So strange that the writer left out the Indiana Dunes, a truly magical area. I, too, drove out of Chicago's Hyde Park through the industrial south side in the summers of 1939 and 1940, when my parents were building a house in the Dunes. I thought the industrial landscape was scary and exciting, because the structures were so big, such great monuments to human ingenuity and US industry. The streets weren't sad, they were resting. The Dunes were a wonderful place to grow up towards adolescence during the war years. Of course it was sad that Dad was away, but he came back ok. Swimming in the lake, playing on the beach in the summer and the piled up ice in the winter, running through the dunes, through blow-outs, and jumping off the jump-off, watching the Live Dune advance on the forest, and moving through the forested hills behind the dunes playing as a hunter/trapper or woodland Indian, exploring the swampland that formed the border with the farmlands - a lucky boyhood. The local Indians considered the Dunes to be a sacred place, so did early white settlers of Fort Dearborn, and so did many of us. The quality of the light is sublime. Fortunately much of the land is now contained in the long fought-for National Lakeshore.
2
What a wonderful article.....about, of course, a most wonderful lake, my lake. I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago in the 40's and 50's and moved to Chicago for school in 1959. Oak Street beach, right by the Drake Hotel, was MY spot. I lived near and swam in my precious lake ever since, and now at 75 years of age, love it still. Cold, sweet and transporting!
2
I'm one of those "nuts" that canoed across Lake Michigan. WE were not referred to as nuts then, but "power paddlers" on the front pages of two newspapers.
1
As a Chicagoan (North side, Belmont Harbor area) who now lives in Texas, this article stirred many good memories of the city and the places where I vacationed.
I used to stand just south of the harbor, at what was called "the rocks." I'd look out over the water and believe that I could go anywhere in the world from that location. The possibilities ... the freedom ...
Pardon me, but I am feeling a bit homesick.
I used to stand just south of the harbor, at what was called "the rocks." I'd look out over the water and believe that I could go anywhere in the world from that location. The possibilities ... the freedom ...
Pardon me, but I am feeling a bit homesick.
4
Back in 99 my then boyfriend, aged dog, and I took the ferry and traveled north from Ludington. We camped. The lighthouse north of Ludington offers a program that allows tourists to stay and host for the week (or it used to), near Point Betsie (further north) there is a fascinating fish hatchery off the main road. It was an amazing side trip. The Great Bear Dunes are also quite a sight. We headed east out of St. Ignace to enjoy Lake Huron and then north to visit the south shore of Lake Superior. Two years later we were able to treat my old dog to "drinks" out of each of the Five Great Water Bowls of the North American Continent.
1
Why the snide comment about Iowa? Wasted words that could have been used to write something more about the glories of the Michigan side of the lake! (This from a Michigan native, now living in lovely Iowa.)
2
Finally, a bard for, a paean to (Lake) Michigan, my (Lake) Michigan! I grew up at the top of the lake, in Escanaba, and have never been able to satisfactorily help anyone unfamiliar with the Great Lakes understand their power. So, props to Rich Cohen, another person rightfully ensorcelled by the magic of the lake. And props to the bottom the lake which was also partly responsible for keeping me sane in the 60's: the lack of obstructions due to the lake's presence meant that we could get music wafted to us at night via WLS.
2
I've only been to Michigan once in my life (but lived in Chicago for a couple of years) but even with that limited experience I quickly realized that the Upper Peninsula was a must-see.
So I was going to excoriate the author for failing to visit the UP, but I realized that as wonderful as the UP is, most of the best sites are not on the Lake Michigan side and therefore don't fit into the theme of his trip and his article.
But for the benefit of readers and visitors who might be misled by the article into thinking that the UP is a place to pass by, here are just some of the great sites that I saw in my too-brief visit: there are dozens of waterfalls, the spectacular Pictured Rocks Seashore featuring cliffs which look like Utah and water which looks like the Caribbean, the Coast Guard Museum where one can learn details about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as well as other tales of tragedy and heroism, the Soo Locks, the bridge, and more.
So I was going to excoriate the author for failing to visit the UP, but I realized that as wonderful as the UP is, most of the best sites are not on the Lake Michigan side and therefore don't fit into the theme of his trip and his article.
But for the benefit of readers and visitors who might be misled by the article into thinking that the UP is a place to pass by, here are just some of the great sites that I saw in my too-brief visit: there are dozens of waterfalls, the spectacular Pictured Rocks Seashore featuring cliffs which look like Utah and water which looks like the Caribbean, the Coast Guard Museum where one can learn details about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as well as other tales of tragedy and heroism, the Soo Locks, the bridge, and more.
1
and, you only scratched the surface...
however, there are some excellent sites along/near the north lake michigan coast... big spring, fayette state park, piers gorge, seney national wildlife refuge, door county......not to mention the lighthouses along the way... even the coastal route south from keewaunee, WI to sheboygan is a relatively unknown gem.....
the author needs to take some real time off to do it right....
however, there are some excellent sites along/near the north lake michigan coast... big spring, fayette state park, piers gorge, seney national wildlife refuge, door county......not to mention the lighthouses along the way... even the coastal route south from keewaunee, WI to sheboygan is a relatively unknown gem.....
the author needs to take some real time off to do it right....
1
If I had the good fortune to be in Milwaukee again, I'd buy my frozen custard at Leon's and then head to the beach.
Lake Michigan is by no means "the greatest lake of all". It's not the greatest in the world, and not even among the Great Lakes. Lake Superior and Lake Huron are both bigger in surface area. Besides that, great article, I really enjoyed reading it.
Speaking of Lake Michigan's shipwrecks, here's an article that you might find useful: http://www.lakepedia.com/blog/shipwrecks-of-lake-michigan.html.
Speaking of Lake Michigan's shipwrecks, here's an article that you might find useful: http://www.lakepedia.com/blog/shipwrecks-of-lake-michigan.html.
Yeah, but it's the Greatest Lake in the USA.....
2
As a Buffalo native that similarly moved east but regularly misses the Great Lakes of my formative years, this article really hits home. Just wonderful.
To those that interject their pride of superior...
Take it from Gordon Lightfoot
"Huron rolls, Superior sings in the rooms of her ice water mansion. Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams, her inlets and bays are for sportsman"
Love them all brother, love them all....
Take it from Gordon Lightfoot
"Huron rolls, Superior sings in the rooms of her ice water mansion. Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams, her inlets and bays are for sportsman"
Love them all brother, love them all....
4
Had you crossed the Mighty Mack, your senses would have been heightened. You would have stared at the closeness of infinity in two directions. You'd have heard the hum of the center-lane grates signaling not just a geographic crossing-over, but a spiritual one as well. You would have smelled the air, piney and unpredictably wafting that indescribable scent of sand and limestone and freshwater fish. You'd have felt the urge to skinny-dip, to run your hands down the bark of trees, to fall sleep under the Milky Way. You'd have entered a place that makes you question everything you thought you knew about Michigan.
