2022 drink and food ticket system was WAY better than 2021s. Signs of improvement are wonderful…read more Had a great time again. Even had the honor of running into our Yelp leader Katy! Definitely the best event in November, hands down. In 2021 we went late, 2022 early, and I can say that our experience was so much better when we went early. We could actually walk, and get drinks without waiting in lines, or asking people to move who wanted to talk in front of booths. There were tables available to sit and eat, or listen to the music. Highly recommend going early if you have the ability to.

This annual event is definitely one for anyone who likes to eat or drink. With over 1,200 wines,…read morebeers, ciders, and spirits to try, as well as plated dinners, cooking demos, items for sale, small plates and samples galore, there's something for everyone at the International Wine, Beer, and Food Festival each year. I've been attending this festival for the past several years and it's always fun. Here are my tips: -Dress in layers and take advantage of the complimentary coat check. It can get a little chilly in the beer room, but you might not want to be holding your coat the whole time if you get warm. -Bring a small tote bag if you like free stuff or want to buy things. Lots of the beer booths have free swag and you may end up purchasing items as well. -Wear comfortable shoes. The beer room floors are all polished concrete, which can be hard on the feet. -Eat a little beforehand if you're mostly interested in drinking. Or check out some of the great local food options at the festival! -Check the prices on food items. In 2022 they had cash pricing as well as ticketed prices for most of the food booths, and often the cash prices were a better deal. Most of the vendors took credit cards. -The best time to go is usually early on Friday. Lines can get long and it can be a bit crowded on Saturday or in the evenings. I love going to the Festival and finding new favorites. It's a great way to sample things without having to buy a whole can or six pack of a beer or cider. I found a seltzer from Austin that I really enjoyed and ended up buying from a local store after the festival. I also ended up buying some salami chips for my Thanksgiving charcuterie board! Other favorites included Odd Brothers Cider out of Homer, Michigan, and local lychee vodka. I was happy to see more non-alcoholic options being offered and finally got to try the Liquid Death water. I'm already looking forward to next year!

My boyfriend and I have a tradition to ice skate at a new place each year once finals are over…read more This year we did some research on the Christkindl Market/Rosa Parks Circle and decided to make a GR day out of it. The rink was very fun and I will always love skating but there were a few things that made the experience not merit 5 stars. We wanted to make reservations beforehand since we have trauma from Detroit's ice skating lines being INSANE. But, you have to make a reservation over a few days in advance, and don't try to call their office because they won't answer. Thankfully it wasn't busy the day we went so there was no wait, but something to keep in mind when planning your visit. Parking is tragic and that's coming from an Ann Arbor local who is constantly fighting for a spot (and her life) on State street. What we thought to be an easy parking garage turned out to charge a nightmare price of $14 for only being there a little over an hour. Not to mention, the place was a bit of a walk on unsalted and very slippery sidewalks to the park. Compared to other outdoor skating rinks, this one was quite small. The path to the rink is downhill and dangerous to walk in regular shoes, let alone your skates when you've put them on! I counted so many people who almost ate it coming to and from the rink because of the icy path. I'm aware it's an ice attraction, but no one wants to be skating before they actually get to the rink... The ice rink itself has a wall of snow all around like it's carved out of snow, which is cool, but results in snow falling on the ice and it being pretty rough to skate on. There were also a bunch of kids digging at the snow and creating snowballs and throwing it at skaters passing by. PTL I wasn't one of the ones targeted but still, a safety hazard in itself! They were given several warnings by the employees but were never taken off the ice despite being told multiple times not to. I will say that for the cons, there are a few pros. The cost of skates and skating is a combined price of $6 per person so you don't have to worry about bringing your own skates. They have plenty of cubbies to hold your shoes/belongings that are within eyesight in case you're worried about things getting stolen. (Even if it was stolen, the thief would break his back trying to run away because of how slippery it is!) There is a nice area where parents/non-skaters can sit looking over the rink. For it only being $6, the ice skating does it's job, but doesn't stand out in comparison to other outdoor rinks I've been to.

Rosa Parks Circle is a community gathering place in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. It features…read morea large open concrete area/amphitheater where people can gather for an outdoor lunch during the day, and it also acts as a stage for festivals, swing dancing, musicians, and more throughout the year. You can sometimes find food trucks parked here in the summer. In the winter months, it's transformed into a public ice skating rink. This park was designed by artist Maya Lin and is formally known as Ecliptic, which refers to the path the sun follows in the sky among the constellations over the course of a year. The park includes features that portray water in its three states: The central ice skating rink is water in its solid form, a mist fountain represents water in its vapor form, and finally, the table-like fountain represents water in its liquid form. Another unique feature of the park are the lights beneath the ice rink's surface. 166 tiny fiber-optic lights shine at night, depicting the millennial constellation of the sky over Grand Rapids on January 1, 2000, the start of the new millennium. Currently the park is under construction, with plans to refurbish the bandstand and restrooms, add a bus shelter and more shade trees, benches, drinking fountain, and additional trash receptacles. I'm excited to see the updated park and encourage anyone visiting to visit once it's completed.

