Holland, Michigan

Traveling to Michigan

Nisheet had to travel to Michigan last week for work and I tagged along. Can you believe we haven’t made it back to Michigan since we moved a year ago? I wanted to see our old friends and visit our old hangouts. I missed the amazing beer, good food, and salt-free shark-free beaches. I missed Grand Rapids and all the other cities in the area such as Grand Haven and Holland, Michigan. And now I would get to visit them again!

Nisheet’s company booked him on a flight out of Tampa. I didn’t want to pay the high fare though, so I flew Allegiant out of St. Pete – Clearwater. I don’t recommend flying Allegiant, but occasionally it is still the best choice. In this case, the base fare was cheap and the flight was direct. The downside is that they seem to have a lot of mechanical issues that result in delayed and cancelled flights. The aircrafts are often old and dirty. You also have to pay extra for bringing a carry-on bag and selecting your own seat. I avoid the carry-on fee by packing light in a “personal bag.” And, I avoid the seat selection fare by having a randomly assigned seat. If I end up in a middle seat, like I did on this trip, I sweet talk the gate attendant into switching my seat.

Arrived in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Even with a delayed flight, I arrived in Grand Rapids before Nisheet. A long time before Nisheet. Hours and hours before Nisheet. At first, his plane was due to arrive only an hour after mine, so I waited. But then his flight was delayed 10 minutes. Then another 10 minutes. On and on until I gave up and took an Uber to downtown. I couldn’t check into the hotel, so I grabbed a coffee and sat by the river with my book basking in a crisp 76 F sunny weather with no humidity. So much nicer than the airport!

Pro-tip: If you take an Uber or a Lyft from the airport, be aware that the car might be waiting in the commercial lane due to airport rules for those two companies.

Holland, Michigan

Nisheet’s flight finally arrived after he got put on a different plane! He picked me up from downtown Grand Rapids and we headed straight for Holland, Michigan. After Grand Rapids, this is probably our favorite city in Michigan. We have fond memories since we stopped here on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour.

Our first stop in Holland, Michigan was New Holland Brewing. If you do a quick Yelp search for the top rated restaurants in the area, this one won’t be listed at the top. It will be listed somewhere down the page with a mediocre rating. Trust us and ignore all those reviews. It is one of the best brewpubs in West Michigan. The beers are outstanding, the vibe is casual, and the food is really good. I wasn’t in the mood for anything heavy or strong, so I went with a local Vandermill ginger peach cider. Nisheet had a few pints of one of his all-time favorite beer…Dragon’s Milk bourbon barrel aged stout. [16 oz Vandermill cider = $5, 10oz Dragon’s Milk = $6.00]

After relaxing with a beer and some hand-made artisan pizza at New Holland, we strolled down 8th street. Numerous art shops, gift shops, ice cream shops, and boutiques line the street. Not to mention all the cute cafes and restaurants. My 3 favorite shops are Home and Company, The Apothecary Gift Shop, and Moynihan Gallery. I love browsing through locally made Michigan souvenirs. You can find everything from Michigan shaped cheese cutting boards to cherry chocolate to t-shirts to Oven Mitts with a map of Michigan.

Next up was the Holland beach. It is located in a state park, which means there is a fee to park. Skip the fee by parking just outside to the left and just walk-in. There is a boardwalk along the bay all the way to the beach. We continued down the boardwalk past the beach and to the end of the pier. There was a slight chill in the air, and the sunshine wasn’t overly hot. It was the perfect summer evening. Nisheet was even brave enough to jump in the 48F chilly water!

Dinner at HopCat in Grand Rapids

We eventually made it back to Grand Rapids for the night. But, before checking into the hotel, we made a quick stop for dinner at HopCat. HopCat was the first brew pub we tried in this Beer City when Nisheet moved here several years ago. One of the first beers I tried here was the Altoid infused Oil Rigger, and it not only sold me on the brew pub, but it sold me on beer. It was a gorgeous dark stout finished with a mild but refreshing minty aftertaste. Although I haven’t seen it on the menu since then, there is always something tasty for everyone to enjoy here.

On this particular night though, we skipped the beer. We had already had a drink at New Holland Brewing, and we were super exhausted. So, we went straight for the food. Even though the beers here are great, I think it is the food that really makes HopCat stand above the rest. They are always coming up with unique and delicious treats. Beer ice cream sandwiches and crack fries, anyone? We opted for the poutine style crack fries loaded with cheese curds, bacon bits, perogies, and gravy…sounds amazing right? And to accompany the cheesy fries, we had a side of their famously scrumptious mac & cheese. [Vladimir Poutine Crack Fries = $8.50, Killer Mac & Cheese = $10.00]

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids

Nisheet works for an awesome company, and they put us up at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. A standard room, of course. But, Nisheet is a Hilton Gold Member. That means that Hilton gives him a free room upgrade every time. And upgrade us they did! They double upgraded us to a suite on the 13th floor with 180 degree sweeping views of the river and the city. My favorite part of the whole room was the shower/bathtub. It wasn’t just a single shower. It was 3 showers in one. There was the standard shower, a 4 shower heads on the ceiling, and a movable shower head in the back. And let’s not forget about the bathtub. It had a waterfall faucet from the side and jets.