8
Some years ago while living in Maryland I confessed that I didn't really like liviing there. My step-daughter asked if I didn't at least like being able to go to the beach, listen to the ocean. I sighed and said I did like that somewhat but the ocean didn't sound right to me. I grew up in St. Louis and we went to Lake Michigan in the summer. What I wanted to hear were the waves bouncing off the (very pretty) little rocks on the shore: LAP....laplaplap...LAP...LAPlaplaplap lap. A couple of years after that she told her Dad after being at a conference on Lake Michigan, "Pats was right! The waves sounded exactly like she said."
The author has done a great service to remind us all of the wealth of freshwater and wide beaches that is Lake Michigan. Glencoe is my hometown now too, and our public beaches are the pride of our community.
Mr. Cohen and his readers might be interested in knowing that there is a great group of citizens; a network of trail planners, paddlers, residents and outdoor enthusiasts who are crafting a Lake Michigan Water Trail so this whole circle can be paddled, and renewing the Lake Michigan Circle Tour for motorists and cyclists.
That is worth its own story in the New York Times.
Mr. Cohen and his readers might be interested in knowing that there is a great group of citizens; a network of trail planners, paddlers, residents and outdoor enthusiasts who are crafting a Lake Michigan Water Trail so this whole circle can be paddled, and renewing the Lake Michigan Circle Tour for motorists and cyclists.
That is worth its own story in the New York Times.
Dear Editor: I am so grateful that the author demonstrated much restraint and did not report on the most splendid aspects of a Lake Michigan journey - the secrets remain hidden! I would be even more grateful if our beloved NY Times showed continued restraint and did not publish further articles about touring Lake Michigan (or the other Great lakes). These are secrets best kept to a limited few lest the word get out how exquisite, unique and irreplaceable these gems are!
6
You actually did NOT fulfill "the dream of circumnavigation." Maybe stating that you failed in doing so in the first paragraph would have redeemed this article... Or stating why you changed your plans. You know you missed the best part -- the part an actual explorer would have enjoyed the most.
1
Our usual summer vacation when I was growing up in the '70s was the C&O or Ann Arbor railroad ferry across the lake and then the drive up to Mackinac Island. The C&O night boat that left Milwaukee at around midnight was the best. I remember laying in the berth of a stateroom staring out the window in the black of night as flashes of lightening would illuminate the whitecaps on the lake for a split second. Sometimes, we would then drive across the Upper Peninsula to northern Wisconsin and rent a cabin there. I grew up about a mile from the lake in suburban Milwaukee. My summers were spent swimming or fishing from the beach. Autumn and spring meant bonfires on the beach with friends. This article brought back so many splendid memories. If you haven't visited this magical land on both sides of the lake, you really must.
1
As an American of French heritage, I'm not exactly honored by the mention of "French names that give everything a creepy depth," but at least my tribe, unlike the Potawatomi and others, was included. Creepy, really?
Pretty good article, but there are a few errors in addition to the ones already mentioned... first, in my lifetime (i'm only 4 years older than the author and grew up a few towns over from him), lake michigan hit 80 degrees only ONCE, at least on the illinois side. GENERALLY speaking, temps get into the 70's each summer, usually peaking in july and august... The michigan side tends to get warmer.... Even tho the original article used an "outdated" name for the tallest building in the world for 30 years, it is still the SEARS Tower. It's as if somebody decided to change the name of the Empire State Building---gee, will that go over well? I think NOT!
It's a shame he didn't go all the way around--Upper Michigan (affectionately called the Yoop) and Lake Superior is, arguably, the best scenery the Midwest has to offer. And is the most underrated scenic region in the USA. I will say, taking the Badger across (preferred over the Lake Express) is one of those trips one must take at least once....
Maybe next time, the Author will take some real time off and do a proper Great Lakes Tour........
It's a shame he didn't go all the way around--Upper Michigan (affectionately called the Yoop) and Lake Superior is, arguably, the best scenery the Midwest has to offer. And is the most underrated scenic region in the USA. I will say, taking the Badger across (preferred over the Lake Express) is one of those trips one must take at least once....
Maybe next time, the Author will take some real time off and do a proper Great Lakes Tour........
What a lovely little paean to the most beautiful place on Earth. (I grew up in the Kalamazoo area and spent summer weekends on the lake, and later spent most of the 1980s working in the Traverse City area.) A bit of advice -- take the trip again, but this time cross the bridge and enjoy Michigan's untamed Upper Peninsula. This is a trip you can take again and again and it'll be different every time.
1
Mr. Cohen, thanks for the article and great photos. Hope you aren't listening to all the nasty comments. I love the fact that you are sharing our love of Lake Michigan with so many who have not had the chance to enjoy it.
I live in British Columbia, and used to live near the Pacific. I am inland now, but don't feel it's where I am meant to stay, as I am hugely drawn to the ocean. I am sure this stems from many summers at the Evanston beaches, even working in the beach office with my sister and a friend - still friends after over 30 years. Lake Michigan is magnificent. Glad you wrote and took the trip with your boys.
I live in British Columbia, and used to live near the Pacific. I am inland now, but don't feel it's where I am meant to stay, as I am hugely drawn to the ocean. I am sure this stems from many summers at the Evanston beaches, even working in the beach office with my sister and a friend - still friends after over 30 years. Lake Michigan is magnificent. Glad you wrote and took the trip with your boys.
2
I grew up in Manistee- 30miles from Ludington. My memories are all about the water. I live in Idaho now and every August I have a hunger for the lake that drives me to the Oregon beach. Not sweet water but a resemblance
We did the Circle Tour over 20 years ago in an old 4x4 and discovered beautiful Door County . Clockwise or counter? Flip a coin!
I am enjoying these commentaries as much as the Lake Michigan article itself as readers have been filling in all the blanks to whatever omissions they were disappointed by or just sharing suggestions, memories and experiences. Having recently moved to Milwaukee, I've taken many notes for future weekend road trips. Here is my own suggestion visiting this great city: If you're taking the Lakefront Brewery tour, walk off the samples by taking a hike up the nearby hill to Kadish Park overlooking the amphitheater for incredible views of the city (in case you assumed Milwaukee was flat….)
1
Rich Cohen is wrong about there no longer being ferry service between Milwaukee and Muskegon. There is a wonderful, high speed ferry running this route several times daily. What a shame this was left out of an otherwise great article. It is called Lake Express Ferry.
1
What a beautiful piece. Having visited many of these places, I can say the author's imagery described them perfectly. This is a trip that I absolutely must take at some point.
