What I should in one day to get a feel for the area? (Grand Rapids: rent)

[JaredSD]

Hello friends! I am flying in on Th and Friday have a full round of interviews, but on Saturday I am completely free for the entire day. What are some things I should do to feel like a local for the day? Parks, zoo, drive to the beach area in Holland, farmer's market, see certain neighborhoods? I am hitting up several beer bars on Friday night so that is covered, but wouldn't mind suggestions for the downtown area on Saturday night as well. I know we are going to HopCat, Founder's, Stella's, and Woods. I am staying at the Amway hotel in downtown area if that lets you know of any walkable things around.

The purpose of this is to decide if I want to move there. I understand this will be very different than the winter time haha. Overall, how do you all like living there? Fun place? Still fun in the winter time? I am moving from Arkansas where we certainly can have a good winter, but not like that. Any insights would be very helpful, and thank you!

One last thing...is there good Mexican food in GR haha? I don't mind the nicer spots, but I really like the hole in the wall cheap spots where you get a ton of food for $12 or so. They are all over here and so good.

[JaredSD]

I meant to ask, What should I do in one day. Sorry.

[Republic of Michigan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dBZZMkh4vg

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by JaredSD

Hello friends! I am flying in on Th and Friday have a full round of interviews, but on Saturday I am completely free for the entire day. What are some things I should do to feel like a local for the day? Parks, zoo, drive to the beach area in Holland, farmer's market, see certain neighborhoods? I am hitting up several beer bars on Friday night so that is covered, but wouldn't mind suggestions for the downtown area on Saturday night as well. I know we are going to HopCat, Founder's, Stella's, and Woods. I am staying at the Amway hotel in downtown area if that lets you know of any walkable things around.

The purpose of this is to decide if I want to move there. I understand this will be very different than the winter time haha. Overall, how do you all like living there? Fun place? Still fun in the winter time? I am moving from Arkansas where we certainly can have a good winter, but not like that. Any insights would be very helpful, and thank you!

One last thing...is there good Mexican food in GR haha? I don't mind the nicer spots, but I really like the hole in the wall cheap spots where you get a ton of food for $12 or so. They are all over here and so good.

Really it's all in the eye of the beholder. I've always been impressed with the selection of Mexican restaurants in the GR/Holland area. There are both the chain-esque places, and the holes in the wall. A lot of that has to do with the area having a much higher than average Latino population for the Midwest. Grand Rapids is 15% Latino, and Holland and Wyoming are around 20%. The Roosevelt Park neighborhood in Grand Rapids is a "little Mexico" of sorts. The West Side also has a sizeable immigrant population. Both have some pretty good Mexican restaurants to choose from. I recommend Tacos El Cunado on Grandville Ave. There are a couple on the West Side that I really like too, but I can't remember the names. The Godfrey-Lee neighborhood in Wyoming has a pretty good selection of street taco joints as well.

[teachbeach]

Another beer place you might want to try is Brewery Vivant...and a gorgeous hidden gem of a neighborhood to cruise through is the Heritage Hills subdivision, "estately" homes from early wealthy settlement of GR, including the restored Frank Lloyd Wright house called Meyer May. East Grand Rapids is a great area, especially the area around Reed Lake~so much activity in that area all summer long, and ice skating in the winter. Holland is great, but there's so much to see and do in GR, you might want to concentrate on the area around there to make your decision. If you like GR, you'll love the proximity to Lake Michigan and the smaller towns north and south of Holland as well. There are several museums within walking distance of your hotel; President Ford Museum, GRAM and Public Museum as well as a nice zoo and Meijer Gardens. The zoo and Meijer Gardens are not walk-able, but definitely part of the lure of Grand Rapids. For shopping, the whole 28th street conglomerate/experience~looking forward to the opening of Trader Joe's and I believe the Byron Outlet center opened earlier this summer.

Yes, you will experience snow, probably more than you wish for~GR gets much of the lake effect weather; ie moisture. Good Luck with your interviews!

[magellan]

You can rent bikes while you're here, there's a new service called SpokeFly with bikes all over the city. They have an app that you can use on your phone, and you'll find the SpokeFly bikes on a map on the app. There are a few stations near AGP I believe.

I'd hit the Downtown Market on Ionia, the GRAM, Meyer May House in Heritage Hill (Frank Lloyd Wright home, check for tour hours), any of the shops or restaurants on Cherry Street/Diamond or Wealthy Street. All are East of downtown.

A trip to the beach/lakeshore will take most of a day, so you'd probably have to count on doing either that or touring around Grand Rapids. Pretty tough to do both. If you're going the beach route I'd hit Grand Haven or Saugatuck rather than Holland, personally.

[magellan]

A recent article in New York Magazine may help:

Weekend Getaway — Grand Rapids — New York Magazine