Jillian Manning | Author

The 2024 Luxe List

Oct. 12, 2024

Ready to splurge? In our annual Luxe Issue, we pull together a selection of must-have apparel and accessories that might threaten to break the bank…but hey, as Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford would say, “Treat yo’ self!” (For the Parks and Recreation fans out there, … Read More >>

Meet Up North Pride’s First Executive Director

Sept. 21, 2024

Adrienne Brown-Reasner started her new job as the first executive director of Up North Pride (UNP) just three weeks before the nonprofit’s biggest moment of the year. Up North Pride Week runs Sept. 24-29 to celebrate northern Michigan’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Brown-Reasne… Read More >>

Mi Casa Nueva Es Su Casa Nueva

Aug. 10, 2024

“Authentic” is the word that restaurateur Dusty Rodriguez uses more than once when describing Casa Nueva, one of the newest additions to the Mancelona dining scene.

“We’re fresh. We’re authentic. We are very family based. And we specialize in just what … Read More >>

Three Trees, Three Wines

July 20, 2024

In 2023, Lyle Cifuentes traded her job as the director of digital content at WXYZ-TV Detroit to open a winery in Suttons Bay, swapping “high heels and a dress” for “Carhartt overalls.” Though the career switch may have surprised some of her colleagues, it was years i… Read More >>

Superior Shipwrecks

July 13, 2024

Shipwreck hunting is a unique mix of “boredom” and “incredible feats” of discovery, according to Corey Adkins.

Adkins is the communications and content director at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS). As we talk, he’s on his way to Whit… Read More >>

Making Space to Belong: Straits Pride Celebrates Five Years

June 1, 2024

In the late 2010s, the queer community on Mackinac Island felt like it existed “under the radar” for Straits Pride co-founder and vice president Kyrsten Cavazos.

“There really weren’t opportunities to have spaces for the queer community to engage socially,&rd… Read More >>

Local Love Stories

Feb. 3, 2024

Love is in the air this time of year, so we asked readers to share their love stories set against the backdrop of northern Michigan. How wonderful to discover that this little corner of the world has been where so many couples meet, fall in love, and begin new adventures together!

… Read More >>

24 Ways to Celebrate the Arrival of 2024

Dec. 23, 2023

Out with the old, in with the New Year’s Eve parties. From a five-course dinner to a throwback 2000s bash to a classic ball drop, it’s time to bust out the sparkles and sequins (and kazoos) at events around the North.

Get an Artful Start

1. Crooked Tree Arts Ce… Read More >>

How the Mural Gets Made

Nov. 25, 2023

Brianne Farley is no stranger to turning a boring old wall into a vibrant, eye-catching mural. When she’s painting on that massive version of a canvas, she says it really feels like “the world is your oyster.”

You can find Farley’s whimsical works around nort… Read More >>

Shopping for Luxe

Oct. 14, 2023

Get your wallets ready...these local goodies are too good to pass up. Let the shopping spree begin!

1. Moraine: Spire Earrings

You can buy a diamond ring or a tennis bracelet just about anywhere. That’s why we love shopping the works of Moraine by Kelsey McQuown, bec… Read More >>

Film Review: Flora and Son

Oct. 14, 2023

Sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned. That’s been Flora’s experience, from getting pregnant at 17 to separating from her husband to struggling to connect to her rebellious teenage son. She lives in a dingy shoebox apartment in Dublin, works as a nanny, and takes out her f… Read More >>

Film Review: Sitting in Bars with Cake

Sept. 30, 2023

With a slate of spooky movies headed into theaters over the next few weeks, this scaredy cat searched for a new release that promised no jump scares or exorcisms. I landed on Sitting in Bars with Cake, an Amazon Prime adaptation of…a cookbook memoir.

Yes, that was ab… Read More >>

Your Guide to Up North Pride Week 2023

Sept. 23, 2023

Up North Pride, a Traverse City-based nonprofit “collective of 2SLGBTQIA+ humans [and] allies looking to build a more inclusive and welcoming northern Michigan,” has made September their new go-to month for their annual Pride Week events. Here’s what’s on the schedul… Read More >>

The Water Guides: See the Boardman River, Cedar Lake, and Power Island from a New Perspective

July 15, 2023

Skip the magic carpet ride: Local kayak guides can show you the world…or at least the watery part of it. From the urban landscape of downtown Traverse City to quiet inland lakes to an island wilderness, these guided tours show you a slice of northern Michigan you haven’t seen b… Read More >>

Your Nautical Shopping Guide

July 8, 2023

Ready to get out on the lake? So are we! But as always, we hope to do so in style, so we’ve put together a list of a few retailers across northern Michigan that offer the coolest suits, hats, shoes, and accessories you need for a day on the boat, at the beach, or in the waves.

Keep Showing Up: Up North Pride leaders reflect on June events, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and allyship

June 17, 2023

Nearly 53 years ago, the first Pride march was held in New York City, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. In Traverse City, Up North Pride (UNP) hosted its first Pride march in 2014 and has since grown to offer one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the state… Read More >>

Highs and Lows of the High Season

May 20, 2023

We’re approaching the most wonderful time of the year in northern Michigan. Summer can be downright magical, with quiet morning hikes, afternoons at the beach, and endless entertainment opportunities for a night on the town. But all that fun in the sun also means increased traffic, lo… Read More >>

Building Blues

April 29, 2023

The construction industry has been on a roller-coaster ride for the past three years, from an all-time low in jobs and projects in spring of 2020; to a flurry of building activity to meet pent-up demand; to frustrating snafus with supply chain issues.

And that’s to say nothing… Read More >>

Will Travel for Weed: The Growth of Cannabis Tourism

April 15, 2023

Each year, thousands of visitors flock to northern Michigan for our beaches, our wineries, our trout streams, and our Nordic ski trails…just to name a few.

But are they also coming for our cannabis?

Canna tourism has taken root in states like Colorado, Oregon, and Cal… Read More >>

10 Years of Fascinating People

March 4, 2023

2023 marks the tenth year of the Northern Express Fascinating People list, and as we looked back through the archives, we were blown away by the 180 people we had featured over the years. (Plus 20 more in this issue!)

While we can’t go back and interview each of them … Read More >>