around town: live like a local

My blog buddy Kait came up with the greatest idea for a guest post series: Live Like a Local, in which she invites other bloggers to share where they live, and what local gems are not to be missed by any visitors. I'm excited to have shared my town today - it might not be as glamorous as other featured locales like Palm Springs, or historic as places like Heidelberg, but it is really a great small town, situated on the shore of Lake Michigan, with plenty of local things to enjoy.

While I encourage you to go check out the full post about visiting Holland, I thought I'd go into a bit more detail here about one of my favorite areas: downtown.

Holland's downtown runs for several blocks of 8th Street and has tons of shops, restaurants, and such, making it very fun for a stroll. Major bonuses: in the spring and summer, there are always gorgeous flower beds (especially the tulip-filled ones in May!), and in the winter, it's always entirely walkable as all the sidewalks are fitted with a snowmelt system, meaning they're never snow-covered or icy, no matter the depths of winter we're in. It's the best!

So if you were to come downtown for the day, here are the things I'd say you can't miss. These are great for visitors, but they're also places that I walk over to from my home on a very regular basis.

shops

• Frances Jaye: probably our most hip option in town for clothes and shoes for both men and women - always fun for a browse.
• JB and Me: another local clothing boutique, with more of a boho feel, plus lots of great denim and shoes. They have some home stuff too, with displays that remind me of Anthropologie.
• Urban Found: another clothes shop with a feel like Anthro/JB and Me.
• Tip Toes: children's boutique with cute clothes from brands like Tea Collection, plus lots of toys and even a little tree house for kids to climb/play in while you shop.
• The Sandcastle: the other place to stop if you've got kids along - the local toy store!
• Gazelle Sports: all things running! Super knowledgeable staff, and I always like to browse the sale racks for something from Nike, Patagonia, Lole, etc.
• The Outpost: all kinds of outdoorsy stuff for hiking, camping, and such, plus loads of Patagonia and North Face.
• Reader's World: the downtown bookstore. Not the coziest place ever, but you really can't skip the local bookstore.
• Cherry Republic: they've got all things cherry, from chocolate covered ones, to salsas and sodas and beyond. Definitely worth a stop, especially because there are always free samples out.
• Michigan Pantry: lots more local foodie items to bring home, from nut mixes to chocolate colored blueberries, to local wines (+ tastings!).

restaurants/breweries

• New Holland Brewing Pub on 8th: probably our most-visited restaurant, because they have some great quality pub food (the pizzas and salads are always favorites of ours) and of course excellent beer. Plus it's a pretty good place to go with kids, especially because of the big beer garden out back.
• Our Brewing Company: great little brewery with interesting beers with a fun atmosphere and even games/pinball/trivia night for entertainment. They have free popcorn, but no other food - but you can bring in whatever you like, or even grab takeout from anywhere downtown. Our choices are usually pizza from Crust 54 or sushi from Mizu Sushi. Otherwise we just go for a pre-dinner drink!
• Butch's Drydock: our go-to for a slightly fancier dinner. They've got a great wine/beer selection (you can go in and just shop that) along with great cocktails, and menu that changes seasonally. I've had some excellent fish dishes and much more.
• Seventy-Six: so brand new that we haven't had a chance to eat there yet, but we fully expect it to be excellent, as it's by the same chef as one of our favorite restaurants in the region (Public). It's our first farm-to-table option downtown, and it looks great.
• Windmill Restaurant: hole-in-the-wall type of breakfast place - which is my favorite kind of breakfast place. You've got your standard diner-type eggs, pancakes, and potatoes, and cheap too! Warning: if they're busy, you have to just stand in line and wait. There's no putting your name in.

