[rnmichelle]

Hi

I'm from metro-Detroit and am meeting a friend from Chicago this weekend in Kalamazoo, as it is halfway.

Neither of us know Kalamazoo at all, and aren't sure if (like in most cities big enough to be on a map) there are good/bad areas (crime, safety, etc.)...I don't want to be wandering around in a shady part of town, if there even is one.

Can anyone illuminate me?

Thanks,
Michelle

[suydam]

Are you going out to eat? drink? Dance? movies? What time of day? overnight?

Kalamazoo's downtown is safe.

Stick there and you have a movie theater (Rave), great restaurants (I recommend Food Dance Cafe, Zazio's in the Radisson, Arie's London Grill Singapore or Fandango). If you need a beer, Bell's is the best microbrewery in the midwest and Shakespeare's or Burdick's provide great sports bars. If wine is your thing, the wine bar at the Epic Bistro has a good selection. What's more, all those places are local...so you didn't drive 2 hours just to eat at a Bennigan's.

If you venture just out of downtown into the Vine St. neighborhood, we really like Cosmo's Cucina and O'Duffy's Irish Pub (in the same building, smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood...cool setting). It's too long to walk unless the weather's nice...but just down the street is the Crow's Nest (great breakfast) and Martini's Pizza (a fantastic Italian pizzeria).

[GRRAZO]

^ I agree with suydam, Monaco Bay is a dueling piano bar next to wild bull one of my favs is Harvey's on the mall they are all fun places. There are several other restaurant / bars downtown as well as a comedy club under Shakespeare’s and possibly some sort of event going on at the state theater or miller at WMU otherwise Westnage, West Main, and Stadium have all the chains.

The only area you would want to avoid is the very north side which is small and does not have much there anyways. If you are downtown stay on Kalamazoo Ave (Shakespeare’s, Bell's, Train Station) or South, if you pass north of some railroad tracks it will start to get pretty shady although still not that bad, just the occasional crackhead and such.

[rnmichelle]

Thanks so much for the advice and suggestions...they were very helpful. We're going to meet up in the downtown area and take it from there!

[deslok]

I would recommend Bell's brewery. I believe it is non-smoking so if your friend is from Chicago, he or she will most likely be used to that. Obviously if they smoke this does not apply.

[Piggy]

Take a 20 minute drive to the west and hit Big T's in Lawton, Michigan. They have a few hundred different kinds of beer. Great setting.

[deslok]

Lawton do not waste you're time with, unless you want to smell like a cigarette the entire time or be out in the middle of nowhere.

[Piggy]

Originally Posted by deslok

Lawton do not waste you're time with, unless you want to smell like a cigarette the entire time or be out in the middle of nowhere.

Dang it all deslok, that used to be my favorite place before a Wings Hockey game. Has that gone downhill too? Is nothing sacred?

Sorry to hear it, they used to have good food, and good atmosphere. That's the one thing I enjoy about living in Ohio, smoking in all public places is banned so you don't have to worry about where you go anymore.