Midwest Guest

Midwest travel links for August 2010

Check out these great Midwest-related stories I've read online this past month:

• Colorful Caribbean Floats-Charlie spotted some beautiful flashes of color while riding his bicycle through Detroit recently, discovering a workshop and artists creating floats and costumes for the city's Annual Caribbean International Festival Parade. Check out his story and photos of the workshop and the subsequent parade at Bikes, Books & A Little Music.





• Chicago and Milwaukee: Large Public Art and Placemaking-Public art pieces in Chicago like The Bean and a huge American Gothic sculpture are big tourist draws. Jeramey takes a look at <heh> Chicago's latest piece of public art and argues that Milwaukee could benefit from emulating Chicago's penchant for large pieces of statement art. Oh, and check out Milwaukee's Bronze Fonz, which is exactly what you probably think it is-the Fonz of Happy Days fame immortalized as (you guessed it) a bronze statue.

• Backyard Adventures: 100 Acres at the Indianapolis Museum of Art-Check out this outdoor arts park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Arrows Sent Forth. Traveling with kids? This story also has some great tips about the terrain, rest rooms, parking, picnicking at the museum, and more.

• Evansville Otters Baseball for Southwest Indiana-There is still a bit of time to take in a baseball game this season, and Erik takes readers to a game with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League at Indiana Insider Blog. I enjoyed hearing about the team's historic 95-year-old ball park and its connection to the movie, "A League of Their Own".

• Thriving in the BWCAW-Join Rob and his family on a canoe adventure in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It's been a while since we visited the area ourselves, but I vividly remember the quarter-mile downhill portage and the quarter-mile uphill portage we did during one of our day trips, so I can feel Rob's pain as he talks about two miles worth of portages during his trip at The Intense Traveler. But it's all worth it!





• Looking at the End of Summer from the Lighthouse Steps- The marble, Albert Kahn-designed William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse on Detroit's Belle Isle is a real beauty, so I particularly enjoyed taking a closer look at this unique tower at Belle Isle Home.

• Road Trip Music: Indiana-Kerry explores the Midwest and its music at Music Road. Check out this profile of Indiana folksinger Carrie Newcomer (born in Michigan, by the way) and other Midwest musician profiles at Kerry's site.

• Discovering Musical History on Race Street-Michael takes us to historic Herzog Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, in his Soapbox Cincinnati story. Popular music legends like Hank Williams, Patti Page, Flatt & Scruggs, and Bull Moose Jackson (an early R&B artist whose song, "Big Ten Inch Record", some music fans may remember best as an Aerosmith cover) all recorded at Herzog Studios.

• Highway 100-Travel the length of this Minnesota highway via video in a matter of minutes! I enjoyed this little virtual vacation at the Nokohaha blog.





• 7/79 video takes views on unique visual tour of Cincinnati's center-Driving into the Ohio River? Seeing Cincinnati-area landmarks like the Roebling Bridge or The Ascent in nearby Covington, Kentucky, from the air? Randy posted this virtual vacation on Urban Cincy.

Do you know of any other Midwest-related blogs I should check out?

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Iconic lift bridge in Duluth is a major Minnesota landmark

I love photographing bridges and learning about their history, so it's no surprise that there are quite a few photographs of the iconic aerial lift bridge in Duluth, Minnesota, among my collection of Midwest travel photos.

This bridge in the heart of the city's downtown area is a landmark in Duluth and featured prominently in the city's official logo. The bridge is arguably one of the most photographed sites in the state and earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

There is some argument about the bridge's uniqueness according to what I've read, but even if lift bridges are not unique, they are not all that common. Several examples of lift bridges exist in Europe and in New Jersey's Meadowlands, and Midwest Guest readers may remember my recent story about the Portage Lake Lift Bridge at Houghton-Hancock in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula.

Duluth's lift bridge moves traffic over a small canal cutting through the five-mile-long Minnesota Point (a.k.a. Park Point) sand bar. The canal, constructed in 1870-1871 to accommodate boat traffic, created an island separated from mainland Minnesota. Ferries moved residents, visitors, and goods across the gap in warmer months, while a temporary footbridge strung across the water moved traffic across the ice during the colder months.