other fun stuff

• The Peanut Store: you can't miss our local candy shop, which has been around for 115 years.
• The 205 Coffee Bar: our newest coffee shop of the 3 downtown is our best one, in my opinion (though I admit, that says nothing about the coffee, as I don't drink it...) - a pretty hip atmosphere, but my favorite part is how the front windows all open up on nice days so that you can sit outside as well.
• Holland Area Arts Council: always fun (and free) to walk through and see what they have in the gallery here, and there's a makers' studio that has some open hours + some event times. Plus I have an extra special affinity for this place, as it's where we had our wedding reception.
• Farmers market: down on the other end of 8th is our large farmers market that runs every Wednesday and Saturday in the late spring/summer/early fall. Tons of seasonal produce; local breads, coffees, cheeses, meats, etc.; and flowers that I can never resist. On Wednesdays in the summer there are fun kids' activities and story time put on by the library.
• Downtown events: there's always something going on downtown, from Fall Fest to Tulip Time to sidewalk sales to Up on the Rooftops, a holiday event where you can get a peek into homes and offices above downtown shops. Check the Downtown Holland website for a calendar.

places to stay

• rentals: check AirBnB and VRBO for rentals of apartments/homes downtown to really live like a local! Or check out Teerman Lofts, located above a shop downtown. It's my goal in life to retire to a place above a downtown shop, so I really want an excuse to check this place out...
• City Flats Hotel: a contemporary, LEED-certified hotel. We've stayed here - it has a cool vibe and is very walkable to all restaurants and shops. Plus it has its own great bar + yummy flatbreads.
• Courtyard by Marriott: I've never stayed there, but it does have a great location. And a pool.

So that's just downtown Holland - then there's also THE BEACH, our annual Tulip Time festival, the pretty historic district and the local college campus, not to mention tons of other restaurants/activities in nearby Grand Rapids. For even more fun stuff for every season, check out my ideas on Kait's blog!

around town lately: Tulip Time

Last year I recapped all of the fun stuff we did around town during our big annual tulip festival (most of which happens within 3/4 of a mile from our house), and while we'll do a bunch of the same this year (plus a parade - Hendrik is very excited to see his first one), all I really want to do is take pictures of tulips in my favorite colors, so that's what we've got:

Hendrik was happy to comply with a walk through our neighboring park, as sniffing tulips has become one of his favorite pastimes over the last couple of weeks, which makes it take forever to get anywhere, as tulips are planted everywhere around here. (They don't particularly have a scent, by the way, but don't try telling that to him.)

All of the festivities around here make it almost feel like a holiday week (in fact, schools are all closed for a couple of the afternoons), so that + my favorite flower makes for a better-than-average Monday. Hopefully these pretties brighten up yours too.

around town: Grand Rapids weekend fun

This weekend we had such an excellent anniversary overnight getaway while Hendrik had the time of his life having a sleepover with my cousin (aka his favorite babysitter ever). For one, it was amazing to have a whole day to do whatever struck our fancy. But also, it was fun to have an excuse to get over to Grand Rapids, which is not that far away, has lots of fun things to do and good things to eat, but somehow we just don't make it to very often.

After a fabulous 3-course dinner at the farm-to-table restaurant Grove, we stayed at the cool, eco-friendly City Flats hotel. Of course we did not pass up the opportunity for our very favorite kind of date - a breakfast one! - and walked over to San Chez for a Spanish twist on our eggs and bacon. Then we spent a while at Frederik Meijer Gardens, which is such a great botanical gardens and sculpture park. Right now they're featuring the first botanical gardens show by activist Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, which I'm so glad we saw. I loved the pieces that were integrated in the garden setting and the huge wallpaper murals especially. The signage was all really well done to explain his biography and social activism in general and through these pieces. And then finally we did some outlet mall shopping, just because we could!

It's close enough that this was practically a be-a-tourist-in-your-own-town situation, and made me think we really need to do more, besides the concert series and Art Prize event that tend to be the only times we get there. On my list: Founders Brewery, the art museum and children's museum, the symphony, and about 12 more restaurants.

