Beaches in IN (Michigan City, Denver: health insurance, find a job, theatre)

[A.Typical.Girl]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

Spot on. New Buffalo is right across the state line so you might as well go up there. Nice beachy vibe, and yes, Stray Dog is worth a visit.

The Indiana Dunes are nice but it’s a national lakeshore, so while there is plenty of nature and hiking, no beach “towns”. Michigan City’s Washington Park has a nice beach with plenty of good restaurants nearby, but I prefer the Michigan side beaches.

St. Joseph’s Silver Beach is the best in the area IMO, but it’s an additional 30 min from New Buffalo. Not really a huge difference if you’re already driving several hours.

Sounds great, thank you, Blue! Glad to get the feedback. We used to be neighbors... I lived in Capital Hill in the early 90s... was a lot of fun then... grunge days!

[ImmerLernen]

Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl

Thank you for the info Ivory... very interesting. It's just me, so I don't need or want to go to family locales.

Does look interesting...particularly to me since I might be in the market for such a family-friendly venue if/when we make it to Indiana...as do all the other recommendations above. Always good to have options in your back pocket. Life, circumstances, plans and therefore, preferences, can change before you know it!

[A.Typical.Girl]

Originally Posted by ImmerLernen

Does look interesting...particularly to me since I might be in the market for such a family-friendly venue if/when we make it to Indiana...as do all the other recommendations above. Always good to have options in your back pocket. Life, circumstances, plans and therefore, preferences, can change before you know it!

Well, when you do make it to IN, you'll find the people as kind as those who are answering here. No squabbling or silly posts & people are very approachable. I like that people make suggestions... someone coming along months from now will have a nice list.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl

Sounds great, thank you, Blue! Glad to get the feedback. We used to be neighbors... I lived in Capital Hill in the early 90s... was a lot of fun then... grunge days!

Wow, that was the best time to be in Seattle!

I hope you enjoy your trip.

Another recommendation, if you do decide to make the trek to St. Joseph, is to take the Red Arrow Highway from New Buffalo as opposed to I-94. Just a bit longer, but way more scenic and relaxing with intermittent views of the lake. There are a number of produce stands along the road selling local Michigan fruits and veggies. There is also a really good Swedish bakery, Harbert, with amazing pastries.

[johnd393]

The Dunes National Lakeshore, not to be confused with the Dunes State Park, has no admission charge, and several free parking lots for beach access. The town of Beverly Shores has always been obsessively restrictive on parking, but take Broadway to the end, turn left, and there is free Dunes National lakeshore parking right on the lakefront, with sheltered picnic tables and public bathrooms. There are a few other parking lots for beach access, but this one is the closest to the beach. Avoid any parking area that's for Beverly shores residents only.
It's an easy place to check out and is not out of the way if you want to continue on to Michigan City or somewhere in Michigan.

[ImmerLernen]

Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl

...because asthma & allergies are so severe here, meaning I can barely go outside for recreation, I realized I've got to leave IN... trees & greenery are lovely in pics... unfortunately, for those like me, it renders me housebound or only able to go into places with a/c.

Goodness! That doesn't sound fun at all. Sorry you're having this experience.

If you don't mind sharing, did you have trouble with asthma & allergies before you landed in Indiana? Just asking because, so far, none of us in my family has much allergy trouble here in SoCal...one of us maybe a little with a label of "borderline asthma" which manifests itself in the common cold or similar going straight to the lungs...and I'm wondering if we should expect problems as transplants amongst the trees & greenery.

Anyone else care to chime in? Would a "test drive" of the area in the autumn (say October) give us any idea?

I don't mean to hijack your Beaches thread, but since you brought up allergies...

[rrah]

Originally Posted by ImmerLernen

Goodness! That doesn't sound fun at all. Sorry you're having this experience.

If you don't mind sharing, did you have trouble with asthma & allergies before you landed in Indiana? Just asking because, so far, none of us in my family has much allergy trouble here in SoCal...one of us maybe a little with a label of "borderline asthma" which manifests itself in the common cold or similar going straight to the lungs...and I'm wondering if we should expect problems as transplants amongst the trees & greenery.

