[Rutt Roh]

so i decided to do a little exploring to see what's around kalamazoo and neighboring cities. i heard people talking about south haven so i planned a little trip up there today.

i was told that south haven was a 'ritzy' place with a lot of shopping and restaurants so i took off there as my first destination. well, when i arrived there i was really disappointed to find nothing of the sort. sure you have harbors and "beach" areas for the lake but i didn't even see any big shopping plaza aside from the po-dunk ones that are downtown. the only really restaurants i've seen were mcdonalds and very small (and ghetto looking) mom & pop places. there wasn't even a small mall there!

so i went to holland which was about a half hour north to see what was there and it was pretty much the same exact thing. i guess i drove thru the downtown area which didn't seem too shabby but nothing really caught my eye. i got lost a little bit driving thru windy roads to get there where all you can see is farmland and smell cattle dung. in both areas though, i basically drove the main roads and looked at what was around.

after all that, i headed back. i still haven't explored grand rapids or battle creek really. i was told to stay away from benton harbor because it's a bad area? i dunno.

so was my adventures today an accurate depiction of what the areas were really like or did i truly pass by a whole bunch of stuff without knowing? i'm still being optimistic cuz i'm sure that there are decent places to go explore from here but i was disappointed not find anything really worthwhile. i'm comparing it to here in kalamazoo... at least here you have westnedge where there's a whole lotta things there plus a downtown that's relatively decent with the classy bars/pubs/local restaurants.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Rutt Roh

so i decided to do a little exploring to see what's around kalamazoo and neighboring cities. i heard people talking about south haven so i planned a little trip up there today.

i was told that south haven was a 'ritzy' place with a lot of shopping and restaurants so i took off there as my first destination. well, when i arrived there i was really disappointed to find nothing of the sort. sure you have harbors and "beach" areas for the lake but i didn't even see any big shopping plaza aside from the po-dunk ones that are downtown. the only really restaurants i've seen were mcdonalds and very small (and ghetto looking) mom & pop places. there wasn't even a small mall there!

so i went to holland which was about a half hour north to see what was there and it was pretty much the same exact thing. i guess i drove thru the downtown area which didn't seem too shabby but nothing really caught my eye. i got lost a little bit driving thru windy roads to get there where all you can see is farmland and smell cattle dung. in both areas though, i basically drove the main roads and looked at what was around.

after all that, i headed back. i still haven't explored grand rapids or battle creek really. i was told to stay away from benton harbor because it's a bad area? i dunno.

so was my adventures today an accurate depiction of what the areas were really like or did i truly pass by a whole bunch of stuff without knowing? i'm still being optimistic cuz i'm sure that there are decent places to go explore from here but i was disappointed not find anything really worthwhile. i'm comparing it to here in kalamazoo... at least here you have westnedge where there's a whole lotta things there plus a downtown that's relatively decent with the classy bars/pubs/local restaurants.

If you consider Westnedge in Kalamazoo as a "good" retail area, then yes, you won't find anything like that in South Haven or Holland. I wouldn't call South Haven "ritzy", but it's certainly got charm. Downtown Holland blows away any mall, unless The Gap and Abercrombie and Fitch crap is your thing.

[Rutt Roh]

^^ well to each his own... to me, the retail thing is important - i mean if it's bland with just very crummy looking mom & pop shops with broken roads, then it most definitely wouldn't be a place of interest.

downtown holland, just having driven thru it, looks like it has potential. there are nice areas to sit around and there's a few well maintained parks i drove by... sure it's got its own culture but in my opinion, it doesn't really set itself apart from any other older town or city. i'm more of a contemporary person and definitely am a big fan of those modern looking buildings that aren't rundown-looking and those cafes where you can sit outside. i mean as superficial as it may sound, first impressions are everything... and if a place just comes across as a dump despite how lively the culture or the people of the place are, it might as well be a dump as well.

anyone know anything about benton harbor, battle creek, or grand rapids? i know grand rapids is a bigger city then the other two. being new in this state, it's just that i was recommended to go to south haven because it was "the place to go..." and when i stopped by there today, i was surprisingly disappointed.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Rutt Roh

^^ well to each his own... to me, the retail thing is important - i mean if it's bland with just very crummy looking mom & pop shops with broken roads, then it most definitely wouldn't be a place of interest.

downtown holland, just having driven thru it, looks like it has potential. there are nice areas to sit around and there's a few well maintained parks i drove by... sure it's got its own culture but in my opinion, it doesn't really set itself apart from any other older town or city. i'm more of a contemporary person and definitely am a big fan of those modern looking buildings that aren't rundown-looking and those cafes where you can sit outside. i mean as superficial as it may sound, first impressions are everything... and if a place just comes across as a dump despite how lively the culture or the people of the place are, it might as well be one as well.

anyone know anything about benton harbor, battle creek, or grand rapids? i know grand rapids is a bigger city then the other two. being new in this state, it's just that i was recommended to go to south haven because it was "the place to go..." and when i stopped by there today, i was surprisingly disappointed.