Increasing traffic made the ferries and the swinging bridge suspended across the gap inadequate. The densely populated area made building many conventional types of bridges requiring long approaches impossible, so the city sponsored a contest in 1892 to find the best design.

John Alexander Low Waddell designed the winning idea, a span conceived as the world's first high-rise vertical lift bridge. However, the city scraped Waddell's design (which Chicago eventually used for a now-defunct bridge at South Halstead Street), and City Engineer Thomas McGilvray redesigned it as a gondola bridge.  

The newly redesigned bridge, completed in 1905, had the now-familiar steel arch, and a suspended gondola with a capacity of 60 tons. The gondola could carry 350 people, plus wagons and horse teams, street cars, and other vehicles. The crossing took about a minute, with as many as a dozen trips per hour scheduled during the day and two trips per hour during late-night hours.

The gondola transporter bridge proved inadequate by the late 1920s, and engineers turned back to Waddell's original idea for an aerial lift bridge.

Engineer Claude Allen Porter Turner reconfigured the design to eliminate the gondola and incorporate a lift span into the existing steel framework. Other modifications included extending the side towers and moving bridge operators from the gondola to a control house at the center of the span.

The upgrade began in 1929, and the bridge first lifted its center span to allow for passing boat traffic the next year.

It takes about three minutes to completely lift the span, although it takes as long as 15 minutes to lift and lower the bridge for larger ships because the lift starts when the boats are three miles away. The bridge averages 25 to 30 lifts a day during the summer shipping season

A system of storage batteries, generators, concrete weights, and electronic pulleys power the bridge. Even so, the bridge can occasionally become stuck as it did in July of this year when a lightning strike created a two-plus-hour delay for car traffic when the bridge stalled in the up position during a busy evening rush hour.

 

Check out this web cam link to see the bridge in action.

 

Want to learn more Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge? Check out Crossing the Canal: An Illustrated History of Duluth's Aerial Bridge by Tony Dierckins or this Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge DVD celebrating the bridge's 2005 centennial.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for July 2010

Here are a few interesting Midwest-related stories I've read online this past month:

• A Visit to Round Island Lighthouse-This little gem of a lighthouse near Michigan's Mackinac Island opens to the public one day each year, so is a special treat when Jennifer shared these photos of her recent visit to the lighthouse with her friend Bree on Bree's Mackinac Island Blog.

• The J.W. Wescott II mail boat-A boat with its own Zip Code? Read about it at Sweet Juniper as Jim writes about the Detroit River Post Office aboard the J.W. Wescott II, the only boat in the world dedicated expressly for mail delivery to vessels along the Detroit River.

• Cincinnati's Dramatic, Multi-Billion Dollar Riverfront Revitalization Nearly Complete-Urban planner Randy Simes details this Ohio city's riverfront $3 billion transformation from an aging industrial space into an exciting mixed-use district at the Urbanophile. We visited completed components of this revitalization like the Great American Ball Park and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center during our last visit to the city.





• Milwaukee, A Walker's Paradise-Andrew takes readers on a tour of walkable Milwaukee at Urban Out, checking out some downtown bars, eateries, shopping districts, and residential neighborhoods.

• Chicago's Grocery Store in the Sky-Wayne takes us to one of Chicago's most exclusive stores, a grocery store on the 44th floor of the John Hancock building called the Potash Gourmet 44. Visitors must pass a lobby security checkpoint, pass the 44th floor lobby receptionist, and be a building resident (or with a resident) to go shopping there. Or you can enjoy this virtual visit with Wayne.

• Wayne County Treasures: The Levi Coffin House-We learned a bit about Levi Coffin and his role in the Underground Railroad in Ohio when we visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, so it was especially interesting to me to learn a bit more about his earlier days with the Underground Railroad in Indiana. Check this story by Andrea on the Indiana Insider Blog.

• Flint Portraits: Lloyd Copeman-Next time you fill up your glass with ice by flipping ice cubes out of your flexible ice cube tray, you can thank Flint-area inventor Lloyd Copeman. The flexible plastic ice cube tray earned this prolific inventor an astounding $500,000 during the late 1920s. Gordon writes about Copeman and his many inventions at Flint Expatriates.

