UPPER Michigan is another place entirely. They call this the Upper Peninsula and it borders Canada.

The "U.P.", as it's affectionately called, is not even connected to the "Hand"! There is a bridge that connects the Upper Peninsula to the Mainland of Michigan. The U.P is famous in it's own right for many things , that mostly being Escanaba, St. Ignatius, Sault St. Marie, and the Pictured Rocks formations. Yet, I digress. We will most certainly go into the U. P. a little more in depth later on.

*****Look Mom, We're Surrounded by Water!*****

The other day someone asked me " Isn't Michigan next to a lake?". I had to giggle a little at that one. I giggle because in a way, Michigan is almost an Island. Only the bottom is really connected to land.

The Great Lakes surround the rest of the state. To your east where Detroit is, you have Lake Erie. To the North East, Lake Huron. On the west , Lake Michigan, To the Far North, above the Upper Peninsula is Lake Superior.

That's a lot of flipping lakes!

To give you an example of what each lake is like I have a special rating system. It goes, a-like a-so....

Lake Superior: Incredibly Clean
Lake Michigan: Very Clean
Lake Huron: Clean
Lake Erie: Dirty

***** Life is a Beach*****

The most beautiful beach i've ever been to, is in Michigan. I'm crazy right? No, not really.

I've been to Mexico, California, Florida, Aruba, and the Canary Islands. All have they're respectively gorgeous beaches. Yet, I doubt any of you have seen the Beaches in a town called Ludington.

Ludington is a West Coast town on the Lake Michigan side. It is slightly south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park that always gets a lot of hoopla (well deserved too since Sleeping Bear Dunes is amazing). Only , Ludington has Dunes as well, and it also has the clearest, crystal blue water i've ever seen. If you get a chance, google "Ludington" or "Saugatuck" Beaches , and look at the images for them. The pictures won't do them justice but they'll give you an idea. I also have to point out that the sand feels like silk and the water is the perfectly "cool" type temperature for the hot summers in Michigan.

Some other beaches of note are;

Port Crescent State Park - Port Huron, MI
Mackinac City Beach "B" (it's really just called Beach B)- Mackinac City, MI
Traverse City State Park - Traverse City, MI
Holland State Park - Holland, MI
Grand Bend City Beach - Grand Bend , Canada ( Ok yes this is in Canada, but it's right across " the street" from Port Huron in Michigan)

***** Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it STOP SNOWING*****

England has gotten more snow than it has in over a decade in the last few days. Only, it really is a pitance compared to the snow Michigan gets each year. Two weeks before the major snow storm hit the UK, my parents called me from Michigan. The conversation went like this;

"Tiffany? Are you there? Can you hear me???"- My mother says in loud voice

"Uhhh yeah Mom I hear you....how's it going?" - I say in a slightly sighful *i'll-be-on-the-phone-for-a-good-30-minutes voice

" Oh ok ok good. Why haven't you called us????- My mother says in a loud annoyed voice

" Mom I just called you two days ago" - I say in a slightly signful *Why does every conversation begin like this on the phone with my mother* ...voice.

"Ughhh nevermind.......So how are things in England? Is it warm? Cause it's a little colder than normal here today. Around negative -5 degrees (that's negative 21 in Celcius). Oh and yesterday we got about 12 inches of snow, but that's typical for February. (12 inches = 31 Centimeters). " - My Mother says in a loud chatty-chatterbox voice.

So there you have it. A very typical day in February....31 centimeters of snow. There is always a day too in the month where you'll get double that. Usually, when the snow gets over 12 inches/31 cm they do cancel school. Yet, work will not be closed by any means unless you get at least a good 3 feet ( 93 cm) of snow. Suffice to say, the state has enough salt to turn all the Great Lakes into "Salt Sea's" . This isn't the entire state that gets this though, but a place called " the snow belt" in the lower portion and then the entire portion of the upper peninsula.

*****Put your hands up for Detroit!*****

Ohhh the glorious city that is Detroit.

What buildings and Architecture! What history!What Nostalgic Bars! What great Music!
What......mmm a run down piece of ....bleep.

It's sad really how much that city has "let itself go". It reminds me of that one hot guy/chick that you had a crush on in primary school as a kid. Remember him/her? The one you thought was sooooo great. Then,when you grow up and run into them again, you see they've gained about 5 stone, have nasty hair/clothing, and overall look like a chav.

Yup....that's Detroit.....

Ok, i'm being harsh. There ARE some things I really DO still like about Detroit. So, instead of listing the "Cons" I'll give you a list of all the "Pros".

The Remaining Great Things About Detroit
1.) Watching a Baseball Game at Tigers Stadium:

I'm not a huge fan of Baseball myself. I can never stand to watch it on TV. But, there is something to be said for watching a baseball game live. The crowd and feel of it is exciting and laid back at the same time. You really don't watch the game half the time since your usually getting up to buy hot dogs and beer or talking to the people in front or behind you about something. Everyone you meet at a baseball game is instantly a friend. There is a reason they call it the American past-time. It's because, it reminds you of how Americans USED to be...in a past....time.