1
Right from the start a small issue - Lake Shore Drive (LSD) to I-55 to I-90? Why not stay on LSD all the way, then get on South Shore Drive, then continue on US 41 all the way into Indiana (where it meets I-90)? Sure, you're in city traffic instead of on the fast interstate, but you hug the coast of the lake through real Chicago neighborhoods instead of being in a landlocked pipeline of cars far removed from the shore of the the inland sea you extol. And you could have stopped at the less traveled beaches and unofficial diving spots along the south side of Chicago, where there are no life guards to stop you from going as far out in the deep water as you like. But then again, I grew up in Chicago proper, and though I've been to the Glencoe beaches I still prefer Promontory Point in the Hyde Park neighborhood for swimming - dive right off the rocks into deep water, no one to tell you what the limits are.
But aside from that small point, thanks for a nod to my favorite of the 5 inland seas. I have planned to make the same journey for a good part of my life, but it keeps getting deferred.
But aside from that small point, thanks for a nod to my favorite of the 5 inland seas. I have planned to make the same journey for a good part of my life, but it keeps getting deferred.
Having grown up in Michigan and having lived 30 years in NYC I was excited to see this article. I "came home" to Lake Michigan 15 years ago and lived on the big lake in Benton Harbor and in Traverse City. I was stunned by several decisions this author made. First, his decision to focus on Ludington seemed to be driven solely by the fact he was there twice which brings me to his worst choice: not visiting the U.P. The U.P. is the one place on Lake Michigan that you can drive right down the shoreline with nearly an unobstructed view of the Lake and all she has to offer. It is magnificent. Say "yah" to the U,P, eh? The third crazy choice was suggesting a fish and chips joint as the place to eat in Traverse City. Really? Don't you read your own newspaper? T.C. has no less than FOUR chefs who have been nominated for a James Beard Award. Oy.
12
I go to Traverse City annually and, although the restaurant mentioned has a great reputation, there are several outstanding alternatives that I would choose before Scalawags.
Wow, such critics of this wonderful article. Lake Michigan is so beautiful and I cannot believe how much I missed it while I was living out West. Now I get to see it every day. I have seen both Oceans from the US and abroad and they still do not compare to my wonderful Lake Michigan. I cannot wait to share more of it with my children in the years to come.
2
No, no, trip was perfect, wouldn't like Upper Peninsula, not so many tchotchkes, lotsa miles w/o tourist traps, too pristine. Plus scary bridge fare is $4---go to NYC see people, pay higher bridge fares for shorter bridges, shop big name stores.
Ja, you betcha! (Fluent in Sarcasm, I listen only to waves lap the shore, and wait for full moon and brilliant stars sans even a sliver of light pollution. Great Lakes: no salt, no sharks)
Ja, you betcha! (Fluent in Sarcasm, I listen only to waves lap the shore, and wait for full moon and brilliant stars sans even a sliver of light pollution. Great Lakes: no salt, no sharks)
6
While visiting, I was informed UPers suffer from two maladies: sun deprevation and alcoholism.
And that's just the start of good things! As a long-exiled Yooper, I can tell you that there seems to be as much alcoholism here in the SF Bay Area -- if not more due to the unrelenting stresses of everyday survival -- as the U.P., and sometimes I get f'ing tired of the sun ("Nice day! AGAIN??"). Perhaps that last sentiment is drought fatigue talking, but when you have been fortunate enough to live where there are clouds everyday, then the ever-present sun can be quite tiresome.
1
I completed a real circumnavigation in this June. I feel sorry for the author. The vast open spaces of the Upper Peninsula are the most spectacular landscapes on the trip. At times you feel like you are at the ends of the earth, with only apparently endless waters ahead, fringed with vast desolate forests.
6
How can Lake Michigan be the "greatest lake of all" when there is another body of water to the north know as Lake Superior. Now that's a lake to see!
4
They're so different. Both wonderful, but not one better than the other. Neither should be missed, but Lake Michigan is the only one that is entirely in the US.
As intriguing and well written as The Great Lakes -- as duly noted in truth our "inland seas" -- are magnificent and national treasures . . . Many Thanks Indeed!!!
1
Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and M22 in Leelanau County deserve their own article. So does the UP. This article captured the presence of The Lake, the limitless horizon, the broad sandy beaches and the brilliant blue glimpsed through trees or laid out before a mountain range of skyscrapers. Rich Cohen also aptly described how I've felt for years about my home town of Glencoe. But he's right, the Lake is still there, still the same and still worth traveling to see. Thank God.
4
I salute you, Mr. Cohen, for this publication, even if it contains some inaccuracies, as pointed out by other readers. Lake Michigan, as the only one of the five Laurentian Great Lakes that lies wholly within the US, is a national treasure and it should have long ago been declared a National Park.
3
I was happy to read in this version that the lake was formed just 1.2 billion years ago, not the 20 billion claimed in my paper edition. Could America be older than the universe? Of course!
Manitowoc was minimally mentioned, with no big print and no eating place noted. We lived there for six years in the '70s, one year right on the lake with what looked like big ghost ships at night. One winter there were icebergs -- seven or eight feet high jagged mounds jammed together and extending out maybe 200 yards -- that our Irish setter surprisingly ran out on and disappeared, reappearing every now and then when she topped a peak. Then we didn't see her for about half an hour. We gave her up for lost, but she finally appeared again about a half a mile up the shore line, like no big deal, just another adventurous run. As we walked home, she seemed no more tired than from other runs. We kept her away from the winter lake after that.
3
It is disappointing to read “we fulfilled the grandest dream of Magellan, the dream of circumnavigation” only to find the author took a shortcut, cheating us of what was promised. I suspect this inaccuracy set the stage for much of the criticism this writing has received.
To that point: Lake Michigan was not “formed 1.2 billion years ago by a rift in tectonic plates, a rent in the fabric of the world”. It was in fact dug out by glaciers, as were all of the great lakes.
Where is your editor? Probably not vacationing on Lake Michigan.
To that point: Lake Michigan was not “formed 1.2 billion years ago by a rift in tectonic plates, a rent in the fabric of the world”. It was in fact dug out by glaciers, as were all of the great lakes.
Where is your editor? Probably not vacationing on Lake Michigan.
5
The Badger is not the only ferry service connecting the east and west coasts of "The Big Lake". From May 1st through Novemeber 1st, The Lake Express runs daily service between Muskegon, MI and Milwaukee, WI. This is their 11th year in business.
2
Dear New York Times Travel Editors: Please leave the grand tours of any of the Great Lakes to the people who live on the lakes and know them intimately. Mr. Cohen's over-romanticized, circumnavigation-failure didn't even come close to a "Grand Tour." The only redeeming quality of the piece is that the fabulous places on the Great Lakes won't soon be over-run with Easterners -- Mr. Cohen failed to visit most of the best places on the lake. His loss.
8
I shared this article with family members who have moved away, and they loved it. I did as well. Until, I came home I would try and explain to others the magical qualities of the Great Lakes. It is impossible. One must see for themselves.