Anyone else care to chime in? Would a "test drive" of the area in the autumn (say October) give us any idea?

I don't mean to hijack your Beaches thread, but since you brought up allergies...

Allergies are not just an autumn issue. My husband experiences most symptoms in the spring when pollen is flying around. Cooler temps in the fall make it better for him.

One can unexpectedly experience allergies anywhere. I'm not really allergic to anything in Indiana. When I go to FL or AZ in the spring though I will experience some mild allergic symptoms. It's nothing terrible for me, but I do notice it. Just different pollens floating around that my body attacks.

[WildWestDude]

Keep in mind that the water temps can be frigid even in the summer and Lake Michigan currents can be very dangerous
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap..._the_most.html

[A.Typical.Girl]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

Wow, that was the best time to be in Seattle!

Oh, Blue, it was a wonderful time. I had a lovely 1b apt on E. Republican, a 2-min walk from B'dway Mkt (not far from you), that was $545, including heat & parking... 7-yrs later, it had almost tripled in rent. At the time I was there, Nirvana had just become somewhat known on MTV... Alice In Chains & Soundgarden (with Layne, Starr & Cornell, sadly now gone) played the Crocodile Club, but weren't well known, at the time one of the gf's of one of the guys in REM owned it... so many good stories. And, so many heroin deaths & murders... Kristen Pfaff (Courtney Love's guitarist) lived around the corner from me, Cobain died on my b'day & Mia Zapata from the Gits was murdered in an alleyway, while walking home. With the good, always comes bad, it seems. But, my memories of that time are good overall.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

Another recommendation, if you do decide to make the trek to St. Joseph, is to take the Red Arrow Highway from New Buffalo as opposed to I-94. Just a bit longer, but way more scenic and relaxing with intermittent views of the lake. There are a number of produce stands along the road selling local Michigan fruits and veggies. There is also a really good Swedish bakery, Harbert, with amazing pastries.

Thank you very much. This is exactly what I'm looking for... cheers.

Originally Posted by johnd393

The Dunes National Lakeshore, not to be confused with the Dunes State Park, has no admission charge, and several free parking lots for beach access. The town of Beverly Shores has always been obsessively restrictive on parking, but take Broadway to the end, turn left, and there is free Dunes National lakeshore parking right on the lakefront, with sheltered picnic tables and public bathrooms. There are a few other parking lots for beach access, but this one is the closest to the beach. Avoid any parking area that's for Beverly shores residents only.

It's an easy place to check out and is not out of the way if you want to continue on to Michigan City or somewhere in Michigan.

John, than you for pointing that out, cuz I didn't know there was a difference. Your instructions & directions are very helpful!

Originally Posted by WildWestDude

Keep in mind that the water temps can be frigid even in the summer and Lake Michigan currents can be very dangerous

Thank you again, WWD. Very useful info & I appreciate you posting it!

Thank you Everyone! You've all been so forthcoming with info for me, that this trip will be very easy & I do appreciate the kindness.

BTW, I may postpone my trip for 1-2 wks, best laid plans & all that... my new tires are suddenly behaving badly (3rd time in 4-mos, so I need to get them checked out again this wk) & my mum may want to visit next wk, which means I may have to pick her up in FL (600-mi 1-way trip) this upcoming weekend. That will give me more time to research. If she visits, I'm sure she'd love to visit the beach... we both lived 90% of our lives walking distance from an ocean, so we can't get enough. I come from a family of sea level creatures.

Note: I'll answer the other posts later today... it's after midnight.

[Ilovepahrump]

Lived in San Diego for 3 years! Our favorite beach was the one at Indiana Dunes State Park. This has got sort of a Torrey Pines vibe, as you can hike in the area and it feels more “nature-y.” It’s very peaceful and gorgeous! We also went to Michigan City. This was more beach town dive-y, like a PB or Mission Beach if we want to find San Diego comparisons. Saint Joseph is another option for a more beach town type feel.