There's no better hometown than New York City for making its residents totally nearsighted. Growing up in the Big Apple -- a train ride, bus stop, or walk away from places like the Bronx Zoo, the Empire State Building and Time Square -- makes it difficult to remember that there are interesting places in the nation aside from other widely publicized cities.
And yet, after my trip to Michigan's Grand Rapids and Detroit, I originally felt compelled to write 37 pages about it. Luckily, we've paired it down to the very best both cities have to offer.
Grand Rapids
I was expecting a little town surrounding a medium-sized (or "That's what they call grand?" sized) waterfall, complete with a few homely gift shops that specialized in little waterfall statuettes -- all on a main strip no longer or higher than th"ree blocks and two stories. Instead, I found a small yet warm city (despite the season), teeming with the beauty of local artists.
The Amway Grand, the hotel whose majestic, brick visage is featured in The Polar Express, was the place we called home for our three days in Grand Rapids, and I mean that literally. We caught ourselves saying, "After dinner, I'm going home and going to bed" -- the Amway Grand was just that charming. See for yourself on www.amwaygrand.com.
Our tour started at Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Although aptly named, it was quickly clear that the focus of the Gardens was not simply sculpture. At the time, a large pottery exhibit featured some phenomenal works and an elaborately decorated Polar Express exhibit featured a miniature train, and kids' activity center. Our guide, told us that both the outdoor and indoor exhibits change frequently, in a museum-esque way that makes the park an interesting place to visit all year. For information on current and upcoming exhibits, visit www.meijergardens.org (1000 East Beltline NE, Grand Rapids; tel. 888/957-1580).
Our next stop was LaFontsee Galleries, which turned out to be one of my favorite places of the trip. Featuring art in two and three dimensions, any way you turn in this gallery is bound to point you toward something stunning. In fact, I gladly returned two days after the initial visit to see more. Enjoy this necessary stop on the art trail every day of the week and Saturday (820 Monroe NW, Grand Rapids; Mon, Wed, Thurs, 9am-5:30pm; Tues, Fri, 9am-7pm; Sat 10am-4pm; tel. 616/451-9820; www.lafontsee.us).
Our gallery tour continued with the fine Water Street Gallery, owned by Maryjo Lemanski (546 Butler, Saugatuck; tel. 269/857-8485; www.waterstreetgallery.com) and ended with a tour of downtown Grand Rapids' architecture. We saw Maya Lin's Rosa Parks Circle, a piece by Alexander Calder called La Grande Vitesse ("the great swiftness" or the grand rapids) and the public sculpture Motu Viget, by Mike di Suvero. For detailed itinerary information on all public art in and around Grand Rapids, be sure to check out www.sculpturesitessgr.org.
Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) offers quick, hour-long lessons in ice carving during the long winter months. Robert Garlough, the college's ice carving expert, explains the 10 steps involved in ice carving and demonstrates them all with a few easy to use (but totally testosterone charged) tools before letting you have a go at it yourself. GRCC also offers a seven week ice carving class -- something a local should definitely check out. Information on all classes offered at the college can be found online at www.grcc.edu.
That night, we enjoyed long dinner and wine tasting at Bar Divani (15 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids; tel. 616/774-WINE; www.bar-divani.com), followed by an art crawl to the Division Avenue Arts Co-op (DAAC; www.thedaac.org), Studio 71 South (www.studio71south.com) and Ideal Collective (www.idealcollective.com). The three galleries have a chill underground art vibe -- from Alison Jone's mixed media work to the fashions of Bliss designer K. Menardie Yokom and the tunes of La Famiglia. A highly recommended way to spend a long Friday night if you're up for it.
Detroit
Don't go to Detroit without visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). The Diego Rivera murals and Rivera Court, home to Rivera's Detroit Industry, the most important Rivera mural in America, don't disappoint. Of course, The Court is just a small portion of this large and incredibly diverse museum. Take a look at www.dia.org.
After dinner at the elegant and award winning Opus One (565 East Larned St.; tel. 313/961-7766; www.opus-one.com), we took in a Rockettes show at the beautiful Fox Theater. Definitely consider spending a night in the Fox if there's something you fancy being played. The latest offerings can be found online at www.olympiaentertainment.com.
The majority of one of our Detroit days was spent at The Henry Ford Museum. Throw out any misconceptions you have right now: Henry Ford is much more entertaining than you expect. Just what will you find at this museum? Among many things the museum houses an iMax movie theater, the Benson Ford Research Center, the Ford Rogue Factory Tour, and Greenfield village, the frontier town that inspired Walt Disney's approach to Disneyworld. All in one place, the museum is definitely worth a day's dedication. The website www.thehenryford.org has all the information you need on iMax shows, museum exhibits and special events.
If your pockets are deep enough, I highly recommend a serious visit to the Habatat Galleries, one of the largest and oldest glass galleries in the world. Be sure to contact the gallery first to arrange a visit. If you don't get a chance to tour the gallery yourself, you can take a virtual tour online at www.habatagalleries.com (tel. 561/241-4544).
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