Midtown is such a cute performance space. They are located in studio park, right on top of of the…read more123 restaurant and movie theatre. They host open mic nights (usually free), comedians, and niche musical artists. I believe the venue only sits around 100 people, but the intimate space makes for fun shows where artists can interact with the audience. There is a full service bar in the back and they serve a few snacky-type foods (popcorn, pretzels). Ticket prices range, and I think it's based on who they book. So just be in tune to their website for info. If you park in the "STUDIO PARK(ING)" ramp, they will validate the parking ticket. My experience seeing shows here has always been positive. Midtown is also a part of the Listening Lawn performances in the summer! Overall a 5/5 rating.

I've been to the Listening Room a few times now, most recently for a stand up show. Seats were…read morefirst come, first served, so we got there early and grabbed a seat near the front. One of the nice things about this venue is that there's not really a bad seat there, due to the small size of the room. It's pretty cozy, but I like the more intimate setup for shows. I will say that we could hear the concert happening outside on the lawn throughout the set, which was a bit distracting at times but not too bad. A server will take your order right from your seat - they have a small drink menu and a couple snack options. They only had one mocktail option available - a lemonade drink which was really sweet but tasty. I wish they had the other non-alcoholic drinks that One Twenty Three offers downstairs. Drinks are pretty pricey, and I'd skip the snacks and just head to One Twenty Three for dinner before or after the show. They close out your tab automatically at the end of the night and add a 20% gratuity. You can still ask to see your bill if you want to check the total, etc. I think this is useful so you don't have to flag down your server to close out your tab if it's busy. I still really like this venue, and will continue to seek out shows here.

EVERYONE STANDS UP AND YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!!! I have only been here once and we rented the white…read morechairs because we didn't have chairs that met the garden's specific measurements. I figured since it was a lawn show, and everyone brings chairs, we would all be seated to enjoy the show. Nope. As soon as the headliner came on, every single person was standing for the entire show. You will not be able to see anything and it takes away from the concert. The acoustics were really good tho. There are baseball stadium like seats that are elevated in the back, I don't know if those would be any better, but that section was all sitting. We traveled from Detroit, so 2+ hours, and a hotel for the night. I don't feel this venue is even close to worth what we paid.

absolutely trash business model! they allow scalpers to buy 8 tickets per transaction!!! i waited…read morein line with a special code and it sold out in minutes! why give a special fan code if you allowed scalpers to buy so many tickets. this place is trash

We went to this this last weekend and honestly I was quite disappointed I was hoping there was…read moregoing to be a lot more than there was I also was thinking it was going to be busier on the plus side it wasn't and we got in for $15 however I do wish there was more The vendors they currently had were great they were just lacking

The booked talent was good! Drinks and service were great…read more.. The host was horrible, he isn't funny, alienates the audiences at a time when most of us are just over the drama, and we go there to escape and be entertained. He did cliche, jokes, easy jokes, and is all around not funny. Bring back Stu!

The drinks were wet, the service was good, and the comedians were funny AF. The place was just as…read moreyou'd expect from a comedy club, dark and moody. They even had a menu of food which we didn't try, but would consider for our next visit. The Gilmore Collection adds their own unique service tax which I feel is a little sketchy.

Great environment, great service! Locally owned. We've always had a great night out here!!…read more Definitely recommend?

A joke of a bar. Bartenders and staff have no control over anything that's going on inside the bar…read more If you like being treated with disrespect by the staff, this is the place for you!

Security was efficient (without a bag got to go through quicker than those with a bag)…read more Had nice bathrooms and a variety of drinks. We did the standing room and it was very pleasant (I imagine this may depend on the show). My favorite thing was the $20 bottomless soda and popcorn. I assumed the popcorn would be just okay but it was salty and delicious! I had like 4 containers over the course of the show. It was a really good and fun value and would definitely recommend!

First off these guys here did a phenomenal job with crowd control and getting everyone in and out…read moreof the cold in a very timely manner , the line was wrapped around the block and it wasike it took no time at all to get in , the merch lineoved extremely fast forcas long as it was and the food and beverage lines almost no wait .....KUDOS to all the workers present for tonights Wallows show .....the venue was awesome the sound was superb and my son and I really enjoyed this show I couldn't get over how good they sounded and the sound crew was money today ....the crew here should be proud today ....if you ever get a chance to see a show here check it out seems like all seats in this venue are good we sat in 204 row E