Anything fun happening around your town?

around town: kid-friendly Cincinnati

I used to write occasional "around town" posts of our adventures (and eats!) around Cincinnati, which I've certainly been missing after moving away a year ago. But our recent family mini-vacation there gave me the opportunity to bring back this series, this time with a kid-friendly twist, since all of our outings were geared that way (fun, but meant no dining at Boca...).

Some fun Cincinnati things to do with kids in tow:

Reds game: we actually picked that particular weekend to visit Cincinnati because the Cubs were in town - so we really called it "going to a Cubs game", but either way, fun. This stadium is good for bringing kids because there's plenty of room to roam behind the stands (including a kids play zone, actually), and you can get tickets that aren't too expensive. Also you can bring in your own snacks! Hendrik's attention didn't last terribly long - good thing I had some stickers in my purse as well...

Cincinnati Zoo: despite the recent uproar over that kid falling into the gorilla enclosure debacle, this is a great zoo. Gorgeous flowers in the spring, great Christmas light displays in the winter, and year-round good animal sightings plus a train (major hit with the toddlers).We especially like how up close you can get to the giraffes.

Children's Museum: so much to do for a range of ages - there's a baby area that we visited with Hendrik before we moved, but it was even more fun to come back at this age, so he could do all. the. things: mini town (including grocery store, vet's office, diner, auto shop, etc.), train tables, ball fun zone, pretend forest climbing area, construction zone with crane. A little pricey maybe, but you can spend a long time there.

Greater's: pretty much my favorite ice cream ever, so you know I had to make a trip while we were in town - and since it was a special vacation weekend, we decided ice cream would be acceptable for lunch. Hendrik's mind = blown.

Eli's BBQ: a great option for dining out with kids, as it's an outdoor picnic table, BYOB kind of place. And the BBQ is awesome. We met up with a whole bunch of friends there, and the kids could run around and play while we waited for the food (and while we spent a long time catching up after).

Besides a trip to Ikea (to buy the play kitchen, but also plenty for kids to do/eat around there!) and brunch at Green Dog Cafe, this is what we managed to cram into our weekend, but there are lots of other things for families too: a bunch of great parks (especially Washington Square Park in the summer), Newport Aquarium, King's Island amusement park, Ozo Play Cafe, King Arthur's Toy Store in Oakley, and more.

All of these fun family activities got me ready to hunt down the great ones in our current town... so far we've visited the big apple orchard and done the downtown fall festival. What fun things do you do with kids in your town?

around town: Art Prize 2016

One of the highlights of things to do in the fall in my region is go to ArtPrize, the huge art competition that has entries of all shapes and sizes from all over the world, scattered around the city. Last year I finally got to go for the first time, and this year was Hendrik's first chance to check it out when we tagged along with my parents and brother to kick off the weekend. A few favorite things we saw:

That crayon installation was very intriguing to Hendrik, who loves to color. And a couple of the photos just don't do justice to the pieces - that rug was SO cool. It's like a classic Persian rug, but those wavy portions are part of the weaving. And the mosaic detail there was part of a huge mosaic mural in the shape of the US with each state illustrated by an iconic thing (you can see the Georgia peaches, for example). I voted for those for sure! We'll find out soon which are the top contenders for the next round of voting.

If you live anywhere near Michigan you should consider checking this out sometime!

around town: Tulip Time

Our hometown is home to a big Tulip Time festival every May, and we're right in the middle of it right now, in terms of timing and location... our house is smack in the middle of all the festivities. Growing up, we kind of tried to avoid as much of it as we could, given the crazy that hordes of tourists, large tour buses, closed streets, etc. brings to a fairly quiet town, but now that it's right in my neighborhood, I've decided we'd better embrace it - our street is a week-long parking lot either way.

So here's our best of Tulip Time:

1. Take a trip down Tulip Lane - embracing it all is so much easier when tulips are my absolute favorite flower, and the city plants thousands of bulbs in parks, in downtown planters, and also along 6 miles of roads to make Tulip Lane. I'm lucky to live just one block over from it so got to enjoy the gorgeous tulip-lined streets for a couple of weeks' worth of dog walking. Also a great area for a bike ride, a drive, or even a trolley tour. Definitely a highlight.

