Tulip Festival

It's been tulip time in West Michigan. For those of us who look forward to these colorful signs of spring each year, there is no better place to enjoy them than in The city of Holland and the yearly Tulip Time Festival.
The weather has been especially nice for the festival this year. We visited Windmill Island where there is a real working Dutch windmill "DeZwaan" that is more than 240 years old.


There is also a replica of a 228 year old Dutch Inn.


The gift shops resemble a Dutch village and are filled with souvenirs such as delftware, Dutch baked goods, and candy.





After leaving Windmill Island we headed over to Veldheer's Tulip Farm. Here they have the midwest's only working tulip farm with 125 varieties on over 30 acres. They also have the only delftware factory in the U.S.A. In addition, there is a wooden shoe factory and a shop where you can order not only tulip bulbs, but many varieties of perennials. The gardens here are beautiful with mostly tulips, but also daffodils, and some hyacinths in purple, blue, pink, and white.



Downtown Holland looked interesting as we passed through, and it seems that many new restaurants and opportunities for shopping have cropped up since I last visited there many years ago. We decided we would visit again soon.


Veldheer's Tulip Farm, 12755 Quincy St. & US 31, Holland, MI, ph. 616-399-1900

Windmill Island, 1 Lincoln Ave., Holland, MI, ph. 888-535-5792, 616-355-1030

Some favorite things from Valentine's Day

Romance, lace, chocolate, and flowers -- These pictures I took capture the essence of what I like about Valentines Day.

This reproduction tin filled with chocolates is from World Market. I gave it as a gift to my mother.




These roses are from my husband. Red is my favorite color. No wonder I like Valentine's Day!

A winter visit to South Haven

We are usually only drawn to this coastal Southwest Michigan town in the summer when all the shops are open, and we can walk out to the pier to the lighthouse, admiring along the way the big pleasure boats coming in off the lake or docked at the marina. With its location on the shore of Lake Michigan, South Haven is a popular destination in the summer for visitors from Chicago and all over Michigan. We are only a little less than an hour away, but winter driving on that side of Michigan with its lake effect snow doesn't make it very inviting. Also, some of the shops can't afford to stay open after the summer tourists leave, followed by the Christmas shoppers, so they close for the winter. Some do stay open, though, as well as some of the restaurants. I had taken note of one in particular during one of my summer visits, that I hoped to try soon. I had a chance when a late summer lay-away purchase that was ready to come home with me gave me an excuse to make a rare January trip to South Haven. We stopped first at The Perfect Setting to pick up my long awaited necklace. This small jewelry shop has always been a favorite stop for my girlfriends and me. It is part of the collection of shops called Old Harbor Village on the Black River on Williams Street. Here we find unique and beautiful handcrafted jewelry with stones set in sterling silver and gold. The pieces here are not cheap, but most are within reach and are fun to look at, wish for, and sometimes purchase. My necklace was purchased on one of those such days with a friend when we were "just looking and wishing."
We both admired the beautiful purple and turquoise quartz necklace, and while trying it on, my friend suggested I buy it. After protesting that it cost too much, she then asked questions of the sales girl. "Do you have lay-away?" "You do?" After a few more questions I was talked right into it. Lay-away! Isn't that great! Customers here will also find the sales staff to be very friendly, personable, and helpful. Our January visit this month was by appointment only. They are closed from January through March, except by appointment.

After my husband and I made our pick-up here, we headed over a couple of streets to Tello Italian Bistro on Phoenix Street. We were immediately impressed with the ambiance. It was dark, cozy, and elegant looking. We were also lucky to be here on a day and time when there was only one other table besides us. Our waitress didn't smile much at first, but we were polite and friendly anyway, so she opened up more, and became more talkative and helpful throughout the rest of our visit. I started out with a salad of baby greens, goat cheese and pine nuts, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was simple, but good. We both were very pleased with our entrees. My husband chose Lasagne al forno. It was tasty, but very different because of the bechamel sauce and Bolognese with pork, in addition to the beef. We both have enjoyed Bolognese in the past, so I chose Parpadelle Bolognese which was pasta with the Bolognese sauce of pork and beef. These were both served with fresh parmesan. My Pinot Grigio, that I ordered, was a nice complement to my pasta. We skipped dessert, but they had several tempting ones to choose from including Tiramisu and Canoli, both made with mascarpone cheese. Maybe I can try one of those on a future visit.