• Jolly Green Giant Statue-Beth and her family visited the big green guy in Blue Earth, Minnesota. Read about their visit to this 55-foot-tall landmark and roadside attraction at The Vacation Gals blog.

• Two Miles an Hour-Did you ever wonder what it was like to cross the prairies in a covered wagon? Join Andrea at Horizontal Lines as she takes on a day-long trail ride in northwestern North Dakota to relive her immigrant ancestors' experiences as they settled into a new land.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Minnesota's Split Rock Lighthouse celebrates centennial year

The strikingly beautiful Split Rock Lighthouse, perched high on a 130-foot cliff along Lake Superior on Minnesota's scenic North Shore, celebrates the centennial anniversary of its first lighting in 1910 on July 31.

We've visited the lighthouse a couple of times during the summer, when sunny days with clear skies made it difficult to get a bad photo of Split Rock, and the Minnesota Historical Society acknowledges the fact that Split Rock is favorite with photographers by helpfully posting photos of the lighthouse from several unique vantage points photographers can consider when planning their shots.

I've taken the long trek down the steep stairway (174 steps by one visitor's count) from the lighthouse to the shore to get a few photos from the foot of the cliff. Of course, what goes down must go back up, so it can be quite a workout just to get those few shots!

Today the lighthouse is one of Minnesota's most popular attractions, even as it owes its existence to particularly turbulent times along Lake Superior.

The year 1905 saw a savage storm lasting for several days in late November resulting in 29 shipwrecks. The loss of those ships and the lives of some sailors aboard them spurred demand for a lighthouse in the area.

In 1907, Congress responded to the demands by appropriating $75,000 for the land and construction of the lighthouse with several other buildings.

The lighthouse's cliff-top location makes its beacon visible as far away as 22 miles on a clear day. The remote location also made construction of the lighthouse particularly challenging.

There were no roads to the site, so workers had to bring all building materials to the site via water. Deep water at the foot of the cliff made it relatively easy for ships to pull in close to shore, and a timber derrick with a hoisting engine transported the construction materials from the shore to the top of the cliff.

In 1910, workers completed Split Rock Lighthouse. The site included the lighthouse as well as several other buildings like three light keeper houses and a fog signal building.

Lighthouse engineer Ralph Russell Tinkham designed the pyramidal octagonal brick tower of Cream City brick with concrete trim on a concrete foundation, topped by a cast iron lantern room to house a second-order Fresnel lens. The project reportedly came in under budget at $72,500, but that included a smaller third-order Fresnel lens for the light tower.

The first lighthouse visitors reportedly showed up only six weeks after the keepers lit the light for the first time. In 1924, the construction of the North Shore Highway past the station opened the site up even further to tourists. In 1936, more than 30,000 visitors signed the lighthouse log book. Today, the annual Split Rock Lighthouse visitor total easily exceeds 100,000.

In 1969, the Coast Guard retired the light, even as the lighthouse earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places that same year.

The State of Minnesota acquired the lighthouse in 1971, and the Minnesota Historical Society took over operation of the lighthouse and accompanying buildings as a historical site.

Visitors can tour the lighthouse and a light keeper's home, both restored to their 1920s-era appearance, from mid-May through mid-October. An on-site visitor center is open year round.

Costumed guides, who often include one acting in character as Split Rock's first light keeper, Orrin "Pete" Young, greet visitors at the light keeper's home. I remember the "light keeper" puzzling over my picture taking during one visit, hearing him marvel to his "wife" about my fascination with their washboard, wringer, and wash tub as we left the building!

The lighthouse also welcomes visitors one night during the late autumn, opening each November 10 and lighting the beacon in memory of the 29 men lost during the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975.

Want to learn more? Check out So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior by Curt Brown. Some observers and researchers question the whether a lighthouse at Split Rock's location would have done much to avert the tragedies in 1905 or if the toll really justified constructing the lighthouse, questions which Minnesota journalist Brown explores in this book.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for June 2010

Here are some interesting blog posts about the Midwest I read in the past month:

• 18th Annual Detroit Concert of Colors July 16-18, 2010-Tim previews one of our favorite summer events. Check out his story and fabulous photos from recent Concert of Colors festivals at The Wandering Photographer.