I haven't been to South Haven in years, so can't say. The beaches there are pretty cool. Holland has been recognized nationally for its downtown, winning many awards. Are you sure you were on 8th Street in Holland? It's no Rodeo Drive, but "dumpy" is probably the last word to describe it. A lot of people like Saugatuck/Douglas, but it might have too much "culture" and old buildings to suit your tastes.

If you want mall shopping (a.k.a. mall crap), then yes you'll find two regional malls in Grand Rapids. However, if you want upscale shopping like Nordstrom, Saks, etc., you have to go to Chicago or Troy (North of Detroit).

[Rutt Roh]

Originally Posted by magellan

I haven't been to South Haven in years, so can't say. The beaches there are pretty cool. Holland has been recognized nationally for its downtown, winning many awards. Are you sure you were on 8th Street in Holland? It's no Rodeo Drive, but "dumpy" is probably the last word to describe it. A lot of people like Saugatuck/Douglas, but it might have too much "culture" and old buildings to suit your tastes.

not sure if i was on 8th street or not. i drove blue star hwy all the way into holland and followed that road around.

regarding GR, that's going to be my next trip to see what the place is all about. i know it's a bigger city so i wonder what's all in it.

[snoshoewalkr]

You might want to check out Grand Haven too. I was there 2 weeks ago and enjoyed breakfast at a cafe outside on the patio. It was in the historic downtown shopping district. There is also a nice 2.5 mile boardwalk along the river out to the pier and lighthouse, and the State Park. There are other areas in town that have the typical retail stores, but I prefer the little shoppes that have a little more personality.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Rutt Roh

not sure if i was on 8th street or not. i drove blue star hwy all the way into holland and followed that road around.

regarding GR, that's going to be my next trip to see what the place is all about. i know it's a bigger city so i wonder what's all in it.

You might try Rivertown Crossings in Grandville then. It's the largest mall on this side of the state and has the widest selection of stores. From there, as snoshoewalker mentioned, head over to Grand Haven about 25 minutes away. If you're looking for a younger crowd, you might like it better.

[Rutt Roh]

cool i'll check out grand haven and grandville... they seem to be what i'm looking for. how far is grandville from kalamazoo?

[mackinac81]

I'd also recommend St. Joe. It's not much further than South Haven and, in my view, is a lot nicer. There are mom and pop stores downtown but there is mall crap on the periphery by I-94. I also second Grand Haven. It's my favorite town on the lake.

I know where you're coming from with South Haven. It's not bad, but I think it's overrated compared to other lakeside towns, However, I was there for a wedding in June and was impressed with the improvements they made on Phoenix street. Within a few years, I'll probably upgrading my opinion of the town.

[suydam]

Rutt Roh, are you looking for the kind of retail you'd find in other big cities? I don't think the coastal small towns are for you. Grand Haven, Holland, Saugatuck, South Haven and St. Joe are all similar.... if you really didn't like the first two you tried (SH and Holland) you're not likely to enjoy Grand Haven, Saugatuck or St. Joe any more than the first two you've seen. That's my opinion at least.... the towns are much more similar than they are different (as I'm sure you found when you arrived in Holland after your tour of South Haven).

You see, those towns are all similar in one key way: They've actively tried to keep some of the national chain stores you find on Westnedge Ave. away from their downtowns, and confined to places like Westnedge. They're actually anti-mallstores. Why? Well, it depends on your point-of-view I suppose. I tend to believe it's because once you've been to Johnny Carino's in Schaumberg, Illinois, you don't need to go to the exact same restaurant in Portage or Grandville. That's just me though, to each his (or her) own. If Westnedge is your thing, I honestly would avoid the little towns on the Lakeshore and check out 28th Street in Grand Rapids. You could do a long stretch of Westnedge-like retail shopping starting in Cascade and ending in Grandville.

Check this route out (from Kohl's in Portage) that basically takes you past the majority of Grand Rapids' strip malls, passes Woodland Mall (which has an Apple Store and J.Crew, so a few things you cannot get in Grandville) and ends at Grandville's Rivertown Crossings mall (which is by far the biggest mall in West Michigan). I also included directions back to the the Shaver Road Wal-Mart in case you need help getting home.
http://bit.ly/2ELOWu Good luck, and enjoy your travels!