Experiences in Grand Rapids

So far, Grand Rapids has been my favorite city in Michigan. There's good food, great music AND it's pretty! The first time Garon and I went there was on our way back home from our trip to Traverse City. We had a whole day ahead of us with nothing else to do, so we thought why not?

Knowing Garon, our first stop was at a brewery he had been dying to go to for a while now; Founders Brewery. It was conveniently located downtown, allowing us to view the city on the way there. Founders sits on its own block (its huge) and we parked behind. Walking around to the front of the building is when I finally saw my first wild thistle (if you know me, you know I enjoyed this too much).

It was incredibly crowded inside the massive brewery (a good sign), but we finally found a table and ordered some munchies while we enjoyed our Mas Agave beer. It's an imperial gose brewed with agave, lime and sea salt, then aged in tequila barrels. Literally tasted like a margarita.

On our next trip to Grand Rapids, we saw Jason's Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, and let me just tell you how amazing it was to watch. First off, after rocking our socks off for a few songs, Jason Bonham talked to us about how he didn't really get into his father's music until after his death. It took him years to realize the exceptional nature of Led Zeppelin. He even mentioned having to remind the surviving members of their admirability once during rehearsal for a reunion show. He said they had forgotten just how remarkable Led Zeppelin's music was to people. Also, it's important to mention just how insane he is on a drum set. Like father, like son, that one.

Second, the guitarist, Jimmy Sakurai, was absolutely phenomenal. He blew the entire audience away with just the same effortless nature as Jimmy Page. James Dylan performed Robert Plant's vocals with bravery and nearly made me feel like I was watching Plant sing, himself (and I have seen Robert Plant sing live before). In addition, the keyboard/rhythm guitarist and bassist were equally bringing the house down. It was a great show.

Our third trip to Grand Rapids was for tacos. We went to Donkey Taqueria extremely hungry and left extremely full. The drinks were delicious (and strong), the guacamole was refreshing and the tacos were damn good. Garon had a La Superior margarita while I enjoyed the vibrant Prickly Pear margarita.

As for tacos, we blame the taco documentary on Netflix for giving us the craving. Of course we tried the Al Pastor, but we also tried the Cachete and the Bruselas tacos. They were really good, full of flavor and fresh ingredients, and truly hit the spot. We left happy and buzzed :)

Naturally, after eating too much food, one should nap, but we wet walking around a lakeside park covered in wildflowers. What a good decision. I loved it and I think Garon even loved it, too. It was warming up by then (82 degrees haha) so we decided to head back home. After storming most of the way home, Alma greeted us with a DOUBLE RAINBOW!!! Never in my life have I seen a double rainbow in person before, and there it was, right in front of us. A complete rainbow with a slight double above it.

I think it's safe to say we like Michigan.