• Crossroads Guitar Festival brings guitar legends and their contemporaries together-I enjoyed this quick recap of this Chicago festival to benefit Eric Clapton's Crossroads Centre (a rehab facility in Antigua) at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Rock Hall Blog.

• Around Cadillac Square-I've driven past this spot, and gone past the Cadillac Center stop on Detroit's People Mover, many times, but I've never really seen Cadillac Square up close. Let Belle Isle Home show you around this great little urban gem.

• Biking in Detroit: The City on Two Wheels-Most people think of cars when they think of the Motor City, but there are a lot of other great ways to get around Detroit. Let Becks of Detroit Moxie show you how to use some pedal power to get around the D.

• Exploring the Cleveland Metroparks-I've seen a bit of Cleveland's much-loved "Emerald Necklace"-a chain of parks that pretty much circles the city. Check out this story at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus to find out more about the parks and the vision of the young engineer in 1917 that resulted in this beautiful green legacy enjoyed today by residents and visitors alike.

• Flint River Kayaking-I enjoyed this story of a river's rebirth from at Flint Expatriates. Gordon rediscovers this great little river near Flushing, Michigan, and learns something about second chances and stereotypes.

• June on the Farm-I appreciate the value of being a tourist in my own town, so I really appreciated Linda giving us this great look at spring on her Minnesota family farm at Travels with Children.



Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens' great ball park


• Fort Wayne Tin Caps Baseball is Great Family Fun-I've written about the joys of minor league sports and advocated those events as budget-friendly alternatives where you can usually score a seat much closer to the action than you can at a big-league venue. Join Erik at the Indiana Insider Blog for fun on a Friday night in Fort Wayne with the Tin Caps baseball team.

• Falling in love at White River State Park-Amy gives us ten great reasons to fall in love with this urban park, chock full of green spaces and waterfront, in Indianapolis at the Indiana Insider Blog.

• The Ford Bridge Then and Now-You know that a post about a great bridge will always catch my eye, so I enjoyed this story about the historic Ford Bridge that spans the Mississippi River to connect Minnesota's Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the Nokohaha blog.

• City Profile: Milwaukee by UrbanMilwaukee-Milwaukee is another place I've only driven through on the way elsewhere, but it's a place I've always wanted to spend some time visiting. Meanwhile I can visit the Ubanophile blog for virtual tour of the city that includes photos of their striking art museum from Dave of UrbanMilwaukee.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for April 2010

It's time again to share some links to some of the interesting Midwest blog posts I've read online in the past month!

 

• Alexander Calder's 'Flamingo'-I've written about Alexander Calder's stabiles in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio, so it was especially interesting to read Lee Bey's story about Calder's "Flamingo" stabile in Chicago, Illinois.



Calder's 'Stegosaurus' in front of the Toldeo Museum of Art


• Gulo Gulo: The Wolverine and Why Michigan is the Wolverine State-I always wondered about Michigan's designation as "the wolverine state", especially with the recent death of Michigan's only known wolverine existing in the wild. Andrea shares a bit of information about this animal and shares some possible reasons for our state's nickname at Michigan in Pictures.

• Highland Park's Craftsman Bungalows-I love reading about Charlie's two-wheeled explorations of the Detroit area at his Bikes, Books & A Little Music blog. I enjoyed reading about his bicycle ride around Highland Park, Michigan. That city was home to Ford Motor Company's manufacturing plant, the factory where Henry Ford first offered the then-generous $5-a-day wage in 1914 that drew scores of workers seeking a better life for their families to metro Detroit. Charlie tells us that Highland Park is home to one of the largest concentrations of Craftsman Bungalows outside of California, and he includes photos of some these beautiful Highland Park homes with this story.

• Ruins, Revitalization and Rust on the Riverfront-Regular readers of Midwest Guest know of my fascination with bridges in general, and the Cincinnati, Ohio, Roebling Bridge in particular, so it should come as no surprise that this post by Gordon (a.k.a. Ronny) of Queen City Discovery intrigued me. Did I ever mention that I also dig alliteration?



