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The John Ball zoo is a pretty decent zoo for such a small city. Since being renovated several years ago, many of the exhibits and animal habitats have been improved and updated. The monkey habitat...
The John Ball zoo is a pretty decent zoo for such a small city. Since being renovated several years ago, many of the exhibits and animal habitats have been improved and updated. The monkey habitat in particular is very intelligently designed and gives you a great vantage point to seeing them.
One of the great advantages to this zoo is that it is pretty inexpensive. Adult tickets are only $4, which is a great value for the number of animals you get the see. The zoo itself is very well designed and the adjoining city park is a nice, shady place to have a picnic lunch.
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Craig’s Cruisers, on Clyde Park in Wyoming, is definitely a family establishment. Sort of a Chuck E Cheese for the new generation, it has a lot of kid-friendly activities. A gaggle of video games,...
Craig’s Cruisers, on Clyde Park in Wyoming, is definitely a family establishment. Sort of a Chuck E Cheese for the new generation, it has a lot of kid-friendly activities. A gaggle of video games, go karts, rope climbing, and laser tag are a few of the activities found for kids on site. I went there for my little cousin’s birthday party and the kids looked like they were having a blast.
I’ll admit, I even had a good time racing the go-karts around on their indoor slick track. The pizza and food was pretty decent. While I certainly wouldn’t ever come here without kids, it’s a pretty good way to spend a rainy or snowy day if they’re starting to get a bit of cabin fever.
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Eastbrook Lanes, given its close proximity to Center Pointe and Woodland Malls, is very popular with the younger crowd. As such, they seem to have a lot of activities geared towards youth. These...
Eastbrook Lanes, given its close proximity to Center Pointe and Woodland Malls, is very popular with the younger crowd. As such, they seem to have a lot of activities geared towards youth. These include cosmic bowling and rock n’ bowl. Despite it being pretty popular, it’s usually fairly easy to get a lane, since the building has around 40. They usually run out of shoes in your size before they run out of lanes.
There is also a pretty nice cocktail lounge on site for drinking after your game. Unfortunately, on weeknights and weekend days, the birthday party factor is pretty high and can be bothersome. Nonetheless, I’ve found Eastbrook to be a pretty good place to bowl.
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The Amway Grand is the city’s premier luxury hotel. The 30+ floor skyscraper has been a fixture on the Grand Rapid’s skyline for more than 20 years. The historic wing of the hotel has been around...
The Amway Grand is the city’s premier luxury hotel. The 30+ floor skyscraper has been a fixture on the Grand Rapid’s skyline for more than 20 years. The historic wing of the hotel has been around since 1913.
There is no better way to impress a lady than taking her to dinner at one of the hotel’s two formal restaurants, then sipping champagne while admiring the view of the city. Trust me on this one. You do pay a premium for staying at the swankiest hotel in the city, but I’ve found it to be worth it. Pay a bit extra for a tower room, instead of staying in the historic hotel. The views are fantastic.
The hotel does offer weekend and holiday packages which are definitely worth looking into. Every time I have stayed at the Amway has been a grand experience.
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The Quality Dairy is a 24-hour (most locations) convenience store and, at some locations, a laundromat. Selection of food items is rather limited, but is a good choice if you need food, snack food,...
The Quality Dairy is a 24-hour (most locations) convenience store and, at some locations, a laundromat. Selection of food items is rather limited, but is a good choice if you need food, snack food, or beer late night. Additionally, the 24 hour laundromat is a very nice feature for those of us without our own washer and dryer. I tend to work late second shift, so this is a godsend. All locations have a MSUFCU ATM.
Items are priced a bit more expensive, as one would expect at a convenience-type store. You certainly don’t want to do your weekly grocery shopping here. But for a quick fix or beer run, there are few places better than the Quality Dairy.
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Koetsier’s is a family owned and operated greenhouse that sells both annual and perennial flowers, vegetables, and landscaping plants, such as hostas and grasses. Koetsier’s has some of the...
Koetsier’s is a family owned and operated greenhouse that sells both annual and perennial flowers, vegetables, and landscaping plants, such as hostas and grasses. Koetsier’s has some of the healthiest looking plants around and you can really tell that they take care in growing and maintaining them before the sale.
Their hanging baskets and pre-potted arrangements look great and I usually buy my mother several of them for her patio. Koetsier’s is full service and hires young men and women to load your purchases into your car or truck. My only grip with Koetsier’s is that they tend to be a bit more expensive than some of the wholesale competition, like Motma’s. Nonetheless, with the quality of plant you receive, the extra money is well spent.
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Frank’s Market is quite possibly my favorite butcher in the city. When I’m in town, I will almost always stop by and pick up food for my grill. Since this market is on the Polish-heavy West side...
Frank’s Market is quite possibly my favorite butcher in the city. When I’m in town, I will almost always stop by and pick up food for my grill. Since this market is on the Polish-heavy West side of Grand Rapids, they have fantastic sausages, bratwurst and wieners.
I highly recommend also picking up some “hot shots,” which are cooked and spicy snack-stick type meat products.
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I’ve used Calder City once or twice for trips to and from the downtown bars. Calder City claims to be the largest cab fleet in the city. Both times I’ve used Calder City, they drivers have been...
I’ve used Calder City once or twice for trips to and from the downtown bars. Calder City claims to be the largest cab fleet in the city. Both times I’ve used Calder City, they drivers have been friendly and professional. I know the routes and roads in this city pretty well and never had a case of them running up the fare on me.
The only problem I’ve had with them is dispatching. While they can find most bars and restaurants just fine, they can have some trouble finding your home or apartment to pick you up. Both times I’ve used them, it took them upwards of 30-40 minutes to come and pick me up, which I wouldn’t expect from a company with the largest fleet. In both instances, they blamed the dispatcher.
Overall, however, I’ve found Calder City to be a decent cab service and will probably use them again. You may have better results if you live on a well-known street or area.
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Shopping at Andicott is a very unique experience. Being your typical man, I’ve had to buy flowers a number of times for dates, gifts, and, most frequently, apologies. I am also, as I’ve mentioned...
Shopping at Andicott is a very unique experience. Being your typical man, I’ve had to buy flowers a number of times for dates, gifts, and, most frequently, apologies. I am also, as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, a cheapskate. That’s why I love Andicott.
I guess I can best describe Andicott as a do-it-yourself flower shop. Instead of offering pre-built arrangements, you are presented with buckets of all types of flowers and other flora. Its up to you to build your custom arrangements. Not only do you get to create your own custom bouquet (which, believe me, can earn you some points) you get to save some money in the process.
I highly recommend Andicott to any of my friends who are in need of flowers.
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Forest Hills Foods is a very nice and extremely popular grocery store. For a small grocer, the produce, meat/seafood, and bakery products are all of an extremely high quality. The store has an...
Forest Hills Foods is a very nice and extremely popular grocery store. For a small grocer, the produce, meat/seafood, and bakery products are all of an extremely high quality. The store has an extensive wine selection and a walk-in beer cooler. Being in an affluent area of Grand Rapids, there seems to be a higher focus on organic and natural foods than larger retailers such as Meijer.
What separates Forest Hills Foods from other small grocers includes a full sit down deli, a Fifth-Third bank branch, automated bottle returns, and a small floral shop. However, Forest Hills Foods retains some small grocer features, like having bag boys and girls that will carry out your purchases.
As a consequence of all the amenities, the store is extremely popular. You may have some difficulties shopping here during peak hours.
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