My brother lives on the Vineyard, and he comes home every summer to the place where ' the water is fresh and the people less salty'! This article has spurred several exchanges with relatives all over the country, writing their experiences of being on the lakes. I loved the piece, for it had my family connecting and sharing stories of days gone by.
Mary, your a little late the World has invaded our Lakes, Mr. Cohen grew up on the Great Lakes. May I suggest a piece of our fine Sweet Cherry Pie to replace the bitter taste.
Great job, thank you for taking your kids and showing them the dazzling landscape inside their country. Bravo.
My brother lives on the Vineyard, and he comes home every summer to the place where ' the water is fresh and the people less salty'! This article has spurred several exchanges with relatives all over the country, writing their experiences of being on the lakes. I loved the piece, for it had my family connecting and sharing stories of days gone by.
Mary, your a little late the World has invaded our Lakes, Mr. Cohen grew up on the Great Lakes. May I suggest a piece of our fine Sweet Cherry Pie to replace the bitter taste.
Great job, thank you for taking your kids and showing them the dazzling landscape inside their country. Bravo.
3
I'm guessing the writer turned around at the bridge because there was no hotel vacancy in the UP. Just one well organized H.O.G. tour can fill up all the hotels in Marquette area. Book early, and get ready for some old school accommodations but not to worry wifi has arrived.
Google street view shows that on Vernon Ave in Glencoe the Weineke Hardware store sign is still there on the front of the 2nd floor of the building ! I marvel at how easy it is for us long gone Glencoe residents to virtually walk around town and see how all the store fronts have changed as Rich Cohen reminded me to take a look. And you can check out the cherry trees in the Traverse City outback from street level along M22.
2
Enjoyed the story. Just a couple suggestions for the next iteration regarding historical framing. (1) The continent was not "virgin" but only perceived to be from the mistaken European notion that if you don't cut down and control Nature, you are not "doing anything with it." The hundreds of indigenous groups, many of which had been here for centuries, were co-living with the natural world, e.g., minimally controlling the forests (as it turns out, making it easy for explorers, soldiers and settlers to move across the land). (2) The French explorers (e.g., Marquette) did not face the "wilderness" alone with their Bibles as implied. Native groups were supporting the early visitors in all sorts of ways as part of their normal hospitality. See for example, The Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
6
What a joy to read! I kept getting misty eyes throughout as it really captured the essence of what it is like around this truly Great Lake. Although I have called Chicago my home for the majority of my adult life I grew up in Waukegan which has its own rich history as well! Bravo!!
2
What was missed:
Silver Lake sand dunes the largest shifting sand dunes in the country on the coast of Lake Michigan near Ludington.
The Upper Peninsula filled with interesting history and essential to understanding Lake Michigan. It was a very poor choice not to take that route.
Worse yet he did not describe swimming in Lake Michigan with clear clean water and pure sand at the bottom nothing like it
Silver Lake sand dunes the largest shifting sand dunes in the country on the coast of Lake Michigan near Ludington.
The Upper Peninsula filled with interesting history and essential to understanding Lake Michigan. It was a very poor choice not to take that route.
Worse yet he did not describe swimming in Lake Michigan with clear clean water and pure sand at the bottom nothing like it
3
Another ferry service available - Lake Express goes from Muskegon to Milwaukee in 2 1/2 hours. Big advantage? By-passes Chicago and Glencoe and you are in fabulous Wisconsin before you know it!
2
I grew up in Glencoe too (though many years ago)! Went to camp outside Ludington and road the ferry across from Milwaukee--wonderful. Took a (miserable) hike from camp to the dunes and still remember how clear the water was there compared to Glencoe's beach. You could see your feet! You do the lake an injustice, though, by not showing the fierce waves breaking over the Outer Drive in the winter!
1
Saw the article title and the pictures and was looking forward to reading a New York Times writer's take on Lake Michigan circumnavigation. My apologies to the writer for saying this, but the article is a mish-mash, neither history nor travel article, containing very little to justify the three pages it got in today's print edition. And with all due respect, Benton Harbor and Ludington (and even Mackinac Island) hardly represent the attraction of West Michigan. Touristy Silver Lake might, but in the article it was mentioned only in pictures, no text about the incredible dunes there, the great beaches, the lighthouse, or dune buggy rides. No mention of Sleeping Bear dunes,, as someone else noted, nor of the dozens of picturesque small towns one goes through in a true circumnavigation. And leaving out the UP and northeast Wisconsin makes a mockery of "grand tour." Sorry, we expect better from The Times. (PS, thank to whoever corrected the online edition to banish the error in the print edition that had Lake Michigan's geologic origins as "20 billion years ago," which would have made the lake over four times as old as the earth.)
13
Although I am right now on a gorgeous ocean beach in Amagansett, Long Island, I always miss Lake Michigan, having grown up in Racine, WI and just a block away from the lake. In my day the temp never got much above 75 degrees and "my" beach had tough little pebbles for about the first 10 feet but I love and loved that lake. Especially missed is the incessant foghorn located just two blocks away from our house. Your article was lovely, if not always correct, and very evocative of a different yet continuing era. Thanks.
"Regular Ferry crossing" is also available from Muskegon to Milwaukee via The Lakes Express, a high speed Ferry (crossing time about two hours).
"August or September, when the water temperature climbs into the low 80s"
Is this true? I don't remember it ever getting over 70F. It's 64F at Oak St Beach right now. That was always an important part of the summer swimming experience. It was really cold and not for the feint hearted.
Is this true? I don't remember it ever getting over 70F. It's 64F at Oak St Beach right now. That was always an important part of the summer swimming experience. It was really cold and not for the feint hearted.
2
Fainthearted. Feint means "a false show; pretense; sham. Pretended blow or attack..." And, yes, Lake Michigan water only gets into the 70s when air temps have been in the 90s for days. I don't think it ever warms into the 80s.
1
The travelogue was an obviously important trip for this writer, but it fails completely to relate the genuine condition of the lake, a victim of seemingly endless spates of invasive species, old contaminants and many new ones. When we travel like this, it is our nostalgia that hides the sickness of subtly polluted waters and damaged ecologies. It is a nice picture for tourists that hides the true nature of the lake and how badly we have treated her and her denizens. We ought to celebrate this writer and his boys having the chance to visit this wondrous freshwater sea and then hang our heads in shame at what we have done to her. In a few week or a year or two we will again see the wildlife kills from blue-green algae toxins, mats of mussel shells and cladophora rolled onto those lovely beaches, decreased wildlife populations and depressed fisheries - all hidden beneath the beauty of those once incredible waters.