John Roebling Bridge


• COSI: The hands-on museum for kids-Join this Kentucky family of five as they enjoy a great day at Columbus, Ohio's COSI (Center of Science and Industry) Museum on their Backseat Traveler site.

• Background!-Visit Cindy LaFerle's Home Office as Cindy throws the spotlight behind the scenes of Michigan's now-starring role in the movie industry. Cindy tells us about her experience as a background extra in feature films and the hard work required to score that "15 seconds of fame" on the big screen.

• Fighting Crime, One Doughnut at a Time-Check out Kath's story at Great Lakes Gazette about a group of cops in Clare, Michigan, who saved a bakery that served the northern Michigan community since 1896 by purchasing the business to keep it from closing down. The cops obviously have a sense of humor, judging from the T-shirts they offer for sale in a shop next to the bakery.

• Visiting the beauty of Traverse City & its wine-I always try to keep a bottle of Michigan wine in the house, especially my favorite Late Harvest Riesling from Chateau Grand Traverse. I've visited many of the wineries along Michigan's Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas over the years, so I enjoyed Marcia's story about some of these Michigan wineries at Wine and Spirits Travel.

• Hiking Trails of Northwest Indiana-Join Jonathan at the Indiana Insider Blog as he shares five of the most-loved, and possibly least-known, nature walks in northeast Indiana.

• Hormel's SPAM Museum-So, "spam" often gets a bad rap online these days, but readers should enjoy joining The Vacation Gals' Beth as she visits Hormel's homage to the real deal at the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota.

• Fargo-Moorhead's Unusual "Celebrity Walk of Fame"-I love quirky roadside attractions like this "walk of fame" just outside of the Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau building. Join Brian for a quick video tour of the walk, which features hand prints and signatures from luminaries visiting the area that include Bill Gates, Weird Al, the guys from Metallica, and Bert & Ernie (What? No Grover?)

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for February 2010

Here are a few Midwest stories I’ve enjoyed reading this past month:

• Those of you observing Lent may still be savoring the idea of that last taste of sweets until Easter. Join Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie as she travels to Hamtramck, Michigan, for the traditional Polish Paczki on Fat Tuesday.

• Sarah went Wandering Off and found this cool art installation on the University of Kansas campus. What do you think? Bewitching, bewildering, or bedazzling?





• I love visiting those funky and largely unknown museums that are unique to a particular city or destination. Check out this great list of unusual and unexpected museums in Cleveland, Ohio, at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus—a list that includes Lake View Cemetery, which Midwest Guest readers may remember reading about here.

• Amy of A Closer Look at Flyover Land invites readers to join her for a perfectly civilized afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota with an up-close look at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

• Aimée takes readers of the Indiana Insider Blog on a tour of Bloomington, Indiana. Check out Indiana University, do a little shopping, and have a great meal to round out your day in Bloomington.

• Kath takes Great Lakes Gazette readers on a tour of Marquette, Michigan. See what makes this Upper Peninsula city a Distinctive Destination, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Northern Michigan University, Lake Superior shoreline, cool architecture—no wonder Marquette came in first among online voters among the Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010.

• Check out these ornate Lombard Lamps in Chicago, Illinois, on the Chicago Architecture Blog. The massive lamps are familiar to residents of Hamburg, Germany, where similar lamps have lined the famous Lombard Bridge in that city since 1869.

• Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that I have a special interest in unique bridges, so I have to include this story by Linda at Travels with Children about North Dakota’s Fairview Lift Bridge.




• Christopher of the Cleveland Area History blog began compiling a list of what he judges as the 100 most important Cleveland, Ohio, Landmarks and asks readers to help complete the list. There are some great places on this list, including Lake View Cemetery’s Wade Chapel (thanks for linking to my story about the chapel, Christopher). I can’t wait to get back to Cleveland to explore some of the places on this list.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for January 2010

Let's start the new year with a new list of Midwest-related blog posts from other writers I've enjoyed reading this past month:

• Cave Point's Icy Cliffs-I enjoy Bo Mackison's beautiful photos at Seeded Earth Photography, and you can just feel the wind-whipped chill as she ventures out to Cave Point County Park in Door County, Wisconsin, to capture this image of the icy cliffs along Lake Michigan.

