Jackie's
Trip Connect City Guides
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| Guide
to Michigan by Jackie Lieberman
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| Overview
- Michigan's Upper Peninsula |
Overall
Rating: 
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| Stepping
off the propeller plane that took me to
Marquette, Michigan, I know with one deep
breath that I've arrived because all I can
smell are pine trees. The Upper Peninsula
(or U.P., as they call it) is covered with
forest, small towns popping up here and
there between the trees. Remember the T.V.
show Northern Exposure, which was set in
Alaska? Well, it's kind of like that. With
more moose.
During
the summer, flocks of tourists come from
cities like Chicago and Detroit, yet finding
a quiet spot at one of its many pristine
lakes remains an easy task. Camping, hiking,
hunting, fishing and riding the miles
and miles of trails on all-terrain vehicles
are popular pastimes here. On hot days,
I can usually spot teenagers daring each
other to swim in the clear-as-glass but
icy-cold Lake Superior.
In
the fall, the landscape goes from green
to indescribable shades of yellow, orange,
red and gold as the trees change colors.
When
winter comes (and it comes early), the
snow piles high and the U.P. becomes a
destination for cross-country skiing,
snowmobiling, snowshoeing and ice fishing.
The National Ski Hall of Fame is located
here, as are some world-class dog sledding
competitions.
Spring
arrives as late as May and can be quite
muddy as the snow melts; yet the blooming
landscape is hard to resist.
The
U.P. is rich with history. Don't miss
Copper Harbor, home to the Copper Harbor
Lighthouse Museum, as well as Fort Wilkins
State Park and Isle Royale National Park.
Presque Isle and Van Riper State Park
offer other examples of the gorgeous scenery
and abundant wildlife. Residents of the
U.P. (or Yoopers, as they refer to themselves)
enjoy the many casinos run on local Indian
reservations.
My
favorite local specialties include pasties
(individual savory pies filled with meat,
potatoes, onions, carrots and turnips)
and cudaghi sausage, which is often served
as a hamburger-like sandwich and can only
be found in the U.P.
For
souvenirs, I always stop by Da Yoopers
Tourist Trap & Museum on US 41, West
of Ishpeming, MI. True to its name, the
shop (and free museum) offers a plethora
of things you don't need (goofy t-shirts,
stuffed animals, post cards and the like)
as well as CDs by Da Yoopers--a band that
records laugh-out-loud songs about life
in the U.P
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| Hotel
- Best Western Jasper Ridge Inn |
Overall
Rating:
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| The
Jasper Ridge Inn in Ishpeming, MI, recently
built vacation cabins in addition to its
list of affordable, clean rooms. They're
perfect for families with small budgets.
The Inn and cabins are convenient to the
quaint town of Ishpeming and just miles
from picturesque Van Riper State Park. Each
night you'll receive coupons for free mugs
of micro-brewed beer and homemade root beer
at the Jasper Ridge Brewery next door. |
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| Attraction
- U.S. National Ski and Snowboarding Hall of Fame
Museum |
| Overall
Rating:
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| Open
Monday through Saturday, the museum is a
Mecca for skiers and snowboarders alike,
who come here to learn about the museum’s
nearly 350 honorees, from the early pioneer
ski jumpers to today’s Olympic stars. |
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| Restaurant
- Mt. Shasta |
| Overall
Rating:
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| My
family and I headed to old mining village
of Michigamme one Friday evening for an
old-fashioned fish fry at Mt. Shasta. After
a short wait at the bar, where everyone
seemed to know everyone else, we got a table
under a stuffed raccoon holding an American
flag. (It was just after the fourth of July.)
When the friendly waitress
came to our table I ordered a basket of
fried smelt, a local specialty. The tiny
fish were hot and crunchy and tasted as
though they’d be caught that day.
Other diners, enjoying fish caught in
the nearby crystal-clear Lake Superior,
seemed to enjoy their food just as much
and, for a few moments, all were silent
as the pig-out began.
Something seemed oddly
familiar at this place, but I couldn’t
put my finger on it until my mom told
me the restaurant was a location for a
pivotal scene in a classic Jimmy Stewart
film—Anatomy of a Murder.
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| Restaurant
- Venice Supper Club |
| Overall
Rating:
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| A
great family-friendly restaurant for pizza
and pasta is the Venice Supper Club in Ishpeming,
MI. Be sure to order cudaghi sausage on
your pizza—it’s a specialty
here, and not to be missed. |
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| Restaurant
- The Congress Lounge & Pizza |
| Overall
Rating:
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| The
bulletin board says it all--visitors to
Congress from around the world pin their
notes here, and I was surprised to learn
where they all had come from. Many grew
up in the U.P. and can’t wait to get
back and have a slice of the pizzeria’s
cracker-thin crusted pie topped with cheese,
then sauce, and chunks of cudaghi sausage.
(This includes my father, who used to take
my mother here on dates over thirty years
ago. He tells me that little has changed.)
Locals bustle in and out
with piping hot pies to take home, but
to really enjoy it I suggest sitting back
in a booth with a hot slice and a cold
glass of beer.
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