5
Well written, but written like a tourist from one of the northern suburbs, especially picking out the landmarks of the wealthy suburbs but describing the south side like a industrial haze (the smoke stacks belching for 'some reason' when the real reason of this 'sacrifice zone' is to make possible the clean air privilege of the northern suburbs). And the Billy Goat as a place to eat?--Seriously?--biggest tourist trap in the city, only made popular to suburbanites becasue they saw it on Saturday Night Live.
9
Nice pictures, but the prose is a turgid mess. This story doesn't begin to hint at what you can experience in Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. And NYT editors - 307 miles "top to bottom"? Hire a cartographer!
8
Couldn't agree more. the author should go back to Connecticut or wherever he is from and spare us his fuzzy childhood memories. He doesn't come close to capturing the grandeur of the Great Lakes at the largest glacial fresh water basin on earth And to miss the magnificent Mackinac Bridge and the wildlands of the Upper Peninsula is like going to -New York without seeing the Empire State Building. Stick to Block Island please.
3
I expected better based upon the title of the article. To miss most of the West Michigan, shore, including the sleeping bear sand dunes area as well as the UP, which is the best, he did a disservice to your readers and wasted three full pages of print .
Next time, send someone who really wants an adventure/travel
Next time, send someone who really wants an adventure/travel
1
In the era before sunscreen, we came home from Ludington and nursed sunburns with cold tea. Later, in my camp counseling days on Walloon and Torch Lakes, I hitched rides on laundry trucks to Charlevoix or Petoskey for days off. Before the opening of the Mackinaw Bridge in 1957, my family waited overnight in a motel at the mitten's tip and then joined the line to wait for the ferry while we ate breakfast from the supplies in the trunk of the car.
You missed Interlochen's music. We took the campers to see "The Mikado" which left me elated and blackly envious of being able to do something like this as a teenager. Van Cliburn played Rachmaninoff's Second there and I hoped my cabin group didn't notice me crying in the starlit amphitheater surrounded by blue-corduroy-knickered Interlochen campers. How about another article from the Straits to the UP through Wisconsin that gets more than pirogies, Door County, and the Peshtigo fire?
You missed Interlochen's music. We took the campers to see "The Mikado" which left me elated and blackly envious of being able to do something like this as a teenager. Van Cliburn played Rachmaninoff's Second there and I hoped my cabin group didn't notice me crying in the starlit amphitheater surrounded by blue-corduroy-knickered Interlochen campers. How about another article from the Straits to the UP through Wisconsin that gets more than pirogies, Door County, and the Peshtigo fire?
1
NYT a wonderful article .Very informative and interesting .Thank you
Seriously, this guy missed the UP? And wrote a column about circumnavigating lake Michigan? I could have my high school kid write this.
Strayed out of NYC, much?
Strayed out of NYC, much?
8
Very little insight here that can't already be gleaned from everyday travel books. Expected more from someone who lived in the region.
4
Agreed. Not up to what I'd expect from the NYT. It's on par with someone writing about San Francisco, but never getting beyond Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square.
1
A true and more illustrative round-the-horn tour of Lake Michigan's wonders, hidden treasures and darker places, indeed, would fill an entire travel volume. Mr. Cohen's piece provides a glimpse of his personal history, which is fine and even expected. I was left, though, wanting to read more about his journey back southward through Wisconsin. There's far more there than Milwaukee.
1
Thanks for an interesting travelouge. I spent a few months at the Great Lakes Naval Station in 1976 and only had time (and money) for a few brief visits to Chicago and Milwaukee. It's on my bucket list to take my wife back to the area to see all the things around Lake Michigan that I missed as a very young sailor 40 years ago.
1
My wife and I were very lucky to grow up in western Michigan, with the Big Lake next door. And not only the lake, but the beautiful inland lakes, rivers, and state and national forests nearby. We now split our time between Michigan and the South Carolina low country. These are both beautiful places, but there is nothing like the feeling of driving past that "Welcome To Pure Michigan" sign when we come back for the summer. People from Michigan know exactly what I'm talking about. The place is really like those TV commercials. I would encourage anyone to visit. You won't be disappointed.
4
Oh! Beerntsen Confectionary in Manitowoc Wisconsin! A trip back in time with hand made chocolates and dark wood booths! Worth the stop.
2
I've circumnavigated Lake Michigan on a motorscooter (a Genuine Scooters Buddy). Because it would take me two weeks to do it that way, I "cheated" and did it in two trips, each time taking the Badger across to get back to my starting point after going half-way. I typically covered 100-150 miles a day on my scoot, stopping at the various harbors and beaches along the way, and taking side trips such as a day on Mackinac Island (rented a bike) and up to Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior (took a boat tour). I've stayed off US and Interstate highways as much as I could, which has made all the difference. Crossing the Mackinac Bridge on a barely-legal motorbike was an experience without equal. I agree with the commenters who say that the writer's choice to skip the UP was unfortunate, and I encourage him to undertake a second trip going that way (perhaps taking the Badger back again). In addition to those two rides, I've taken several others like it, which have taken me to every county in Michigan and more than twenty in Wisconsin; I reported them as I went on my web site: http://toddverbeek.com/miway/
3
The only redeeming feature of this NYT piece for me was finding your chronical-ing of your scooter journey, Todd. Excellent! Thanks!
The author states Ludington has the only cross lake ferry incorrectly. The Lake Express high speed ferry serves between Muskegon and Milwaukee several times a day in 2 hours and 15 minutes each way for passenger with or without automobile.
4
There are some big gaps in factual information in this story. Heck, Google Maps even show the Milwaukee-Muskegon ferry line.
1
Since I vacation on the Jersey Shore and have only seen Lake Michigan from Chicago, I enjoyed this article which gave an interesting overview. From the comments, it is not surprising that Mr. Cohen could not visit all the amazing sites mentioned. Even though he did not fulfill the goal of going all the way around, he did achieve a more important mission of sharing some of the wonders of this Great Lake with his 3 sons. Thank you for a descriptive and personal introduction to one of our inland seas.
2
Another great place to stay in Milwaukee is the Brewhouse Inn & Suites. It is converted from the Pabst Brewery and still has brew kettles in the lobby.
http://www.brewhousesuites.com
http://www.brewhousesuites.com
I began reading this article out of interest in the author's observations about the region, having lived in Chicago and recently discovering the beauty of Michigan. But, dismay began to creep in when this line appeared, "your skin takes on a bluish tint."
As a person of color, one of which along with many others, I have played and been sprayed many a day in early cold temps of the lake. A few people of color can identify with this "bluish tint" condition, but most would succumb to hypothermia in order for it to happen.
I was willing to ignore this slight until he began his acknowledgements of his "favorite" french explorers of the region, citing missionaries with their bibles, while overlooking the famous South Shore of Chicago, where he conveniently alters his route, his dismissal of the nationally registered Indiana Dunes region, both of which are historically black populated areas of interest and beauty. But, his greatest offense is ignoring the explorer and founder of the great city of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. An explorer, a trapper and a Black man.
