Summer 2017, my final summer in Michigan until who knows when, possibly ever.

As the summer draws to a close and the Michigan air grows crisp and cool and the leaves just begin to show traces of their fall colors, I grow nostalgic. If summer were an hour glass, the final grains of sand would now be passing through, each grain representing a bonfire or a day on the lake. But this summer held a special significance.

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Grand Rapids Football Club

Whether you’re a soccer fan or not – or whether you fully understand soccer or not – GRFC is a lot of fun. Grand Rapids Football Club, or GRFC, is a well-followed soccer team that plays in the summer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The fiery following of the the football club is dubbed the Grand Army. On any given game day you can find them adorned in blue and their favorite GRFC gear, marching through the streets towards Houseman field chanting the praises of the team. This continues into the game with high-energy and good natured fun. One of the board members of the Grand Army this year was Peter, so I found myself at more than a few games this summer as you can imagine. But I didn’t mind!

July 4th Weekend

During this four day weekend in the prime of Michigan’s summertime, we went from one side of Michigan to the other. Half of it was spent on the border of Indiana with Peter’s family and Jon and Morgan, laughing, grilling, and playing games late into the night. The other half was up north on Torch Lake with my family, where we made s’mores, spent the day on the pontoon boat, and watched the fireworks over the lake. Read the 4th of July Weekend blog post to get all of the details from this highlight-of-summer weekend.

Millenium Park

This year I first visited Millenium Park back in late winter for a stroll with friends to enjoy the snowy Michigan views. This summer we visited again for a very different experience. The day was hot and sunny, and we began by grilling out on the park grills. After our picnic, we moved to the Millenium Park beach. We sun bathed, swam, and relaxed. You have to pay to get in, but this helps keep the beach clean and well-kempt. The lake it sits on is small, which means that the water is warm and inviting much sooner than many other Michigan lakes. It made for enjoyable (and cheap!) summer’s day activity.

Cygnus 27

Until this summer, I had yet to have the pleasure of visiting Cygnus 27. I admittedly hadn’t even heard of it. But one evening we decided to ritz up and paint the town red, and this was the place we were told we should go for a cocktail with a view. We were told right. On the 27th floor of the Amway in downtown Grand Rapids, it was the perfect location to watch the sunset and start the night off classy before heading to Eve for some dancing…

Camping Up North

One of my favorite weekends from this summer was camping in northern Michigan (a staple of any successful Michigan summer) with Peter, Jon, and Morgan. We stayed in the Traverse City State Campground where we enjoyed shops and restaurants in Traverse City’s lively downtown nearby and swimming in the Traverse Bay across the road. Luckily for me, Jon, and Morgan, Peter knew enough about camping for the four of us and we let him work his magic cooking all of the meals and helping with all of the setup. Thanks, Peter! We stayed up long past our neighboring campers playing cards and joking around by the light of the campfire.

Torch Lake

During any summer in Michigan, if you can make it “up north” to Torch Lake, you should. With stunning, Caribbean waters as clear as crystal and being Michigan’s longest inland lake, it stands out among the other seaweed-filled ponds called lakes. Okay, that may have been a little harsh because I’m biased. But it is truly magnificent and perfect for boating, albeit a little cold due to its large size. Since my family lives in the area, I was lucky enough to enjoy Torch Lake several times this summer and even share it with friends.

20 Monroe Live

One of the perks of Grand Rapids is the variety of music venues throughout the city so you can catch concerts all summer long. The newest of these venues is 20 Monroe Live, just completed this year. A lot of exciting artists have already played here, such as Lil Wayne and Miike Snow among many others. One of my personal favorite artists, Die Antwoord, actually played at 20 Monroe Live in August and I had the chance to go see them!

Breakaway Festival

Before this summer, I didn’t know that Grand Rapids hosted any sort of music festival but I am happy to say that it does and that I got to experience it. After a few pregame drinks, Peter, his cousin Timmy, and I walked to the festival in Belknap park. While it was no Lollapalooza, it had more to offer than I was expecting for a new music festival. Complete with bars to get all the drinks you need, a food truck area, and plenty of lasers, large screens, and other fun effects for the concerts themselves.

Last Night Out In Grand Rapids

During my final week in Grand Rapids, I had the pleasure to spend a final night on the town with my dear friends Matt, Alicia, and Jane. We began the night by visiting the charming Buffalo Traders Lounge which boasts eye-catching decor and carefully crafted cocktails. After drinks were had and polaroids were taken, we continued on to dinner at Butcher’s Union. One of the fancier dinner options in Grand Rapids, it made for the perfect “last supper”. We then made our way across the street to Sovengard to enjoy a drink in the cool evening air on their Beer Garden patio area. Finally, craving dessert, we stopped at The Winchester for a shared plate of fresh donuts. What a wonderful way to enjoy the city one last time before leaving.

Last Weekend Up North

The last weekend before hitting the road for California was spent up north with my family on Torch Lake. Despite the indefinite finality of “last weekend”, it felt no different than any other weekend home with my family. We went to the movies to see the new IT movie (my family are huge scary movie enthusiasts), had a bonfire and s’mores where we tried roasting peeps over the fire for the first time (success), and spent time on the pontoon boat enjoying the beauty of Torch Lake. I will miss those casual and care-free weekends with my family.

Last Summer in Michigan

Like any good summer in Michigan, this one was spent with ample time at the beautiful lakes, beaches, and parks. They say that us Michiganders appreciate our summers with fervor – after long months of cold winter that consume the majority of the year you find yourself truly cherishing the warmth of the sun on your cheek. Our final summer in Michigan was a success to say the least. As I sit here writing this post and reminiscing about the days of summer now gone, I can’t help but wonder where summer 2018 will find me. On a beach in California? Hiking the mountains? Or perhaps taking a flight home some weekend the nostalgia for summer in Michigan grows inescapable? I suppose we will find out.

Peter and I are now officially living in California, having made our way across the country very recently. I thoroughly documented each day of our road trip to California with pitstops in St.Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Colorado Springs, Arches National Park, Zion National Park, and then finally reaching our new home in Costa Mesa, California. Stay tuned for a video about it all!

So if you’re interested in following our adventure across the United States and beyond, make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel to follow the adventure, and connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!