So Husband turned 40. And I asked him if he wanted me to have a big party for him and he definitely did not. But we had to do something. The Wicked movie hits theatres in November and even though we adults had seen the show on stage our kids hadn't, and we really wanted them to do so before seeing the movie.
Scoping out the tour it was going to be in Grand Rapids, MI which isn't too terribly far away from us. When the tickets finally went on sale for the non-season ticket holders the weekend I had planned to buy tickets for didn't have any. So that brought us to Memorial Day weekend. I bought 'em.
Then we stopped to consider that C's birthday was the next day. And he has ALWAYS loved Penguins. And has always wanted to go to the Detroit Zoo to see the Polk Penguin Conservation Center. So we figured... why not?
And the Michigan Memorial Day Weekend Trip was born!
Friday the kids had school. It was supposed to be a fun day but there were storms. The whole school went to their shelters even at the start of the day.
We left right away after school because we wanted to make it to Indiana. There were storms forecasted and we wanted to get behind there. There was only one point where it was slightly dramatic but luckily we never encountered the storms again.
Inexplicably we stopped at the nicest McDonald's I have ever seen and then proceeded to be stopped in the worst traffic ever for 2 hours outside of Chicago.
It was at this point I was very very thankful our plan was to just go to Indiana that evening. Our 3.5 hour trip was 5.5 hours long by the end and we rewarded the kids with their very own pool!
We stayed at 3 hotels in 3 nights. This was the lowest rated hotel. And for the price we paid it was fine! (It was not great but again, for as much as it was I was fine with it.)
Bright and early the next morning, and I mean like the kids were up by 6:00, we got going. Free continental breakfast was had. Car was loaded up and we hit the road.
It doesn't take too long to hit the Michigan border.
Michigan was a lot a lot prettier than I was expecting. It doesn't hurt that it was the most perfect day anyone could imagine.
After a few hours in the car we made it to Grand Rapids. We drove around a bit to get our bearings and then hit the Gerald Ford Presidental Museum.
M shook hands with Betty Ford outside.
Have you seen the Gilmore Girl's Stars Hallow Museum? Well this made me laugh out loud. It reads: Replica of baby dress possibly worn by Leslie Lynch King, Jr." (That was the name Gerald Ford was given at birth.) Hilarious right? Maybe something that looked like this was worn by the future president. Possibly.
It was a pretty cool Presidental Museum. Though the timeline and the flow from room to room didn't make a ton of sense. We really liked the cabinet room and learning about how a cabinet is formed and it's purpose.
The kids also did a scavenger hunt through the museum. Which required them to actually read the information. It was a cool museum and we did get the passport which if you visit all of the museums you can get a prize!
Right outside the museum across the river was the Performing Arts Center where Wicked was and our hotel. The kids could not get over the fact our fancy hotel was so tall! (It was a really fancy hotel, by far the fanciest they've ever stayed at.) I could not get over how perfect the day was. 68 with no humidity or clouds is my ideal weather.
After the museum, we went to get lunch at a local pizza place. It was delicious!!
Then we went to check in at the fancy hotel. It was fancy.
And the kids were very impressed. As was I. The room was huge. The closet could have fit a twin bed and allowed someone to have their own room. Not kidding.
This was part of the lobby. We got this pic between two brides getting their wedding pictures.
We walked to the Cathedral of St. Andrew for Mass. It was gorgeous. We were a little cranky from the walk but we were glad to be there. Grand Rapids is a lovely little city. We quite enjoyed it!
And no lie, it was a particularly great homily. Like I am still thinking about it. And even the kids made a comment about how much they enjoyed the homily. That says something.
We walked back to the hotel and had a little picnic dinner in the hotel room. Fruit. Croissants. Cheese. Practically French over here. Then we went to Wicked.
It was fantastic. As we already knew. But the kids didn't. The flying monkeys still creep me out. It's visceral.
But watching the kids watch the show was so cool. I am so so glad we went! Next time... closer seats. And we are now all even more excited about the movie. For sure we will go on Thanksgiving!
I love getting mail and our hotel had all these mailbox details.
We went to sleep in our fancy hotel room and we all slept very well. It had been a long day. But it was a late night and an early morning. C got to open 2 gifts: this video game and hat from my parents.
By 6:45 we were heading back to the lobby and valet to check out and get the car. I got my own picture to prove that I had been there too. Not a lot of pictures of me from this weekend.
We had a quiet uneventful drive from Grand Rapids to the Detroit Zoo. Apparently, 7:00-9:00 am on a Sunday morning isn't the road's busy time, go figure.
And then we made it to the Detroit Zoo. And we walked in and saw the Polk Penguin Conservation Center. When I tell you this kid watched the videos of the building being built. And then the penguins move in. And memorized the tour I am not yanking your chain.
To say we were excited was an understatement.
It did not disappoint.
The rest of the zoo was nice. Not like a life-changing zoo experience like the penguin building but still okay.
M is our panda lover and she enjoyed the red pandas. Which are the lesser of the pandas but still cute. This was the red panda tree walk. C and I skipped it the second time.
M was mostly a good sport during the zoo. I was excited that we saw Lions. And Tigers. And Bears. (Oh My!) the day after we saw Wicked.
Our second time through the Penguins she lost her patience. C and I could have stayed there for hours more. We did stay a long time. Husband and M went off to some other things.
C made friends with a rockhopper named Opal. She came right down to him and they spent some time together. We have called C a rockhopper for years so this was a very special moment. Opal was very focused on C, she didn't go to any of the other children or react when another girl was tapping on the glass with her coke bottle.
After we left the zoo, we drove to Ann Arbor for the night. It's just about 45 minutes west of the zoo. We opted to get a ways west to cut down on the driving the next day as well as we figured the kids would be wiped from the day so they wouldn't mind as much. Plus there was a good reason to go to Ann Arbor.
We got to the hotel at about 3:30 (3:00 check in) and the room wasn't ready yet. So we sat in the lobby for about an hour waiting. It was a very nice lobby but the patience of my children was fading quickly. The room was totally worth the wait though! And we reset the day by taking another good swim!
Then after everyone showered and dried their hair we went to a birthday dinner at Outback! See our Outback closed years ago and C is still not over it. So we go when we visit my parents. And then THEIR Outback closed.
Would we have journeyed specifically to an Outback? Likely no. But it was a nice addition to the trip since there happened to be one. (And was part of the decision to drive to Ann Arbor.)
C's favorite favorite part is the bread. And yes, we got several loaves to go!
12 years old. And it always rains on his birthday. We just expect it now. Here is the obligatory birthday rain picture.
Part of the reason the room was so great was because it was huge! Two king beds AND a pull-out. Which meant both kids got their own sleeping space. And since that is what they are used to at home it meant that they both had a REALLY great sleep. Not only were they super tired from two late nights and long days but their own space helped.
Monday morning we woke up not as early, had a pretty good breakfast at the hotel, and then hit the road.
The one thing I will say about the people of Michigan is apparently they're lawsuit-happy, or overly cautious, or people aren't that smart or I don't know. Every single bridge had this sign: Bridge Ices Before Road. I mean that's just science but whatever. It became a running joke.
Also, it was crazy to me how so many of their roads were named 25 Mile Road. 22 1/2 Mile Road. Not the most creative road names. But suddenly Eminem's movie 8 Mile made more sense.
In the musical Dear Edwina, the opening song is called Paw Paw Michigan. So we stopped for gas in Paw Paw while listening to Paw Paw.
Mid-afternoon Monday we arrived home and we were happy to be there! But it was a really excellent trip and I am so glad we did everything that we did. Michigan was really great! But remember, the bridge ices before the road!
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