Disqus - Latest Comments for midwestguest

Re: Day 201: Goody's Juice & Java

midwestguest — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:20:08 -0000

Nice little place...we've stopped here a few times ourselves!

Re: Michigan Cuisine: Enter the Pasty

midwestguest — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:09:21 -0000

You can get a pretty decent pasty in the Detroit area at a little take-out place called Barb's Pasties in Clawson. Been getting them there for years! Oh, and you can get a nice carrot cake by the slice there as well.

Re: Ferndale Castro

midwestguest — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:35:39 -0000

I never thought of making a mixed drink with Vernors, but this sounds good.

Re: An Internet Guide for Baby Boomers

midwestguest — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:22:19 -0000

I'm guessing the people you're addressing aren't going to see this post because they're not on "the Twitter" or "Facebooks" to find it. I am here to read it, and I honestly find it at least vaguely insulting. I've never been fond of sweeping generalizations or "isms" that assume an entire segment of the population is dense, or worse...and this post strikes me as an expression of ageism (even if it wasn't intended that way).

Re: http://bencolclough.tumblr.com/post/7300923525

midwestguest — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:00:42 -0000

I'm with Pam on this one. I've been asked for "guest posts" (aka "free content") a number of times over the past three years, and there is only one that I'm considering doing (and that's only considering) at this point. Many of them seem to be from organizations that really should know better and/or are looking for a free adjunct to their PR departments.
I recently accepted a guest post from a blogger I knew that was well-written and fit perfectly into my site (I suspect it was offered in an effort to build her own digital footprint and brand--something I had no problem with what I knew of site and her efforts to build a bit of a career with her writing). I've occasionally opened my site up to a Q&A (a sort of guest post I'd guess you could say) for friends who authored a book or had an event compatible with my site's focus. I did a Q&A for another blogger's site because she asked, and it was a good fit for both of us.
I've had a freelance writing business for years, and spent a dozen years writing for various local print outlets. The fact that I mostly write online these days doesn't change the fact that it is still a business proposition for me and that I need to make some money for my efforts if I'm to continue writing and paying the expenses to support my site, my travels, and my everyday bills.

Re: Exploring Michigan’s Traverse City Region

midwestguest — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 09:47:50 -0000

A lot of my favorites here...and a lot that I've written about over the past three years on my blog. We try to get up to the region at least once a year!
Lighthouses are definitely a big draw for us, and one of my all-time favorites is the Pointe Betsie Lighthouse closer to Frankfort. I always order holiday gifts from Cherry Republic, and love stopping by there when we're in town for their cherry ice tea. Late Harvest Riesling from Chateau Grand Traverse is a must-get for me when I'm out on Old Mission. I've climbed Sleeping Bear Dune...and enjoyed a burger and beer at Joe's Friendly in Empire after that little adventure. The Betsie Valley Trail is a nice, level bike trail, and I've ridden the stretch between Frankfort and Beulah a couple of times (20-mule round trip). Port Oneida historic agricultural district in the Sleeping Bear NP is a great stop for photographers and interesting place to learn about the farming history of the area (abandoned village being gently restored by the NPS). The city beach at Empire on Lake Michigan is beautiful, especially during the spring when kite flyers are often out. Horizon Books in Traverse City and Sleder's in TC for fried pickles and burgers...favorites as well.

Re: When Boomer’s Can’t Travel

midwestguest — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:34:23 -0000

We had to employ many of these ideas over the past couple of years ourselves. It was disappointing to lose a couple of our longer trips, but we started taking more frequent short trips when that became possible. That meant we ended up doing a lot of things we wanted to do for ages, but didn't because we saved up much of our time and money for one longer trip each year. I almost like the idea of taking more frequent trips--you always have a trip to look forward to in any given couple of months, time on the road is usually reduced (we stay closer to home when we're only taking a couple of days away), packing isn't such a pain for a shorter trip, and you don't have to see everything at the destination in one visit as you know its easy just to pop back to it for another weekend or so. We've already taken four trips since the first of the year, and we've got at least 3 or 4 planned for the next 4 or 5 months!

Re: Great Places to Visit in Michigan

midwestguest — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:04:27 -0000

I do love both the Sleeping Bear Dunes (where we've gone nearly yearly for, well, years!) area and the Keweenaw (some favorites up there include Hunters Point Trail out of Copper Harbor, the numerous waterfalls and Manganese Lake). ArtPrize in Grand Rapids and the galleries/art fairs in Kalamazoo are particularly nice for art lovers. Vintage car lovers will like the ever-expanding Gilmore Car Museum in Kalamazoo, too.

Re: Small is Beautiful

midwestguest — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:34:54 -0000

I can see how the Edge has claimed your heart. It's been years since I've been up your way, and I'd love to return some day myself. Best wishes for a serene and happy future :)

Re: Weighing the Odds: 12 Things for Whole Foods to Consider in Detroit

midwestguest — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:06:00 -0000

I'd thought about Whole Foods' notoriously high price points and the short-lived run of Zaccaro's as well, but I still saw a glimmer of hope for the idea of a WF in Midtown in the wake of the incentives program.
The whole chicken-and-egg issue is a tough one as well. I've heard of folks who would like to move to Detroit, but the lack of things like decent retail and schools discourages them from doing so. At the same time, retailers and schools have a hard time making a commitment to Detroit when there don't believe there are enough residents to support them.
I've see some hope there, though...including most recently spotting new housing construction on Cass, just south of Marwil's, near Wayne State.
You idea for a scaled-back version of a WF store sounds like a reasonable one to me.

Re: Want to Travel More? Play the Saving Game

midwestguest — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:24:28 -0000

I'm a big fan of several of these tips, having done some of these things for years. Paying off your credit cards each month is a big one for me, but my all-time favorite has to be the save-your- change gambit. I've done this forever, and I used to combine it with rounding my paycheck down to the $10 mark just below the total to save that overage along with my change (if my paycheck was XX3.18 for instance, I'd save that extra $3.18). I did that until, one day, that account totaled more than I owed in my mortgage...so I paid it off quite a few years early.
Paying off your mortgage early? Savings equal literally thousands each year :)
Still save my change these days...was saving for a vacation home, but a major medical situation in the family transformed that fund into a medical fund. Not the use I'd planned for it f'sure, but having that money in hand has certainly eased things quite a bit.

Re: A Slice of Americana in Northern Sweden

midwestguest — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:31:08 -0000

Ohhh...that was a scary movie! I haven't seen it in years, but it still gives me the creeps. I do love the look of those old late 50s/early 60s cars with the big tail fins. There is always something vaguely sinister-looking about them to me, even the ones that don't have the horror pedigree like "Christine"

Re: An Insider’s Guide to Social Media Etiquette

midwestguest — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:51:57 -0000

Here's one I would consider adding to the "your appearance" section-Constantly changing your avatar will cause some of your regular followers to miss your comments. Familiar avatars are more likely to catch the eye of those who are pressed for time and skimming through comments/tweets/facebook updates.

Re: Photo Friday:

midwestguest — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:37:17 -0000

A unique setting for a family photo! :)

Thanks for sharing.