I am very much looking forward to summer, with or without another trip here, but South Haven will again be on our agenda.

The Perfect Setting, 515 Williams St., South Haven, MI, ph. 269-637-8385

Tello Italian Bistro, 524 Phoenix, South Haven, MI, ph. 269-639-9898

Another Christmas is done

Last night we finally took our tree down. I knew it was time, but unlike some people, I'm never anxious to get it down right away. It's only after Christmas when the rush is over that I can finally spend time at home and enjoy it. My husband took this picture of our tree closing in on some of the ornaments. Each ornament has a special memory associated with it, either of a Christmas past, or of the special place where it was purchased.

Chicago

My husband and I started a tradition the Christmas after we were married three years ago. Each year between Christmas and New Years we like to spend a couple of days and nights in Chicago. This year with money being a bit tighter we had to cut back somewhere. Even though we were able to get a pretty good internet deal at the Affinia Hotel, we had to carefully plan out our meals so that we could stay within our budget, but still eat well. The last couple of years we've made a point to try out one of Chicago's many famous steakhouses. This year, though, we decided to try some of the less expensive places that we had been wanting to visit. For our first night we decided on The Cheesecake Factory. It was a long wait,
as we anticipated, but we made it our last destination of the evening, and it was very close to our Hotel. We were seated in a nice location, as it was right in front of the windows which looked out onto the large Christmas tree in the plaza of the John Hancock building. What we didn't anticipate was the very large portions! I ordered the Crispy Chicken Costoletta. I was served what seemed like several chicken cutlets that were lightly breaded and sauteed until they were crisp and golden brown. They had a delicious flavor, and were served on top of a lemon sauce. My husband had the meatloaf that came with mashed potatoes and gravy, and vegetables. His was also very tasty and plentiful. The next day we visited the Chicago Art Institute. I was very impressed. I didn't know this museum was home to so many famous paintings. One of my favorites was Two Sisters (On the Terrace) by Renoir pictured here.

I was amazed that they let people take pictures of the paintings. Here is another one, this time of me standing in front of one of the museum's tapestries.
My husband has been telling people it is a picture of me in front of our dining room area rug.

We decided to walk all the way back down Michigan Ave. this time instead of taking the free Trolley, which we took on the way over.
This way we could see more and stop off anywhere we wanted on our way back. I had always wanted to see "the bean," which is really called "Cloud Gate." This is up behind the skating rink in Millennium Park. You can walk under it and look at your reflection both above and next to you.
Before climbing the steps leading to "Cloud Gate," we first stopped to watch the skaters. It looked fun, but was also very crowded.

We had skipped breakfast and lunch today, so by this time we were very hungry. I had been curious about trying the Grand Lux Cafe because it sits above Ann Taylor, and has huge windows that overlook Michigan Avenue.
I asked about sitting by those windows, and my request was granted with only a slightly longer wait. It also helped that we were there very early in the evening before the dinner rush. Again, this place also had large portions. In fact, the menu was very similar to The Cheesecake Factory. Only after later looking at their website which was also curiously similar, did I learn that the two restaurants were created by the same founder. The decor of the Grand Lux is a venetian style. Very opulent with marble floors and tabletops. There were quite a variety of choices on the menu, so it was hard to decide. On recommendation from our waiter I chose what they call the "Sunday Night Pasta." It has meat sauce with chunks of beef short ribs, steak, and mushrooms, served over any pasta you choose. I like angel hair, so chose that. It was good, but very filling. My husband had the fish and chips. This was good also, and was served with a peanut cole slaw that tasted fresh and looked very appealing, and also fries. The view was great. Especially at night with the white christmas lights of Michigan Avenue in the background.

