Grand getaway
Situated along Michigan’s longest river, the state’s second-largest city resonates in an ever-burgeoning current of cultural and culinary activity, punctuated by plenty of compelling places to stay and play.

By Lisa M. Jensen
Photography by Johnny Quirin

There’s no denying Detroit and Chicago their big city dues: Both are no-fail destinations for discerning palates, arts aficionados, or cosmopolitan consumers — straight-shot tickets to an electric weekend away.

But between them, there’s an ice rink you shouldn’t miss.

Set within an urban embrace of sky-piercing steeples, modern, glass-plated towers, elegant arches, and other architectural reminders of an ornate bygone era, the Rosa Parks Circle Ice Rink — designed by internationally renowned Vietnam Memorial Wall architect Maya Lin — renders nostalgic romance in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

Here at Monroe Center Park you can lace up a pair of complimentary skates courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation, glide onto the rink for just a buck, and catch winter’s flaked kisses on your face from beneath a canopy of stars. (From above them, as well: Shining up from Lin’s frozen circular plaza, fiber optic lights align, patterned to replicate the constellations as they appeared over Grand Rapids the night a new millennium was born.)

Sound too sugary to be true? Sweet but saccharin-free, this scene beckons into March, weather permitting. If you arrive on December’s first Friday eve, you may also catch the neighboring Grand Rapids Art Museum’s lighting of a giant “town square” tree, or — throughout the holiday season — a scenic 19th-century-style carriage ride over the Grand River, powered by clomping Percheron draft horses, dressed in jingling harnesses.

There’s definitely something homespun about these city sidewalks — although anyone with a taste for urban sophistication won’t be disappointed, either.

Above: As Michigan’s second top tourist destination, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park offers inviting and intriguing exhibits throughout the year.

Grand Rapids is also home to West Michigan’s only professional opera company (www.operagr.com); the region’s major presenter of New York Broadway touring productions (www.bwaygr.org.); the state’s only professional ballet company (www.grballet.com); the only J.W. Marriott Hotel in the Midwest (www.jwgrandrapids.com); the world’s first LEED-certified art museum (www.grartmuseum.com); and myriad other theatres, art galleries, sports teams, restaurants, and shopping havens, from trendy enclaves like East Hills (www.easthillscouncil.org) to major malls including Rivertown Crossings (www.rivertowncrossings.com).

Come hungry.

To read the rest of this article, turn to page 34 in the November/December 2008 issue of Michigan BLUE. Lisa M. Jensen is editor of Michigan BLUE.