“Look Kids, Fish!”
Story Behind the Name
Mom always said, “Don’t stand close to the fish when it’s being unloaded from the truck.” She was right. Tom took a mouthful of fish juice just as a whitefish hit the pile. Yum.
Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti is one of those Michigan cities that may be hard to spell, but it’s real easy to like. It’s urban, it’s walkable and it’s got a great, earthy energy to it. The city is filled with historic places, some pretty unique shopping and beautiful neighborhoods that surround the downtown. And being attached to Eastern Michigan University keeps the city wired, inspired and far from tired. It definitely keeps this city moving forward.
Ypsilanti is also one of those Michigan cities that if you’ve ever met someone who’s spent any time there, they have a real passion for it. Amy Probst is one of those people. Amy is an accomplished writer and actor who loves Ypsi so much, she offered to be our guide for the day. Good thing, because she kept us laughing and learning about this great place the entire time we were there.
We met up with Amy on something the locals call “The Tridge.” It’s a really cool three-way bridge that connects Ypsilanti’s hip, historic Depot Town with Riverside Park and Frog Island. If you’re looking for a beautiful place to spend an afternoon, this is definitely it.
Before we ventured off, Amy told me that her favorite thing about Ypsi is its overwhelming sense of community. No matter who you are, what you do, what you look like or where you live, everyone connects and cares for each other. A wonderful social amenity indeed!
Enjoying a sense of place in a community is so much easier and fun when you live right in the middle of it, so if you’re looking to connect with a great town, check out Ypsilanti. A lot of the great old buildings are being brought back to life and converted into some very cool downtown loft spaces. Amy lived right downtown for years and loved it.
After a great adventure in Ypsilanti, we headed five hours northwest to one of my very favorite places, the beautiful little resort town of Leland. It’s located right on the shores of Lake Michigan in one of the most beautiful parts of the Lower Peninsula. If you’re looking for a classic Michigan vacation experience, Leland is that place.
Just south of town we made one very important stop at a place that was so much fun to say, we stayed a while.
Leland
This was my crew’s first trip to Leland, so we needed a nice place to stay, a great place to eat and we also wanted to learn a little history about the area. So on a tip from our new friends at Baabaazuzu, we discovered the historic Riverside Inn.
As for Leland, if you’re going there for the first time, I highly recommend you sit back, relax and enjoy it, because you’ll never find another place like it.