Red Mesa Grill (Traverse City)
1544 US-31 NThere can be so much downtown at figure skating competitions. The days typically start early (before 8 AM) and end well after 3 PM.
There’s no reason to stay at the rink the whole time.
L had two skates before noon then her last one wasn’t until after 3 PM. We had gotten breakfast that morning (which is unusual for us…or me anyway) but it wasn’t much. J suggested lunch.
Typically, I’m the guy that does all the meal planning. There’s always places I want to eat. Traverse City is no exception. There are a ton of places. But J got me off guard. A lot of times she and L want to go out with other families and her friends. I hate picking places for others because there’s a lot of variation in what people in our skating circle will eat.
When I kind of stumbled when J asked me where we were going, she said someone else had recommended a Mexican place near our hotel. That sounded good to me.
Red Mesa Grill is on US-31 just to the east of the Keith J Charters Traverse City State Park in East Bay Township near Traverse City. This stretch of road has a lot of hotels and restaurants as it’s near the beach and right on East Bay. This is one of two locations for Red Mesa Grill. The other is in Boyne City.
Bubbie’s Bagels
1215 E. Front StreetOne of my jobs as a skate dad is to make coffee runs.
The first day of the Cherry Classic at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City was an early one. L’s practice was at 7:30 AM. She needs to be ready by the time she gets to the rink so that means getting up early, getting dressed, make up and hair down before we head to the rink.
We’re usually cutting it pretty close on time so there’s no stops. We get to the rink, I drop everyone off and once they’re situated, I take coffee orders and make a Starbucks run.
At home, I’ll usually just grab breakfast from Starbucks too but when on the road, I like to look around and see what else is there.
L really likes bagels. Her morning is made if she can find a plain bagel and cream cheese. I wanted a sandwich of some kind and lucky for me, there’s a local bagel shop near the Starbucks on Front Street in Traverse City.
Bubbie’s Bagels is in the Campus Plaza on Front Street near Milliken Drive just to the east of downtown Traverse City. The small bagel shop is one of many food options in the shopping center across the street from the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.
Read more…Centre Ice Arena
1600 Chartwell Drive- Traverse City, MI 49696
- (231) 933-7465
- Website
I left Mackinaw City around 3 PM on Thursday and raced back to Grand Rapids. My plan was to drop my company vehicle off at the Grand Rapids office and J was going to pick me up. L had a figure skating competition in Traverse City and since I had Friday off, I was going to try to go with them.
I got back to the office just before 6:30, unloaded my stuff and loaded up J’s car. We headed towards a cheap hotel in Traverse City for the weekend. All told, I spent about 6 1/2 driving between Mackinaw City and Traverse City instead of the two hour trip it should have been because I didn’t want to take the company car there.
We got up early on Friday morning for L’s first day of competition. She had practice scheduled for 7:30 AM and her first event was right around 9 AM.
The ice rink for this weekend was Centre Ice Arena on the southeast side of Traverse City.
Centre Ice Arena is on Chartwell Drive in East Bay Township. The setting is pretty unique. You turn off of Hammond Road in to what feels like a neighborhood. There are a few other businesses but it’s also a subdivision on a narrow surface street. All of a sudden, you come to this giant arena that also hosts the Detroit Red Wings training camp.
Read more…Sweet Spot
315 E. Central Avenue- Mackinaw City, MI 49701
- (231)
- Website
- No Online Menu
I can’t leave Northern Michigan without fudge. The kids just expect it now.
I had to go back to Mackinac Island for about half a day of work on Thursday but I’d be leaving with all the gear I hauled over on Tuesday. I figured I had already missed my window for getting fudge on the Island.
No worries. Mackinaw City has a lot of the same shops and even some other shops that don’t have Island shops.
I was already in downtown Mackinaw City to pick up a pizza at Fox’s Pizza Den. I decided to streamline my exit from town on Thursday and just grab the fudge after I picked up my pizza.
There are several shops to choose from including well known place Joann’s Fudge, but I like new places and there was a really brightly painted place that caught my attention.
Sweet Spot is on Central Avenue in downtown Mackinaw City to the west of Langlade Street. The small shop is tucked in to the row of buildings that cater to tourists after they get back from a day of sightseeing on Mackinac Island. It’s hard not to miss the bright pink facade.
Fox’s Pizza Den (Mackinaw City)
316 E. Central AvenueI know I said in my previous blog post that I thought about going back to Mary’s Bistro Draught House for dinner my second day working on Mackinac Island but in reality, I wasn’t going to do that. The food was really good but the price was a little much two nights in a row.
I hopped on the 6:30 ferry back to Mackinaw City and realized I hadn’t eaten much all day. I was really hungry and those days when I forget to eat lunch and I’m really hungry by dinner time usually means I’m ordering a pizza.
I typically have a hard time ordering a pizza in Mackinaw City. The BC Pizza seems to be closed the nights that I’m there (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). The local place in town, MaMa Mia’s Pizza is usually pretty busy and I don’t feel like waiting.
I needed to go get gas and run a few errands when I got back to the hotel and I drove down Central Street for the first time on this trip. I really hadn’t had a reason to go downtown but I decided to look to see if there was anything open that would be quick.
As I turned on to Central Street from Huron Street, I noticed a new pizza place.
Fox’s Pizza Den is on the south side of Central Street near Huron Street in downtown Mackinaw City. It took over the building next to the Harley Davidson shop that was the Pizza Palace. This place was always closed when I was there. It’s usually pretty early in the season and they were only open for weekends it seems like Fox’s Pizza Den is open during the week so I was able to get my pizza fix without leaving town.