Maybe the privilege of growing up in Glencoe didn't provide him an education in Black history, but his waxing nostalgic about those early pioneers without mentioning Point du Sable displays his conscientious stupidity to think he could get away with it and sadly lacks integrity.
As a person of color, one of which along with many others, I have played and been sprayed many a day in early cold temps of the lake. A few people of color can identify with this "bluish tint" condition, but most would succumb to hypothermia in order for it to happen.
I was willing to ignore this slight until he began his acknowledgements of his "favorite" french explorers of the region, citing missionaries with their bibles, while overlooking the famous South Shore of Chicago, where he conveniently alters his route, his dismissal of the nationally registered Indiana Dunes region, both of which are historically black populated areas of interest and beauty. But, his greatest offense is ignoring the explorer and founder of the great city of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. An explorer, a trapper and a Black man.
Maybe the privilege of growing up in Glencoe didn't provide him an education in Black history, but his waxing nostalgic about those early pioneers without mentioning Point du Sable displays his conscientious stupidity to think he could get away with it and sadly lacks integrity.
2
In taking the ferry across the lake, exciting an adventure as that may be, you missed some of the best parts of Michigan--the U.P. Next time circumnavigate the lake and see the beauty of the southern part of the upper penninsula. Or, you can circumnavigate Lake Superior, the grandest of the Great Lakes.
9
Living in the east and having been born and spent my first 12 years on Lake Michigan, I was disappointed in this article. The article makes enthusiastic hype about going around the lake, but then cops out and quits before even going across the Mackinac Bridge. Was he afraid to cross? They have drivers for those who are. And that caused him to miss what was probably the most scenic and quiet parts of Lake Michigan along the northern shore.Then, too much focus on ticky - tacky tourist junk. Fudge in Petoskey for best foods? And it's an outlet to the main enterprise on Mackinac Island. Speaking of which, what is the focus on Main Street? There are so many other parts of the island teeming with history and lore. And the omissions.... Harbor Springs, Leland, Sleeping Bear Dumes, the Mackinac Bridge (not even mentioned), Holland, Grand Haven, Pentwater, .......
11
The author's purple prose cannot hide that the trip was rushed and truncated. Deadline looming? The whole idea of "circumnavigating" the lake was probably just to have a story line which the author himself was too eager to cut off. The idea is a great one, however, but it would take many volumes volumes to write it.
5
Wonderful article and great memories for me. born on the West Side of Chicago. After that,the north side,Skokie,and Morton Grove. My special memories of Lake Michigan are spending eighteen summers in South Haven Michigan. For those of you who wanted your favorite town or restaurant mentioned, remember, this article could not be the length of a Torah rolled out from start to finish. L'Chiam
3
Sitting in Sawyer, Michigan, where my mother first came as an eight year old in 1912 with her mother. We grew up relishing the beach, the quality of the sand, the dunes of the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. . . eating Michigan blueberries and Michigan peaches and Michigan sweet corn. Easterners who see this "best" coast are often quite surprised by its inherent charms, especially when the lake turns choppy or wavy with white caps.
2
My pup and I go to the dog beach in Wilmette evey morning to enjoy a cool dip for her and a beautiful sunrise for me. It is a beautiful lake and it gives so much to so many. I try to never take it for granted we have such a precious resource so close to us and that we need to be good stewards of this gift.
Thank you for celebrating the wonders of this Great Lake!!
Thank you for celebrating the wonders of this Great Lake!!
1
Good article but can't believe it left out the national treasure of the lake -/sleeping bear dunes and pierce stocking drive considered by some to be the most beautiful view in the US. Carl Sandburg, called the dunes "a signature of time and eternity," as important to the Midwest as the Grand Canyon is to Arizona, or Yosemite to California.
8
Post script--nothing about beaver island or the Manitous. I think you have enough here for a book and your starting target audience the commentors here.
I loved your article, but you are misinformed about ferry service. There is an excellent ferry between Milwaukee and Muskegon, MI. It runs several times each day.
1
I can't believe you didn't go hunting for Petoskey stones. Great way to keep the kids busy.
5
Missed the UP? In favor of a ferry ride? What kind of a circumnavigation is that? I drive the N shore of Lake Michigan twice each year and it's one of the very best parts of my annual 5000 mile round trip from California to N. Ontario. You missed US2 and should have taken MI 35 from Escanaba to Marinette. My GPS has a dozen waypoints with good restaurants, great camping spots and comfortable, cheap motels. Incredible deserted beaches. Great views. Hard to get close to Green Bay (the water, not the city) WI, but if you drive E from US41 you will be rewarded with good food, enchanting county waterfront parks and congenial people.
9
"the greatest lake of all"
It ain't bad, but there's a reason Superior is so named.
It ain't bad, but there's a reason Superior is so named.
12
Nice article. No surprise to read all of the whining. Lake Michigan is many things to many people. He wrote a personal travel piece, not an encyclopedia.
5
I drove across country recently, from Reno, NV to the Great Lakes. From Duluth, we crossed over to Superior, Wisconsin and ate at a little bar and burger joint called the Anchor Bar & Grill. Great burgers and beer; plus it was one of the most inexpensive places I've ever eaten. I don't know how they do it, but with 4 adults and 3 kids, plus beer for 2, it was $30 something dollars. I think we gave them a $20 tip, because it just didn't seem right.
From there we drove along the southern shore of Lake Superior into Michigan's Upper Peninsula and then to St. Ignace, where we crossed the Straits of Mackinac over the Mackinac Bridge, from the Upper to the Lower Michigan Peninsula, to Mackinaw City. The Straits connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. We then drove down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, at the southern tip of Lake Michigan.
I’ve lived on the West Coast my whole life and I’m used to swimming in the Pacific Ocean; Big water. Lake Michigan is Big Water too. But swimming in Lake Michigan was discombobulating. It was unsalted. As the author says, “it’s sweet-water, ….. Just like the Anchor Bar and Grill, it didn’t seem right, but it was nice, though it took some getting used to. It’s a whole different experience than the ocean, plus, as they say, no sharks.
From there we drove along the southern shore of Lake Superior into Michigan's Upper Peninsula and then to St. Ignace, where we crossed the Straits of Mackinac over the Mackinac Bridge, from the Upper to the Lower Michigan Peninsula, to Mackinaw City. The Straits connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. We then drove down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, at the southern tip of Lake Michigan.
I’ve lived on the West Coast my whole life and I’m used to swimming in the Pacific Ocean; Big water. Lake Michigan is Big Water too. But swimming in Lake Michigan was discombobulating. It was unsalted. As the author says, “it’s sweet-water, ….. Just like the Anchor Bar and Grill, it didn’t seem right, but it was nice, though it took some getting used to. It’s a whole different experience than the ocean, plus, as they say, no sharks.