The next day our plan was to do some shopping, which on our budget meant mostly looking. Oak Street shopping is fun and different because of all the designer boutiques that line both sides. My one Oak Street purchase was a pretty snowflake charm from the Juicy Couture boutique. Other than that there was plenty of shopping along the Magnificent Mile. We had already stopped at Neiman Marcus our first night because I was on a quest to purchase a beautiful, but rather expensive ornament I had seen there on an earlier trip. I knew it would be on sale, but since it was already a few days after Christmas I was afraid it would be gone, which it was. Before we left town, we decided on pizza from Geno's East since it was right next to our Hotel. Unfortunately, our pizza was not like I remembered from earlier visits a few years ago. It was just ok, but not great. Maybe it was just a bad night, but we both said we would go back to Giordano's next time where we enjoyed delicious pizza the previous two years. I don't want to completely write Geno's East off because they are legendary and have been good in the past, so we may return during some visit in the far future.

The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60603-6404

The Cheesecake Factory, 875 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 337-1101

Geno's East, 162 E. Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-266 DEEP (3337)

Giordano's, 730 N. Rush St., (312) 951-0747 (many other locations)

The Grand Lux Cafe, 600 North Michigan Avenue at Ontario, Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 276-2500

Tabor Hill and Chocolate Garden

So, still in a wine tasting mood after the Traverse City trip, I gathered up my girlfriends and we headed to Buchanan, Michigan -- home of Tabor Hill Winery.
After hearing about this spot we were anxious to try the restaurant which sounded appealing because it overlooks the vineyards.
Thankfully, the scenery wasn't the only thing it had going for it. The food didn't disappoint either. I chose the Chicken chopped salad with sliced avocados pictured above. One of the other dishes at our table was the Raspberry Chicken below.
The menu also features grilled bison, an interesting addition since you don't often see it served anywhere. They have many other unique but delicious sounding dishes that I'm anxious to try on a return trip; especially on the dinner menu which features heartier fare. After dinner we went to the lobby of the winery to try some of the wine being offered, and also visited the shop. Here I wanted to purchase a souvenir of our visit, so I chose a pair of wine glasses with the Tabor Hill logo. Luckily it was a beautiful day for a road trip. We continued from Tabor Hill on to Coloma to visit "The Chocolate Garden."
This is an "all truffles" shop, but they are delicious. You can purchase boxes of them, but I chose the packages of two so that I could put together my own variety. I chose dark chocolate raspberry, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate hazelnut. They are smooth and creamy, but what makes them really delicious is the outside texture created by rolling the truffle in chocolate shavings.

It was a fun and delicious day.


The Chocolate Garden, 2691 Friday Road, Coloma, MI 49038, (269) 468-YUMM

Tabor Hill Winery,185 Mount Tabor Road, Buchanan, Michigan USA 49107, (800)283-3363

