Each September, Joan and I try to get a week away to somewhere we’ve never been. The list of places we’ve never been is quite long because I’m unique and sometimes want to go places most adventurous travelers wouldn’t even think about because they sound too vanilla for them. This year’s journey took us to… Michigan. Yes, that Michigan. But it wasn’t Detroit or East Lansing; I’m talking U.P., or upper peninsula Michigan. The one word that I can use to describe the area is stunning.
We visited three Great Lakes. Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The water was cold, but no colder than the national seashore on Cape Cod. In fact, near the shore it was quite warmer. In September you need to get down a few feet before you feel the colder, fresh water. If you’ve ever been to the Caribbean or Lake Tahoe, you know crystal clear water. All three lakes up in UP Michigan were just as clear. In fact, they were stunningly clear and beautiful complete with waves and surf as some foul weather kicked up.
We visited Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petrosky, St. Ignace, Pictured Rocks and Mackinac Island. Each place had quaint, seaside vibes, great restaurants, amazing boating and cool views. I’d revisit any of those places anytime. The cities in Northern Michigan are clean, free of graffiti, homelessness, litter and crime. In fact, we didn’t see a single police car for the entirety of our 7 days stay. There are gorgeous parks every 10 or so miles, with clean restrooms, amazing lakefront picnicking and beaches with soft sand rivaling anything on the east coast.
The most unique place is Macinac Island. Pronounced Mackinaw, its uniqueness arises from the fact that there are no motor vehicles allowed on the island. Transportation is by foot, bicycle or horse and buggy. Great attention is paid to the landscaping and flower arrangements hanging from street lights and in the front of the mansions and many upscale hotels. Of course, there are emergency vehicles such as fire engines, ambulance, and helicopter for emergency medical transport… but we didn’t see any for the two days we were there. The island has about 500 year round residents with upwards of 20,000 visiting on any given day in season. In the winter, the only way to get on and off the island is by plane or the frozen Lake Huron “ice bridge”. The most famous of the upscale hotels is The Grand Hotel. And boy was it grand.
We didn’t stay at the Grand Hotel because as of last April, September bookings were already sold out! All my midwestern buddies said that a right of Midwest passage is to sit on the enormous front porch of the grand for a cocktail near the end of the day. Being professional cocktailers, Joan and I dutifully followed their instructions. $14 each for the rocking chair seat, and $28 for a Manhattan was well worth the price of admission. And if you know me… yes I had more than one. We later ventured to the top floor in an area called the Cupola bar for another bevy and a sky high view of the shoreline and the Mackinaw Bridge.
Interesting facts about the Grand. It is the largest seasonal hotel in the USA. It is not heated and shuts down by the end of October. It has the longest front porch of any building in the USA at 660 feet long. That’s more than two football fields long! They have an amazing pool area only because Esther Williams agreed to star in the movie “This Time for Keeps”, (1947) costarring Jimmy Durante.
If this story provokes you to see for yourself, I say go for it. A 2-hour direct flight from Boston will have you there before you finish your snack on the plane. Call me if you want guidance… and the best hotels in UP Michigan are already accepting reservations for next year.