2.) The Detroit Techno Festival

I'm not a huge Techno fan myself. Yet, I know when to appreciate some really good techno when it presents itself. The Detroit Techno music festival is the biggest Techno Festival in the states (I think 2nd biggest in the world?? not sure on that factoid). There is some c-r-a-z-i-n-e-s-s that goes on during that festival, but it's usually all in good fun. If your a fan of techno music, or just a fan of music festivals in general , you'd be in your element here. Plus, it gives you an excuse to check out some pretty great bars and pubs that are left in the city still

3.) Tom's Oyster Bar/ Detroit Beer Company/ O'Flannigans/ Hockeytown Cafe

These are my four favorite Bars/Pubs in the City of Detroit.

Tom's is where we would go right befor a Concert or Baseball game to get a quick appitizer and martini. They're obviously known for their oysters, but they also have other great dishes as well, and they're mixed drinks are fantastic.

Detroit Beer Company is where you go for a "date". =)......It's this dark but semi-posh pub that has amazing semi-posh food, and great micro-brewed beer. I've had a few dates there myself (one that went really good, another that went horrible and the only good part about it was the beer and food).

O'Flannigans is the place to be after a late night concert when you pretty much want to "have a good time". It's been around for over half a century in Detroit and imports it's bartenders from Ireland. If you go after a Hockey, Baseball, or Football game, you usually run into a few of the sports figures since that's kind of the "indie-yet-trendie" pub to go to. Plus they have freaking GREAT Irish Coffees that'll knock your socks off.

Hockeytown Cafe is great for a group of friends. It's a huge bar/restaurant right outside of the Tigers Stadium. There is an upper rooftop club that is open in the summer where all the younger people go after a sporting event. Personally I only moderately "like" this place since it's done in your typical "over the top" American fashion. I have had fun there though so I can't fault it.

4.) The Remaining Amount of Art Deco Buildings Throughout the City

I get so frustrated with American Cities and their "Tear down and build new" philosophies. In Detroit, it's mostly "Tear down and don't do anything".

I've witnessed several attrocities of this personally where incredibly beautiful art deco or older buildings get torn down for no apparent reason.

A friend of mine is a photographer for the Detroit Free Press newspaper, and he has taken pictures of the remaining buildings that are all pre World War II. If you ever want to see them let me know since I have them saved on my lappy. Some of these buildings were just so fantastic because they were made in the "Hayday" of Detroit. The time in the 20's and 30's where the car businesses started booming and everyone was investing money into the City. I really do hope when I go back to visit, they haven't torn down more of these historical monuments.

***** I Camp, You, Camp, We all Love to Camp*****

The one thing all my friends say when you ask them about me is,
" Well, she loves to Camp and Backpack". They say this because, it's pretty obvious. I go camping and backpacking at any available opportunity from March to November.

Living in Michigan was ideal for me because, half of the state is one big nature perserve. There are tons of forests, rocky hills, rivers and unpopulated Islands. You'll see Raccoons, Deer, Bobcats, Wolverines (although that's really rare), Turtles, Jackrabbits, Groundhogs, Beavers, and the occasional wolf if your not careful.

Right before I moved to the UK I went for one last camping trip in September of 2008. My best friend and I decided to try our hands at canoeing in the middle of Michigan called the "Au Sable" river. To say we had a good time is an understatement. We camped at a local campsite that butted right up to a tributary on the river. I happened to have a large inflatable raft I brought with us, so we rafted from the deep water tributary, to the nearest Canoe Livery. After asking them to hold our raft, we paid and rented one of the canoes and set off for the 20 mile journey down the Au Sable.

We past waterfalls, natural cliff rock formations, lush forest, quick moving rapids (where we actually tipped the canoe twice....haha....the first time I got mad and my friend laughed....the second time she got mad and then I laughed), and even some beaches.....I had no clue rivers had beaches but, go figure.

We completely burnt our backs, arms , and legs from the sun . After using so many "underused" muscles in our body to quickly stear the canoe in the fast moving rapids, we also were physically shattered. I never felt that bruised and abused since my last backpacking trip. Yet, we left to go back to the campsite with huge grins on our faces talking animatedly about how we had to go back again next year when I visited.

The Au Sable River area is just one of the many beautiful "camping" worthy areas. Some others of note are;

* Traverse City State Park - Not only does this have a glorious beach, but it's close to the city itself. Traverse City is a very old michigan beach town that has great little boutiques, cafe's, and delicious fresh fish restaurants. It even has a local candle factory where if you go inside, you can spend $5.00 and make you own candle.