Read more…Mary’s Bistro Draught House
7463 Main Street Like I said in my last blog post, I rarely eat on Mackinac Island. It’s just so pricey.
I was heading back down to the docks to catch the ferry back to Mackinaw City for the night after a long day of work. I was pretty hungry and nothing in the City was really sounding good at the moment. I decided to just stay on the Island a little later and find something to eat.
My main issue with eating on The Island is the price. The food always looks so good and the few times I have eaten at restaurants there, it’s always been amazing. It’s just a pretty big hit to the checkbook.
There is one place I’ve passed for a few years now that I’ve always wanted to try. They have a great tap list and the menu looked really good. I figured since I was going to eat on The Island, I should give this place a try.
Mary’s Bistro Draught House is on the south end of Main Street on Mackinac Island near French Lane and across the street from the Lakeview Hotel. The restaurant is part of a long two story wood building that spans almost the east side of the block. The entrance to the restaurant is marked by a horse head and is right next to the walkway leading to the Mackinac Island Ferry (fka Star Line) Dock.
Read more…The Chuckwagon
7400 Main StreetI really enjoy my typically yearly trip to Mackinac Island. I spend a lot of time work but just walking around the Island to and from my job site is a vacation from the daily grind.
I don’t usually eat on Mackinac Island though because we don’t usually stay on the Island. We didn’t this year either. We stayed at our usual Best Western Plus Dockside just down the street from the Shepler’s Ferry.
The first day working on the Island was Tuesday. I took the 10 AM ferry over to the Island to get a head start on some of the things I needed to do. I didn’t actually have to meet my co-worker until 4:00 but I had a lot of things I needed to do without him.
I got my stuff done downtown then headed to the jobsite for the day. It was about noon so it was time for a break. I dropped off my stuff then headed back downtown to grab something to eat.
For years, I’ve been intrigued by a diner on Main Street. It always seemed a little out of place but totally a spot I wanted to eat at.
That out of place little diner is The Chuckwagon. It’s on Main Street to the north of Hoban Street. The narrow red building is tucked in to the tightly packed buildings on Main Street next to the Haunted Theatre.
Nico’s Pizza & Grinders
606 N. Cedar StreetThe annual work trip to Mackinac Island. It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. It’s a lot of work and working on the Island is hard without a car…but it’s also working with one of my favorite co-workers in a typically gorgeous setting.
The assignment is Tuesday through Thursday. I usually want to leave on Monday and come home Thursday while co-worker wants to leave on Tuesday and come home on Friday. I prefer late night driving over early morning so we typically don’t drive together.
Monday is Memorial Day so I spend the weekend with the family at the lake then head out Monday afternoon. It’s a little over 4 hours from Kalamazoo to my hotel in Mackinaw City and I take my time. I make stops along the way and typically find someplace to eat.
There are a few ways to go once you get to Cadillac. One way will take you two lane roads to Gaylord. The other will keep you on US-131 after the freeway ends and go more towards Traverse City before branching off and hitting I-75.
I chose the second way which is slightly longer just because there are more food options along that route that I haven’t stopped at yet.
I ended up going through Kalkaska and I planned that so I could stop and get a pizza. I’ve taken that was a few times in the past and I always notice a couple of pizza places. I looked them up online and, of course, chose the one with online ordering.
I stopped at Nico’s Pizza & Grinders on North Cedar Street (US-131) near Arbor Street on the north side of Kalkaska. The small pizza shop is part of a Mobil gas station. There isn’t any seating inside but there is a small patio in front of the pizza shop part of the building.
Freakin’ Sweets
303 1/2 W. Chicago RoadFirst weekend at the lake.
I had kind of an abbreviated Memorial Day Weekend with the family. L had a workout class Saturday morning so we didn’t leave to go to J’s parents until after that. We spent all of Saturday at the lake then had to come home Sunday because L had figure skating practice.
We left B at the lake and the three of us came home. J and L left me at home then headed back to the lake afterwards to spend the rest of Sunday and Monday. I was leaving Monday afternoon to head to Mackinac Island for the week so instead of taking two cars to the lake, I just came home Sunday when L had to come home to skate.
We grilled dinner Saturday night and let the kids swim. Before bed time, we decided to run in to Sturgis and get ice cream. J and her mom took the kids to a great ice cream shop in downtown Sturgis last fall and have been looking to go back ever since.
Freakin’ Sweets is on Chicago Road in downtown Sturgis. It share a building with TC Appliance at Chicago Road and Clay Street. They opened last year taking over a space that was a travel agency. The shop grew in popularity pretty quickly and it caused some parking issues with the Manpower next door who actually own the parking lot. Just to be safe, it’s suggested you park on the street. Manpower doesn’t react really well to people parking in their lot.
Holy Smoke BBQ
1876 W. Michigan AvenueYou ever have those days where you’re pretty set that you’re not going to eat out. You need to save some money so no matter how easy or tasty it is, you’re not going to eat out.
I was having one of those days last Friday ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. I wasn’t going to grab lunch…then I realized where I was.
I was in Battle Creek and fairly close to a BBQ place I’ve been wanting to get to since they opened. I told my co-worker if we passed it on the way home, I was going to stop.
My GPS took us home Michigan Avenue to Augusta…so yeah, we passed it.
Holy Smoke BBQ is on West Michigan Avenue Bansill Drive just barely inside the Battle Creek city limits in the Urbandale neighborhood. The restaurant used to be one of two Speedy Chick locations that closed in spring of 2022. Holy smoke remodeled the space and moved in not long after.
Read more…
