My 800th Yelp review:…read more I'm taking away one star because it's so dang cold. Michigan: I wasn't born here but I spent the greater part of my childhood here. I couldn't wait to move to California when I left home for college but I have come back every 10 years for high school reunions and the last two trips, only 4 years apart, I have taken extensive trips thru the state in the fall, enjoying the changing leaves, the beautiful lakes and scenery that the state has to offer, deer sightings, the Mackinac Bridge, Tahquamenon Falls, lighthouses, the shoreline roads, lots of trees, even the snow this last trip, and I must say I have enjoyed it all. I have made a number of observations about the state and would like to share them in simple form. I have a feeling this will be a work in progress as I think of more things and add them to the list so check back periodically. Michigan has a lot of lakes. I know, duh. But seriously, sometimes there are mere feet between where one ends and another starts. And just a few yards between a Great Lake (which are more like small oceans) and a small town lake. You drive along and think, good grief, ANOTHER one? One reason there are a lot of lakes is because so much WATER comes from the sky. It rains and rains and rains. What am I, in Seattle? And when it isn't raining, it's snowing. And then the snow melts. While it's raining. It's amazing there is even any land left that isn't underwater. Michigan has a lot of deer. Crossing the roads. Grazing along the side of the road. Lying dead on the side of the road. Running out in front of you while you're driving down the road. I saw all of this in the past two months of being here. Nearly hit one near Boyne City. Michigan has a lot of roadkill. Like enough to feed a third world country. Maybe enough to stop hunger worldwide. You can't drive 5 minutes without seeing some. This is true of most of the Midwest. Michigan has a lot of squirrels. Millions of them. A large number if them crossed the road directly in front of my car as fast as their little bodies could run. By some miracle I never hit one, but I came damn close. Michigan has a lot of trees. I love this. Even in populated cities there are random little (or big) forests of trees that look as wild as when the Indians roamed thru them. This makes things pretty in any season as you are never far from nature. And it is a good place for the deer to live. And those squirrels. And probably serial killers, who knows? Michigan has a lot of shoreline. All of it is beautiful. Much of it is wild. Roads go alongside most of it. Trees get in the way of viewing a lot of it. Sand dunes occupy some of it. I have seen miles of it but not all of it. You should see it, too. More to follow but I don't want this review to hold up my next ones as has happened in the past when I was composing a "centennial" review. But you're getting the general idea, right?

What do you call it when we both dress up like Lance Bass and try to dance like him, while on the…read moreEast Coast? East Lance-ing! If you're not from the area you might not know that East Lansing is a bigger deal than Lansing. Lansing is the residential City and it's bigger but East Lansing is the college town and it's what most people come to this area for. To visit a college or because their kids are in the college - MSU, I mean - or cuz they want to scope out the college - or because there's a sports game related to the college. The best bubble tea shop in the state and indeed in the Great Lakes region is actually in East Lansing so that's a great reason for me to come here regularly. There's some pretty good food in East Lansing as well and all kinds of stuff available, but Lansing itself actually has better food in a number of different ways. East Lansing is a much more leafy and suburban and cleaned up town then the rougher edges of Lansing itself. They were like chalk and cheese and night and day but I really like both of them in their own ways and I can't give them anything but five cuz it's actually my favourite destination in all of Michigan.

Just wanted to say Thanks to all the 1st responders who had to deal with multiple accidents along…read more96 near Portland and elsewhere in MI. You all went above and beyond and I'm blessed that I'm here today. Thanks again and Happy Holidays to you and Family's!

Truly epic and legendary structure housing both the Michigan Supreme Court and the Court of…read moreAppeals. There is a very nice memorial next door dedicated to fallen war veterans. A definite must-see if you are in Lansing.