* Mackinac Island Campground - Many people decide to stay at a bed and breakfast or hotel on the Island, but if you do, be prepared to fork over at least $150.00 or more a night. The campground has all the modern amenities and electricity for only $20.00 a night. Plus it's right near the water.

*Cadillac State Park - The city of Cadillac is sort of in the middle of the state towards the west. It still is near a lake of it's own, but it's an "inland sports lake" . That means it's the perfect size and current for people who want to waterski, jet ski, etc... The state park itself though is in a very pretty part surrounding the lake, only $10.00 a night, and has some really wonderful hiking trails

*Tahquamenon Falls State Park - This is in a small area called Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It's about an hour or so away from Mackinac City. The Tahquamenon Waterfall in this state park is the longest in the entire United States. Not to mention, the scenery surrounding the waterfall is unbelievably picturesque. I think this was my favorite camping trip in terms of, being mentally moved by the area. It was a place that used to be inhabited by many of the Mohican Indians and other Indian tribes and you can feel their spirits there still. You also have several nearby Native American casinos and "shops".

*South/North Manitou Islands: Yup they're islands.....Only they're not inhabited. No one lives (or is "allowed" to live) on these islands for more than 30 days. I'm not sure how that is enforced , but several park rangers do patrol the islands frequently. These islands have no modern facilities. Only one outhouse is on the South Manitou island and that is right when the Ferry docks you from the lake.. As you trek through the rest of the island it's only you....and nature.....and a lot of cherry trees and apple orchards.

That these islands have been relegated to be uninhabited is one of the few reasons I love my home state so much. These two islands are a decent size, and have very fertile land. If the state wanted to, they could take and develop these as resorts or beach homes etc.. But they haven't. They've turned them into Rustic State Parks for the adventurous campers and backpackers.

The South island is around 8 miles deep and 20 miles around. The North, is about half of that. When I backpacked there though, even on the North Island, it was easy to get lost. Then of course, you had to be very prepared with the items in your backpacks since it was pitch black at night. If you want a little bit of adventure on remote islands in the middle of the gorgeous, crystal clear waters of Lake Huron, then you'd really love South and North Manitou.

*****Everything Else About Michigan*****

I'm almost afraid to scroll up and see all i've wrote. Although , the word counter shows i'm at 2693 words...ok now 2696.....I think this means , I should "Wrap it Up". In order to do this, I'll mention a few extra little things that are simply....Michigan

*It's the state that makes the most amount of Cherries in the country. Every year they have a huge cherry festival where the air smells of that sweet fruit and you spend tons of money on fattening pies, deserts, and cherry wine

*The Pictured Rocks in the Upper Peninsula look like something from the Tropics. When I first saw a picture of the Pictured Rocks, I thought it was in the South pacific or Indonesia. They are these amazing looking rock formations that go from land out to sea. It's too hard to desribe them, you'd have to see for yourself.

* The Detroit Pistons are one of the NBA's best teams (Basketball)

* The Detroit Red Wings ARE THE NHL's current best team for a few yrs running now ( Hockey)

* The Detroit Tigers were in the World Series 2 yrs ago (Baseball)

* The Detrot Lions are the WORST team in the NFL (American Football)

* Kid Rock, Eminem, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Smokie Robinson, Bob Seger, and the White Stripes are all from Detroit.

* The last Mayor of Detroit was kicked out of office for embezzlement fraud and misconduct and is now serving jail time.

* Mackinac Island is the only "inhabited" island that doesn't allow cars. And the film "Somewhere in Time" with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve, was filmed there at the Grand Hotel

* Famous Michigan Brands and Businesses that originated from the state include; Big Boy Restaurants, Ford Car Company, General Motors Car Company, Chrysler Car Company, Borders Book Company, Compuware Computer Company, Delphi Automotive, Domino's Pizza, DOW Chemical Company, Gerber Baby Food, Homedics, Kellogg's Food Company, La-Z-Boy, Furniture, Lear, Little Ceaser's Pizza, Moosejaw, Penske Automotive, Two Men and a Truck Moving Company, USA Jet Airlines, Visteon Automotive, and Whirlpool.

*****In Conclusion....FINALLY*****

Michigan is a beautiful, fun, and diverse area of the United States. With the location of where it's at, being only 4 hrs away from Chicago and 4 hrs away from Toronto, i'm surprized more people don't vacation there. If you do ever get to check out the midwest (Preferably in the summer!), I would highly recommend for you to take your holiday in ....Michigan, yay!

PS- I'd like to thank the neighboring state of Ohio (Where actually I was born...I'd only lived in Michigan for 9 yrs before moving to the UK....from 0 to 20 yrs old I lived in Ohio, but that is another story on another day) , I'd like to thank Ohio for voting democrat for ONCE like Michigan always did, thus helping Barack Obama win the Election!

Summary: A hidden gem of a state in the U.S. that's full of fun destinations, great beaches, towns, and more!