Hanging out in Michigan’s pinky!

If you’re from Michigan, know someone from Michigan, or just happen to know random Michigan trivia, then chances are you’re familiar with the {nifty} visual aid they use in lieu of a state map: the hand. Mind-blowing? Perhaps, not. Useful, effective, handy (I know, I’m so punny)? Definitely! It’s so handy, in fact, that I thought it would be the perfect tool to help me show y’all where we’ve been the past few days:

Traverse City, Michigan.

See it? It’s up there by the tip of the pinky…and, um, there’s a star around it.

{wink}

Here’s another map so you can see the lake and other geographic details:

You can totally see how/why the hand-map thing works, huh????

Folks, let me tell you: this part of the country is ab.so.lutely gorgeous. Stunning! We’d heard about it and read about it, but simply weren’t prepared for just how breathtakingly beautiful it is. My hubby’s been all over — to every desirable beach locale — and he was truly amazed. He went so far as to say that Lake Michigan was one of the most beautiful bodies of water he has ever seen; that it rivals the Caribbean!!

Further, Traverse City has it “going on” — boutique-style shopping, amazing restaurants, breweries, B&B’s, etc; I could go on and on. Plus, there are a gazillion-and-a-half wineries peppered around the city — wineries that actually produce delicious wines. Score!

The hubby, G and I crammed as much as humanly possible into the two days we were there and I tried to capture most of it in pictures. Unfortunately, I forgot our good camera. (I’m over it now but, man, I was peeeeeeeved…) Lucky for us, the iPhone 4 doesn’t take half-bad pictures. In all honesty, some of them are pretty flipping phenomenal. And, no, none of them have been edited in any way.

Without further rambling, I present:

Our Traverse City Vacation in iPhone Pics:

{Day 1}

Grand Traverse Bay

Front Street

Our first stop was Right Brain Brewery, Traverse City’s only micro-brewery, where all of the RBB beers are brewed on-site. Their slogan is “Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow” – so once it’s gone, it’s gone. The Crazy Snake IPA was delish {I’m an IPA gal} but, surprisingly, my favorite was the honey blonde ale, Strawberry Fields.

Right Brain Brewery & Bar

our beer tasting flight

Right Brain Brewery Members Mug Club {so fun!}


G, doing a great job of entertaining himself

Next, we headed over to North Peak, another local brewery/pub, to grab dinner. It was a great spot for G — busy, loud, lots of other families/entertainment — and the food {and beer

} was yummy, too.


playing before bedtime

crazy-beautiful thunderstorm that rolled through on the first night

{Day 2}

On day two, we ate a little slice of breakfast heaven at a quaint French cafe called Patisserie Amie. The coffee was oh-so-yummy and the food, well, just have a look…

coffee: a mommy-must-have


you want a teleportation device, don’t you?

{because he’s just so gosh.darn.cute}

After a quick nap (we’re talking about G here…he napped for about an hour, tops), we walked over to Folgarelli’s, a gourmet market and delicatessen, to put together a picnic-style lunch for the beach. It’s an uber-cute little market and has a great selection.

yep, that’s G waving “hi”

Despite the on-again/off-again clouds — and the fact that none of us had a bathing suit (we bought G’s at Sweet Pea on Front Street the day before), there was never a question about hitting the beach of Grand Traverse Bay!

Warning: Please prepare yourself for some ridiculous beach-baby cuteness!

are they handsome, or what?!?

eating sand

yeah, they’re handsome

searching for a souvenir

souvenir joy

papa, mama & baby tootsies in the sand

After a quick sand-removal back at the hotel, we headed up the Leelanau Peninsula to do some wine and sparkling tasting. (Leelanau — what a fun name, huh?)

Our first stop for “pounding grape” was Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery. Nick and I were {pleasantly} surprised by the deliciousness of the wine — we really liked the Pinot Gris and the Semi-Dry Riesling — and G, well, he made a new girlfriend.

that about sums it up, no?

G and his girlfriend, Channing (a.k.a. the Tasting Room Manager), playing fetch with Hemet

After saying our goodbyes — I’m pretty sure Channing would have taken G home with her — we headed to L. Mawby to taste some bubbly. We loved the quirkiness of this winery — as evidenced in the names of some of the wines — and {again} were very pleased with the products of their vineyard. Our favorites were the Blanc de Blanc and the Brut Rose, called Sex.

Mr. Mawby’s all-electric three-wheel-mobile

my faaaaavorite non-G/non-hubbby photo. nice job, iPhone!

G ate his weight in whitefish pate

Our last stop on this whirlwind two-day vacay was to the Apache Trout Grill. We spotted this grill because of its view over the bay and — being the outdoor-dining lovers that we are — we knew we had to put it on “the list.” We were not disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner of Whitefish (one of the local fish) and veggies. G can put away some fish!!

Did I mention that my boys are handsome??

Phew-Wee! Do you feel like you took the trip with us?!?!

Needless to say, we had an amazing time. We sincerely thank everyone who gave us “where to go/what to see” tips and “must-do’s” (a special shout-out to Mike and Allison) — it really helped us make the most of the little time we had. I have no doubt we’ll be going back…soon! Only next time, we’ll have to wrangle some family and friends to go with us.

Who’s in?