Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Michigan State Asylum
As many of my friends are aware, Mr.Penguin is a fan of the show “Ghost Adventurers.” So when I heard there was a former state asylum near us in Michigan, I was interested in visiting. Today, instead of housing the insane, it has various shops and restaurants.
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There are still touches and reminders of the asylum. Lots of gates, wheelchairs, and even old pictures of former employees.
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It was fascinating to me. The brick walls were delightful, as was the floor. They have turned some of the upper floors into apartments. I wonder how well they sell.
Luckily, no spirits followed us home.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Traverse City
It is time to share with you, my friends, my adventures in Traverse City, the Cherry Capital. Last year when we visited we arrived late and didn't have time to really look at much other than that pesky muskrat.
This year I was able to see a bit more of the city, which was very pleasing to me.
We started off at Right Brain Brewery, since we had just left the Jolly Pumpkin and took that scary dirt road to Traverse City.
I was really digging the ambiance of this place.
They had an awesome wall full of hand painted beer mugs...
...a quirky flying buffalo sculpture...
...different colored walls with amazing artfully displayed designs...
...unique pictures...
...it was nice to sit on a comfy couch like a bar fly and take it all in.
After a few tasty brews, we walked around town. We went back to the muskrat bridge, but luckily there were no woodland creatures around.
Continuing on our walking tour I basked in the glow of some gorgeous buildings...
..looked at interesting metal "sculptures" in various windows...
...we also went back to the same hat shop we visited last year...
...we continued our walking tour, stopping by the Michigan State Asylum Hospital; which, I'm sorry to say, will have to be another post.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
2Lads and a Detour
Of course, we had to visit 2Lads winery on vacation.
You just can’t beat their view...
...which is what keeps drawing us back.
The interior is just as cool as the building and the view; the man and I like the ambiance.
Check out the bar; those are aluminum shavings. How cool is that?
The wine is pretty good as well. I ordered a flight so I could sample the different varieties.
The Cabernet Franc was my favorite, so my lady and I ordered a glass and a cheese plate and went to sit at a table to enjoy our wine and each other.
While sitting at the table enjoying our wine and cheese, we noticed a table ad about a local brewery called the Jolly Pumpkin. Us men are all about various micro brews, so we went to check it out. It was kind of hard to find, hidden among the trees.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a restaurant that served microbrewed beer instead of a brewery, and the place was packed. We didn’t feel like waiting for a table, so we decided to head over to visit Traverse City. This was probably for the best, as I had a bit too much wine at 2Lads.
We ended up taking this scary, one lane back rode as a shortcut to Traverse City. I feared we would never reach Traverse City.
But somehow, someway, we did find our way back onto the big highway. We made it to TC just fine. And that my, friends, will be another post for another day.
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