(Note that I was keeping a close eye on Hendrik below... Tulips are precious around here, enough that the destruction of them is rumored to be punishable by a fine of $50 per stem.)

2. Run the Tulip Time race - A great community race that starts/ends at a lakeside park just a 5-minute walk from my house. Good things to look at always help get me through a race, and my aforementioned love of tulips made me appreciate this route. Thanks to that and my little fan club (in-laws, spouse, brother), I enjoyed a 10k PR and finished as the 2nd place female overall. I call that "best" of Tulip Time indeed! Also, the start/finish being at this park makes it a fun outing for the whole family, with the various carnival etc. attractions set up (see below).

3. Have a "vendor dinner" - a couple of days before Tulip Time starts, little carnival-like stands start popping up - you know, the kind with caramel corn, fresh-squeezed lemonade, hot dogs, and all kinds of fried goodness - and at least once you've got to just go all out and make it a dinner (especially since a couple of them are parked less than a block from my house). The must-have item for me: an elephant ear! Fried dough cinnamon sugary deliciousness. Hendrik's little mind was blown by his first experience.

4. Watch some Dutch dancing - throughout the week, there are many performances of costumed high schoolers performing traditional Dutch dances in their wooden shoes. I've always found the dances a little silly (never participated myself, but I did march in parades wearing those wooden shoes and 3+ pairs of socks!) but fun to hear the jaunty tinned music and watch the short show anyway. Hendrik loved it.

5. Enjoy some carnival attractions - along with all the food stands comes actual carnival fun. We didn't do any of the big one, but Hendrik was a fan of the couple of rides he got to try out at the kiddie one. That smile was $5 well spent. Also nearby in the park was a little petting zoo and also a snow plow, sheriff's motorboat, and fire truck that kids could check out. Nothing to do with tulips, per se, but some excellent toddler entertainment all the same.

Does your town have any special events or festivals like this? Have you ever been to Tulip Time? If you're ever in west Michigan in the spring, you should check it out - the tulips alone are worth a look, in my opinion!

Before I conclude this festival round-up, though, I better offer a disclaimer for potential visitors: this by no means is an exhaustive list of Tulip Time things to do, given that (a) after years of having to participate in the parades with the marching band, I still have no interest in having anything to do with one of the 3 parades so I'm not going to one and (b) given the aforementioned bad traffic these are limited to things within walking distance of my house, close to downtown. There are plenty of other Dutch-related touristy things to do around town, from visiting a wooden shoe factory to a tulip farm to a really old imported working windmill.

around town: holiday happenings

We love living close to our small town's downtown and have been taking full advantage of the proximity to fun holiday season events lately, walking down for festive sights, sounds, and eats...

The coolest event we've been to was Up on the Rooftops, a holiday open house for which several businesses and private residences located above downtown shops/restaurants opened up. I have always wanted to live in one of these places, so it was SO cool to walk through them. Tons of amazing exposed brick walls, old wood floors, cool views, and jealousy-inducing office spaces with everything from shuffleboard to awesome patios.

last photo from here

We also enjoyed the Christmas lights parade as a whole family - though as it was pretty much an if you have a truck and put lights on it you can be in this parade type of deal, it was most exciting to Hendrik, who is way into vehicles and Christmas light spotting, both. We also enjoyed the Christmas Vespers at the local college; Peter's dad was in the choir, and it was such a nice concert. And because I love being among the Christmas decorations and the hustle & bustle of holiday shoppers so much, I've been making a habit of working out of one of the local coffee shops while Hendrik's babysitter is here, and enjoying some nice hot cocoa while I'm at it (fun fact: that's the same beverage, in the same glass mugs, in the same coffee shop as Peter and I had our first date... 15 (!) years ago).

What holiday fun have you been up to in your town?