Monday, July 21, 2008

On the way to Mackinac Island - Star Line Ferry

Saturday morning, we headed for the Island. It was a dreary day, rainy and foggy, but as living in Michigan teaches one, weather does not stay constant for long. So we took the chance and went for it. By the time we got to the ferry, the rain had stopped, and there was a kinda warm breeze blowing. So we sat at the front on the top deck.Above's the hotel we stayed at, pic taken from a shaky boat.

And above's the view as we're just leaving. While sitting up on top, the horn was sounded - dang was that loud!


Above, the tail spray, and below, the Mighty Mak bridge.





There are two lights as you approach the dock on the island....


And below, the ultra-posh Grand Hotel. More about that later.

Nonna Lisa's in Mackinaw City - Ristorante Italiano?

Dinner evening 1. Nonna Lisa's was well advertised on the web and around the hotel. And it was within comfortable walking distance on what turned out to be a slightly cool evening.

Upon entering the restaurant, it's lack of Italianess struck me. There were loads of dead animals hanging on the walls, and on the ground all over the place. But, in fairness, it is Up North, so you get to expect that kind thing.


Hold on. That looks like an African lion. In Michigan?


Really nice furniture too - tables and chairs that appear to be cut straight from the tree.

And a jukebox.


In it's description, the words 'authentic' and 'traditional' were used. If that's authentic, traditional Italian, then they were a wee bit out. American-Italian, sure. Not a gripe - just an observation.

Starters was, for all, calamari. Unlike the Kona, this was delicious. Really really nice.

Main for me was pizza, with anchovies, tomato, and basil on it. It was great - on first impressions it looked small, but by half way through it, I was disappointed that I was filling up- I wanted to continue! I did eat more...


Wife had shrimp pasta with a creamy sauce. It looked nice - and she said it was - and what I tasted was. In fact she said it was delicious. Wife happy -> me happy.

Boy kid has fettuchine alfredo, which he ate the whole lot without complaining - nor barely allowing any to touch the sides. Girl kid had meatballs with linguine. Turned out to be meatball. Only on, but it was bigger than a golf ball. She ate all the meat, and some of the pasta, and only got a little sauce on herself.

As we were 'on vacation' we splashed out and got a bottle of wine. Da Vinci Chianti. Pretty reasonable at about $23 a bottle - if memory serves me right. Nice wine - had it before and liked it then too. Boy Kid took the photo below.... just to prove the wine existed.

Desert was something I passed on - I generally do. the others had Tiramisu. there seemed to be few complaints. Or talking, so I believe it was enjoyed.

Service. Our server was a young lad who done his best to keep us happy. Well, us and a lot of other people too - he seemed overworked. In fairness, he done OK. No complaints.

Mackinaw / Mackinac City/Island for the Weekend!

Which is it??? Is the city Mackinaw or Mackinac?? Who cares? It's fun!

Either way, last weekend, we decided, pretty much on the spur of the moment to take a short break up north. So, fast booking of a hotel commenced (using a pretty darn good (at least IMO) website), and mid-afternoon Friday, we hit the road. All was good til we hit the Zilawakee Bridge, which was closed, so that added a bunch of minutes onto our trip, but hey, no big deal.

We hit Mackinaw City about 6:30, checked into the Ramada, and paid an extra $10 per night for a lake front room. And relaxed. For 10 minutes until we needed to head out and eat. Which meant to the kids, head out and run on the beach. Which was one of the reasons we went there....

There were notices to not feed the gulls. I guess it's because they get a bit aggressive.




Anyway, Mackinaw City for us was a place to stay, shop, eat and be based as it was too expensive to stay on the Island. More posts will follow..


Mackinaw crossings outdoor mall



And a great big propeller

Monday, June 30, 2008

Technorati!!

Technorati Profile

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Ford Field in the Summer












Thursday, June 26, 2008

Detroit from the river - Diamond Jack's Tour Boat

I chaperoned on a school tour in Detroit - a bit different from the norm - we took Diamond Jack's River Boat Tour along the Detroit River. I gotta say - the city looks a lot different from the water.

After being welcomed on the boat by a really friendly crew, we set sail - and had a running commentary of what we were looking at...

The Ren Cen from the other side


The Manoogian Mansion. Partytime!! Hold on, there was no party!




Chene Park Auditorium


Canada. Or, I told the kids, Canadia. (Well, I asked them. You're American. From America. Why can't Canadians be from Canadia?)



Water pumping thingy



A Canadian casino



A distillery.




A native Canadian Elephant. Eh.



The mail boat. J.W. Westcott II - Apparently the only boat to have its own zip code - 48222



The Ambassador Bridge