• Fried Chicken and Frozen Waterfalls-This may sound like an unlikely pairing, but check out Illinois' Starved Rock State Park with Justin at The Windy Pixel. This grand old log lodge reminds me of the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

• In-Town Tourist: Frozen Falls in Hocking Hills-People often express surprise when we mention the waterfalls we've visited in Ohio. Join hometown tourist Heather as she shares some beautiful winter views of the frozen falls in southern Ohio's Hocking Hills area.

• Hocking Hills Winter Hike-It's obvious that Hocking Hills isn't a secret to the 5,000-plus people who joined the park's traditional winter hike this past month. Join Joe at My Quality Time for this six-mile trek through nature's winter wonderland.

• Get Out on the Lake!-I've often seen gaggles of ice fishing shanties out on the frozen lake, but Amy gives us an up-close look at some fun and unique ice shanties created for the Art Shanty Projects on Minnesota's Medicine Lake.

• Across the Icy Green-Hard-core golfers will enjoy this story a winter golf tournament born of cabin fever during a particularly harsh winter in Grand Haven, Michigan. Check out the Look blog at Seeking Michigan for more fun blasts from Michigan's past.

• The best time for a public art inspired tour of Chicago-Chicago has some really fabulous public art, and Helly at Travel by the Calendar tells us that spring is a great time to plan an art-themed trip to the Windy City.





• Kerycik Riverview Elk & Buffalo Ranch-Join Melissa at Midwest Girl as she gets up close and personal with elk and buffalo at this Nebraska ranch.

• Wakarusa Dime Store-Who doesn't love an old-fashioned dime store? Jessica checks out this 100-plus-year-old store in Indiana's Elkhart County that is home to the giant jelly bean!

• Karmageddon's gonna getcha!-Eating Flint can be a blog with bite, but check out Bob's tasty visit to this Flint, Michigan, gem-the Most Beloved Farmer's Market in the country. This reminds me that I need to drive on up to visit the market one of these days, and Steady Eddie's sounds worth a stop as well.

• US-27 in Michigan-Michigan in Pictures is always worth a visit as it showcases wonderful images from around the state. The site also occasionally features a vintage shot like this mid-1950s shot of the old two-lane highway that served as a major route to northern Michigan. This view reminds me a bit of present-day M-115 that runs northwest from near Clare to Frankfort-the favorite part of our drive when we head to that area of Michigan.

  © Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for December 2009

Check out some of these Midwest-related blog posts from other writers I've enjoyed as we bid 2009 adieu:

• A Transformative Trip to Hocking Hills-We love visiting the Hocking Hills area in Ohio, and while autumn is long past at this point, these photos from Kristen were just too amazing not to include on this list of links.

• Following Foodie: Columbus, OH-We've driven through Columbus a few times on the way to, or from, Hocking Hills. Hockey? A great bookstore? Good eats? I'm thinking should check out some of Jessica's suggestions next time we're down that way and make a couple of stops in Columbus!

• Cleveland? A Whole Lotta Love for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-I've visited the R&R HOF+Museum many times (I've had a charter membership to the museum since before it opened), so it was a lot of fun to read what Wandering Educators' Julie thought about her first visit to the museum.

• Christmas Delights in Frankenmuth-This Bavarian-theme Michigan town, home the incomparable Bronners Christmas Wonderland and the subject of Laura's story for Moon Travel Guides' blog (thanks for the shout out to Midwest Guest, Laura!).





• The Guardian Building: Detroit's Beauty-Take a tour of one of Detroit's Art Deco-style gems. Detroit Moxie's Becks takes us on a tour of The Guardian Building, built for a banking company in 1929, and includes photos of many of the building's grand architectural details. I know this tour will be on our calendar of things to do in 2010!

• Santa and the Ren Cen: Tour the Best of Detroit- The sleek and modern Renaissance Center, like the venerable Guardian Building, offers free building tours. Join Jackie and her son at Free is my Life as they tour another Detroit landmark and visit Santa.