5
I hope you stopped at the Falling Rocks Cafe at Munising, MI. A real unexpected gem to go with the incredible natural beauty of the UP with truly nice people. We missed seeing the northern lights when we were there, but I have heard it is a deeply spiritual experience to watch them over Lake Superior. So too is the night sky in the UP. Truly one of my favorite places to vacation.
2
Lovely, but in fact it is changing and very much in danger.
http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2014/06/03/murphys-law-climate-change-and-lake...
http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2014/06/03/murphys-law-climate-change-and-lake...
1
I was extremely fortunate to have my dad build a summer cabin in Les Cheneaux, just east of Lake Michigan on Lake Huron in the UP, the year I was born. I have been there every year since. I have crossed the Mackinac Bridge probably 200 times, and still find each crossing to be an absolute thrill. It's too bad that the author didn't suggest leaving on the ferry to Mackinac Island from St. Ignace instead of Mackinaw City, as the view from the Bridge (going north), overlooking Lake Huron (and Mackinac Island) on the right and Lake Michigan on the left is unparalleled. Then, from a lakefront hotel or restaurant/bar on the island, you can view the Bridge in all her majesty, and hardly believe that it even exists, and you just drove over it.
6
Rich Cohen: While I realize it's a tough job to cover an entire circumnavigation of Lake Michigan, you left out some great parts on your way from Ludington to Traverse City. Mackinaw Island is what you should have skipped. The Upper Peninsula is a treasure trove of places and people (read Jim Harrison). Still, we don't want too many people to realize what a wonderful place the west coast of Michigan is. We already have Mario Batalli every summer and welcome him, just don't have too many followers. As for the North Shore suburbs of Chicago: There is still Highwood and Evanston and places in between. It is not Greenwich.
7
Really enjoyed this article.Being a parochial northeast girl i only know the Atlantic beaches in NJ , MA, and ME...,,knew nothing about Lake Michigan other than a recent trip to Chicago in May... ...have never been to Michigan or Wisconsin....this article made me feel like I was along for the ride,,,,and I enjoyed the adventure in our midwest cities!!
3
Love this, for itself, and for the memories it brought back of my time around the lake, growing up about a mile from it, up in Wisconsin. I did not know about "Sputnik Fest" down by Manitowoc, hey. I don't understand "greatest" when there's also Superior. And the Milwaukee Art Museum is the one designed by Eero Saarinen, David Kahler AND Santiago Calatrava, thankyouverymuch, although it's easy to understand why the most recent architect grabs the most attention.
1
So many comments, so may gripes.
I appreciated the article for allowing me to relive some of my boyhood and my one teenage summer on the Lake as a crew member of a sloop racing from Chicago to Mackinaw Island. Swimming off the Rocks at Addison St. Riding in my grandfather's car on Rt 41 along the Wisconsin shoreline to Algoma, WI. And so many other memories.
This story will be forwarded to my grandchildern and friends.
Thank you.
I appreciated the article for allowing me to relive some of my boyhood and my one teenage summer on the Lake as a crew member of a sloop racing from Chicago to Mackinaw Island. Swimming off the Rocks at Addison St. Riding in my grandfather's car on Rt 41 along the Wisconsin shoreline to Algoma, WI. And so many other memories.
This story will be forwarded to my grandchildern and friends.
Thank you.
2
Thanks for your beautiful wrIting. I read your delicious, lush sentences aloud to my wife.
We grew up in Highland Park, but we live in SoCal.
We grew up in Highland Park, but we live in SoCal.
1
As a native Michigander who regrettably now lives only part-time on Walloon Lake, I must add my voice to those faulting the author for inaccuracies. I don't believe Ernest Hemingway's family ever had a house in Horton's Bay. Their family cottage was, and still is, on Walloon Lake near Petoskey. It's called Windemere, and Ernie's nephew Ernest Hemingway Maitland, still lives there. Do your research! These things are pretty easy to suss out.
5
Simply stated, this is great travel writing.!
2
So many comments about what was left out. Speaking as one who grew up within easy driving distance of Cape Cod, as a water loving, coastal, nautical type, I am only happy about what was put in. This is the type of content you read the NYTimes for. Thank you for writing about one of our natural treasures!
Now... Who will be writing lovely articles about the other Great Lakes? Anyone?
Now... Who will be writing lovely articles about the other Great Lakes? Anyone?
3
Interesting article about my home state. Too bad you missed the Upper Peninsula, Ludington State Park and Sleeping Bear National Seashore among other wonderful places.
4
Wonderful, yet one glaring omission!!
No mention of the kitchen at 1065 Bluff, the only spot even close to Lake Michigan where one could find Fox's U Bet egg creams done the real way!
Thanks for the memories!
No mention of the kitchen at 1065 Bluff, the only spot even close to Lake Michigan where one could find Fox's U Bet egg creams done the real way!
Thanks for the memories!
Michigan summers are nowhere near being "arctic like" in length in June and July as the author suggests. This comparison is absurd. Mr. Cohen falls well short in his narrative on the incredible Lake Michigan.
2
I think he was only using "arctic" to describe how long the daytime light lasts into evening.
1
I am Michigan born and raised. I grew up in a small town north of Grand Rapids in West Michigan, about a half-hour from "my" Big Lake. My closest beach was Muskegon, which you skipped. You also skipped many other of the most beautiful parts of the Big Lake. What happened to Saugatuck's beach, and Grand Haven's? (They are all in that large blank space between St. Jo and Ludington on your map of Lake Michigan's shoreline going north.) And further north (if you had gone there) you would have seen giant Sleeping Bear Sand Dune and the big and little islands in the water there, maybe learning the native legend about who they represent. But you shot past, to Traverse City--did you actually eat any cherries? Or visit The Cherry Hut? Then you went all the way to Mackinac Island (a great place, where I have NEVER smelled manure as much as you did--perhaps you are more used to air pollution from cars) and turned around--skipping the entire Upper Peninsula and never crossing (or even mentioning) the five-mile-long Mackinaw Bridge, a huge suspension bridge which was right next to you there and which you could not avoid seeing, crossing the confluence of Lakes Michigan and Huron--to go back down to Ludington again and cross there. Any of you who choose to come see the great beauty in Western Michigan, do enjoy this author's photos, which illustrate how lovely the beaches can be. But don't use his itinerary as the end-all. Read someone else. And explore for yourselves.
13
I did a double-take when I noticed that the Mr. Cohen went to the Billy Goat near the United Center instead of the original location at 430 N. Michigan on the lower level. This is the location that was the hangout for Chicago journalists. It was also the inspiration for the famous Saturday Night Live routine.
The decision to take the ferry has rendered the story incomplete. In Escanaba, MI in the Upper Peninsula (UP) Mr. Cohen and sons could have enjoyed pasties at Dobbers (http://www.dobberspasties.com/locations?zenid=uc66ik0eg8ng1jvh3beqji9cd7) and learned about the miners from Cornwall who settled in the area to work in the mine.