Traverse City

It's hard to give up and let go of a beautiful summer like we've just had in Michigan this year. Once we've finally accepted the idea that it's over and are ready to move on, Fall in Michigan is eagerly anticipated.
A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I headed up North to the Traverse City area for a few days. With us traveling from Southwest Michigan, we were hoping to find that the trees up there were way ahead of ours in color, but they were only just beginning. Still, it was enough to give us a fresh sense of Autumn in the air, and add to the ambiance of our planned itinerary. Our stay for our three nights was based at the Grand Traverse Resort, which is actually in Acme, right next to Traverse City. There, we had a very nice, even though somewhat basic, room. The main draw at the resort, for many, is probably the three signature golf courses designed by golf legends, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and William Newcomb, but I didn't hesitate to book myself a hot stone massage at the luxurious spa. In addition to these offerings are the upscale shops and three restaurants. There are many good restaurants in this area. One of my favorites is amical. Our visit there was a return trip for me. It is a French Bistro style restaurant, but many of the dishes seem to lean toward Italian. It's casual, yet its menu selection and ambiance are upscale. The decor is inviting with its black and white checkered tablecloths, and makes you feel like you could be in Paris. As soon as you walk in the door you're greeted with glass cases full of mouth watering gourmet caramel apples, cakes, tarts, and other pastries. They also have outdoor patio dining in the front. One of the things that I like about this restaurant is that the menu has selections that you don't see every other place you go. We were here during lunch time, so wanted a fairly light meal. I chose one of the three gourmet pizzas they had to offer because its hard to find really good thin crust pizzas very often. I was hesitant at first to try a pizza that included salami, but this pizza, that also included roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella, on cracker thin crust was delicious. My husband had the Tomato Soup en Croute, which is roasted tomato soup in a puff pastry. I tasted this also, and loved it, so we ended up sharing both. Their autumn menu also features Stuffed Acorn Squash, and Pumpkin Ravioli.


The hills in Michigan's wine country in the northern part of the lower peninsula, are not quite as pronounced as those in Napa Valley, but the landscape and winding roads are just as beautiful. Wine tasting here is a popular past-time this time of year, and when done on a nice sunny autumn day like we had, it makes for a memorable event, even for my husband who doesn't care for wine. We visited three wineries over the course of two days. Each were set in beautiful rolling hills surrounded by vineyards.
Chateau Fontaine was the first one we visited, and turned out to be my favorite, both in the experience and the taste of the wines. It is a bit further out then some of the others, and may be the reason this one was less crowded. Or it could be because we visited this one on a week day, and the others on Saturday. I'm sure either of these reasons could be why the experience here was less rushed feeling and more personable. They also offered crackers with a Chardonnay garlic and cilantro cheese ball that was so delicious I had to buy the mix to take home. Even though I'm usually a white wine girl, my favorite at this winery was the Woodland Red which is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. Our tour the next day took us to Bowers Harbor Vineyards and Chateau Chantal. Both of these wineries were very popular and drew large crowds. At Bowers Harbor, surrounded by vineyards and located 10 miles north of Traverse City on the Old Mission Peninsula, visitors are greeted by a very large dog named Cooper, a Bernese Mountain dog. A grapevine covered walkway leads to the tasting room, which was originally a horse barn.
Chateau Chantal, which is also a Bed and Breakfast, looks like an old world castle, and its location on Old Mission Peninsula offers panoramic views of rolling vineyards and Grand Traverse Bay. My favorite wines at these visits were not necessarily the ones that won the biggest awards, but that just goes to show that no matter how many awards a particular wine has won, wine choice is really a matter of personal preference.


We concluded our trip to Traverse City with a visit to Music House Museum. Housed inside is a large collection of antique automated musical instruments. These were given by many contributors, and are all authentically, and beautifully restored. A guide gives an escorted tour giving the history of the instruments, while demonstrating many of them starting with some of the smaller and older pieces, and ending with the largest. Some of the larger ones ranged from an organ grinder to reproducing pianos to a dance hall organ. It was an interesting and enjoyable hour and a half. Our tour concluded with a visit to the gift shop, which offered musical themed gift items and recordings.


amical, 229 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI, ph. 231-941-8888

Bowers Harbor Vineyards, 2896 Bowers Harbor Road, Traverse City, MI, ph. 800-616-7615

Chateau Chantal, 15900 Rue de Vin, Traverse City, MI, ph. 231-223-4110

Chateau Fontaine Vineyards and Winery, 2290 S. French Rd., Lake Leelanau, MI, ph. 231-256-0000

Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI, ph. 800-236-1577

The Music House Museum, 7377 U.S. 31 North, Acme, MI, ph. 231-938-9300