• Old Main and Wayne State University-Visit Michigan's only urban research university (and my alma mater), Wayne State University in Detroit, at the Michigan in Pictures site. Old Main, built in 1894, looks pretty magnificent here-it would make a great postcard! Be sure to click on the slide show link for more great architectural photos on Wayne's campus.

• Chicago: Comparison + Opinion-This Build Blog article is a great comparison between the new addition at the Art Institute of Chicago by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and the Pritzker Pavilion by Gehry Partners. While Frank Gehry's design of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, wowed me, I found his Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago far less impressive. Interesting to see that the team at this architectural firm in Seattle, Washington, seemed to share my opinion about these Chicago landmarks.





• Minnesota Tourism's Top 20 Wackiest Requests-Check out this fun post at eJourna where Ron shares some of the strangest requests for information received by folks fielding questions at Explore Minnesota's call-in and state highway travel information centers. Queries about snowmobile rentals in July and whale watching tours in Minnesota are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

• North Dakota's Enchanted Highway-This state seems to corner the market on Big Things. Linda finds more out-sized roadside attractions along this stretch of highway between Regent and Gladstone, North Dakota. This group of outdoor metal sculptures lures travelers away from the I-94 expressway to explore some of the state's small towns.  

© Dominique 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest shop 'til you drop

I can't believe how quickly the holidays are approaching!

Here, just in time for some last minute shopping, are some suggestions for those special people on your gift list from some of my past stories about Midwest businesses.

 

• I love wind chimes, and The Wind Chime Shop is a must-see whenever I visit southern Ohio's Hocking Hills area. The selection of chimes is astounding, and I always end up with at least a few sets as gifts and for myself when I stop in the store. Check out the store's Web site, and look for my favorite Gentle Spirits chimes!

 

• Love cheese? Then you'll love Cheese Haven near Port Clinton, Ohio. We like stopping by on our way home from Cleveland, or when we drive on out to the Marblehead lighthouse and picking up some of the store's cheddar cheese spread (check out No. 6 on Cheese Shop list at the Web site).





 

• I'm ready to place my order for cherry goodies from Cherry Republic! The company in Glen Arbor, Michigan, offers dried cherries, cherry jellies and jams, cherry salsa, cherry barbecue sauces, chocolate covered cherries, gummy cherry Sour Patch candies (my favorite), and almost any other product that incorporates one of Michigan's signature crops.

 

• Zingerman's family of businesses is another Michigan foodie delight-a family of companies dedicated to sharing the best in regional fare and fun food finds at their Ann Arbor deli, Roadhouse restaurant, through local outlets like Detroit's Eastern Market, and their mail order catalog. Our favorites include pimento cheese and their dense, rich coffeecakes (the coffeecakes freeze well if you can't eat them all at once).

 

• You can order a canoe from the Piragis Boundary Waters Catalog (we did), but you can also order a lot of other gifts from this Ely, Minnesota, outfitter. You can find plenty of outdoor gear, as well as gifts like jewelry, posters, photographic prints, and other hand-crafted items from northwoods artisans.

 

• For some curious reason, my story about our visit to Sechler's Factory Pickle Store in Fremont, Indiana, is one of my most popular posts. We occasionally find Sechler's Pickles in grocery stores in the Detroit area, but you can view a bigger variety of pickled products and gift packs at the Sechler's Web site. You'll have to call or fax in your order, but you can pick up a free pickle recipe book in PDF format before you log off to place your order.





 

• Looking for a funny gift and can't make it all the way up to Ishpeming, Michigan? Check out Da Yoopers' online store for beer...um...accessories, Upper Peninsula souvenirs, John Wayne lunchboxes, Elvis shopping bags, and the full catalog of Da Yoopers music and DVDs. Check the Rock Knockers section of the site to shop for the rock hound on your list.

 

• Visiting Bronner's near Frankenmuth, Michigan, is definitely worth the experience, but if you're short on time and still need that one special ornament for your tree or as a gift, you can always check out the huge Christmas store's online catalog.

 

There are a few of our favorite places for gifts from the Midwest. Do you know of others I should check out?