Lynda Wheatley | Author
Minogin’s Indian Tacos
June 19, 2021
Did you ever stop to think how weird it is that, no matter what your ethnicity, you probably eat far more Italian, French, Polish, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, or just about any food from far away countries than you do the food of your own country? We’re not talking about hot dogs and appl…
Read More >>
Life on the Margins Up North
June 19, 2021
What’s it like to grow up in, move to, and live, work, or raise children in a place where 99 percent of the population doesn’t look like you? Do you feel like part of the community? Or are you made to feel you don’t belong? Northern Express asked these Northerners to s…
Read More >>
June 12, 2021 We assumed there would be no way to improve upon our early summer ritual of basking in the sun at Suttons Bay beach, then flip-flopping our sandy feet across M-22 to sip a cocktail at the the V.I. Grill’s summer patio bar. Then we tried the Grateful Dead. And we were ne…
Read More >>
June 12, 2021 Summer brain drain — aka the “summer slide” — is the theory that students stop learning and sometimes even forget much of what they learned during the school year, and — get this — research shows it’s a real deal. June 12, 2021 A card, a case of beer, a big hug or handshake — most dads don’t require much fanfare on Father’s Day (June 20 this year). But if you’ve got one who always goes the extra mile for you, maybe this year you’d like to get a little something extra for him too. Here…
Read More >>
June 12, 2021 You might expect a former schoolhouse turned restaurant and curling facility would be more sedate in its dining options. Or at least, with primarily Scottish or Canadian fare — the former said to be the early creator of the game; the latter its adoptive obsessor. In any case, you&rsqu…
Read More >>
June 12, 2021 And the hits just keep coming. Interlochen Center for the Arts (pictured above) has announced the return of its Interlochen Arts Festival, albeit in abbreviated for, for August. June 12, 2021 Since buying your own yacht isn’t likely this year due to supply and demand issues, what’s the harm in dreaming bigger? The best place to do it is Bay Harbor June 18–20. That’s when the village hosts its annual In-Water Boat show, an event that draws dozens of drool-…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 Whether you're interested in adding to your art collection, looking for that special gift, or hearing your mother-in-law hiss too loudly in your ear a half-dozen times, “Oh, I could make that!” you’ll want to check out the variety of summer art shows held across northern M…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 As if you needed another reason to visit two of the sweetest lil’ beach and bayside towns Up North in June. Nevertheless, Frankfort and Elberta are joining forces to lure you west with a full week’s worth of affordable introductions to their culinary virtuosity. A full 18 eateri…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 Know what you’ll do this summer? Make it the best one ever, obviously. The way we see it, with Mother Nature’s cooperation, you’ve got about 12 divine weeks of warm weather ahead of you in one of the prettiest places on earth. Don’t squander a single weekend ahead do…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 Anyone trying to book a full weekend at a state campground site anywhere in northern Lower Michigan this summer can officially go by the initials S.O.L. [Slowly, sadly raising a hand.] Rather than spend your Thursday nights stalking the state’s online reservation system for last-minut…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 Like at most golf courses, you’re encouraged to keep quiet on the tee at Elmbrook GC in Traverse City. But at 7pm June 13 on Elmbrook’s patio, you’re welcome to scream, shout, and rock your heart out. That’s because Elmbrook and the TC Golf Center are bringing in awa…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 There’s only one thing local Traverse Cityians look forward to more than the latest reveal of The Little Fleet’s ever-changing cocktail menu: the latest reveal of its cocktail menu in summer. Always an inventive delight but somehow especially tantalizing when perused at the Flee…
Read More >>
June 5, 2021 One of the North’s hottest spots for fishing is quickly — and wisely, we think — becoming a hotbed of complementary comestibles and local libations. Grayling, home to the Old AuSable and Manistee rivers and has added Michigan Brew to its steadily expanding roster of apres-…
Read More >>
May 29, 2021 We don’t normally like to toot our own horn, but we couldn’t let the month go by without a nod to the 30th anniversary of Northern Express. Launched in Traverse City in May 1991 by Bob Downes and George Foster, this local paper was modeled after the nation’s equal…
Read More >>
May 29, 2021 (Vegan, vegetarian, and parental advisory: The following write-up contains words, imagery, and soft-core-porn-like references to bacon.) May 29, 2021 Quit trudging up and down that same ol’ backyard trail. The North Country Trail-Grand Traverse Hiking Club is hosting a mini hike-o-Rama in Kalkaska on June 5 to celebrate National Trails Day. You can hop on a guided 7-mile hike that sets out at 8:30am or choose a 2.75-mile hike that …
Read More >>
May 29, 2021 While the rest of what seems like the world boards ferries bound for Mackinac Island’s venerable annual Lilac Festival (running June 4–13 in this, its 73rd fragrant year), you, Limey, shall embark on a far more rebellious pursuit: the June 4 celebration of King George III’…
Read More >>
May 29, 2021 Start your engines! Bike Night and Car Cruise-In returns to Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, 6pm–9pm June 1 and every Tuesday after through August. Bring your favorite roadster, hog, or coupe to The Clock Tower Lodge circle drive — aka your showplace filled with ple…
Read More >>
The V.I. Grill’s Grateful Dead
Do Not Go Dumbly into This Good Summer
Before you s…
Read More >>
Gifts for Dad
Broomstack’s Cubano
Harry Connick Jr., Young Americans, The Accidentals & Sawyer Fredericks
Tickets will go on sale June 22 here&nbs…
Read More >>
We Like Big Boats, and We Cannot Lie
Makers’ Markets
Frankfort Elberta Feeding Frenzy
Your Super Summer Checklist
Charlevoix: Fisherman's Island Campsites Re-Opening
Detroit Blues on Elmbrook GC's Patio
The Little Fleet’s Jala at Your Girl
Michigan Brew’s Turkey Apple Sandwich
Happy 30th to Northern Express
Maxbauer’s Legendary Homemade Bacon
There’s bacon, and then there’s bacon. And then somewhere up on a pedestal of meat in heaven, we suspect, there’s M…
Read More >>
Tackle a New Trail & Picnic on National Trails Day
Celebrate a King … or Just Feel Like One
Bike Night at Boyne Mountain