Many people consider Door County to be a beautiful area and Sheboygan is known for its sausage.
I-94 is miles away from the lake. There are other routes in the UP, Wisconsin and Illinois that hug the lake. To cover the beauty and diversity around the lake will take more than one column.
The decision to take the ferry has rendered the story incomplete. In Escanaba, MI in the Upper Peninsula (UP) Mr. Cohen and sons could have enjoyed pasties at Dobbers (http://www.dobberspasties.com/locations?zenid=uc66ik0eg8ng1jvh3beqji9cd7) and learned about the miners from Cornwall who settled in the area to work in the mine.
Many people consider Door County to be a beautiful area and Sheboygan is known for its sausage.
I-94 is miles away from the lake. There are other routes in the UP, Wisconsin and Illinois that hug the lake. To cover the beauty and diversity around the lake will take more than one column.
4
To the author of this article: First of all, you grew up in the privileged "North Shore", not the North Side of Chicago. Big difference. The little sliver of South Side that you travel through to get to Indiana is an eyesore, but the remainder of the South and Southwest Sides of Chicago is a vibrant community anchored by the University of Chicago, mansions in Beverly and great neighborhoods and parks. So right off the bat I was annoyed, but when I read that while in Michigan, you did not travel to Sleeping Bear Dunes, I knew you were out of your mind. Ludington, a beautiful small town, was not accurately portrayed. It has museums, hosts the West Shore Art Fair, has beautiful parks, golf courses, sand dunes that stretch for miles and friendly residents. For those on the East Coast looking to experience our great lake, please consider renting one of the hundreds of gorgeous lakefront homes along the western shores of Lake Michigan. And close to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!
9
I can't believe you're recommending people go to the Signature Room in the Hancock Tower. Tourist trap!
4
So if Lake Michigan beaches aren't beaches like in the Hamptons, where do the Masters of the Universe who live in Chicago go?
1
Michigan!
They go to Door County in Wisconsin every Friday, driving their Lexuses and Beemers up I-94 and US 41 at approximately 90 miles an hour
No UP and pasties?
And what a wuss taking the interstate instead of the roads along the lakeshore. You and your kids missed a lot.
And what a wuss taking the interstate instead of the roads along the lakeshore. You and your kids missed a lot.
9
I enjoyed the article, but my memories of the lake are mixed. There were rafts of dead alewives along the shore, which was the reason our parents gave for not taking us to the beach. Even in the '90s, there still seemed to be a "dead-fish" smell.
On the other hand, it was great fun in a boat, and great to swim in at Indiana Dunes and on the Michigan side. I agree with the author's view of the Michigan shore.
Having lived in Nova Scotia for the last 16 years, I think the ocean beats the lake, sorry. The ocean is much more awesome; it suggests infinity. I can watch it for hours. Not so the lake.
On the other hand, it was great fun in a boat, and great to swim in at Indiana Dunes and on the Michigan side. I agree with the author's view of the Michigan shore.
Having lived in Nova Scotia for the last 16 years, I think the ocean beats the lake, sorry. The ocean is much more awesome; it suggests infinity. I can watch it for hours. Not so the lake.
1
Great article and Robert Rausch's photographs are magnificent!
I loved the article. Thank you. I hope the author's children appreciate the trip!
I, too, grew up a mile from Lake Michigan, but on the Michigan side and I've always thought of it as OUR lake. How disorienting it is to learn that those of you on the other side think it's your lake. The Lake was always our compass point; the Lake was west. When I'm in Chicago, I get totally turned around because I keep thinking, "the Lake is west."
As for your wife's misinformed opinion of what constitutes a beach, I've lived on the Pacific Coast for 35 years and as much as I love California, Lake Michigan's beach with it's fresh water and fine "sugar sand" is definitely superior to California's coarse sand and salty, kelp-infested water. And then there's the oil.
As for your wife's misinformed opinion of what constitutes a beach, I've lived on the Pacific Coast for 35 years and as much as I love California, Lake Michigan's beach with it's fresh water and fine "sugar sand" is definitely superior to California's coarse sand and salty, kelp-infested water. And then there's the oil.
7
Fantastic! Well written and really captures the lake!
did most of this trip 10 years ago before I left for the west...the ferry trip can be mesmerizing...you folks should try it...and once out of the southern Chicago area...the rest of the area can be quite charming...
Thankfully, the author decided not to visit any of the most beautiful places along the lake. And, thankfully, those of us familiar with such places are spared the cavalcade of lemming-like tourists. Bravo Mr. Cohen: you've managed to distill the enormous and, at times, impossibly beautiful landscape of Lake Michigan into a ferry ride and the crowded Oak Street Beach.
2
Here in Michigan we consider Lake Michigan to be our own ocean but without the salt. We spend part of every summer in our favorite part of the lake, Little Traverse Bay, and in our favorite town, Harbor Springs, where the main street is full of grand summer homes built by wealthy folk from Chicago who sent their families there to escape the heat of the city. This summer, as we drove along the lakeshore to Petoskey, the water was the color of pure turquoise. As soon as I leave, I'm thinking of next year at Harbor and the beauty of our part of Lake Michigan.
5
I spent summers as a kid in Harbor, in a 3 story house on Main St, just down from the Indian Museum. Those are the best memories of my life, every day at the beach, ice cream at Juileret's, old ladies with pink and blue hair and poodles, the Indian festival every year, the sounds and smells of the lake in the early morning. And Lake Michigan!
Don't forget the 4th of July parade and the fireworks at the beach. Sounds like you had great summers in Harbor. The old ladies and the poodles are still there. There's a new restaurant opening in the space where Julieret's used to be. Come back for a visit.
Um, why no mention of the stunning Door County peninsula in Wisconsin? This is a fantastic vacation destination and the best the author could do was mention Sputnik space junk landing in Manitowoc? The native Wisconsinite in me is both horrified and amused by the fact that someone who grew up just south of the border in Illinois would completely overlook the stunning beauty and enjoyable outdoor activities available in Door County. For my money, it's the only place to go when one talks about spending time on Lake Michigan. And if you need further proof, then look no further than the fact that each July the nation's top plein air artists come to this location to paint the farms, lavendar fields, rocky shoreline, and cherry tree orchards of the peninsula.
2
Wonderful. I grew up in Winnetka, IL, just south of Glencoe. We lived three blocks from the lake. Your story brings back so much of my youth, the vistas; the freshness of the air; the sand, stones and cold water; and the calming sounds of the lake endlessly lapping against the shore.
There are so many memories of lake-centered experiences. We had our grade school picnics each spring in the park overlooking Elder Lane beach. Our family vacationed yearly at Palisades Park, MI, in the dunes right on the lake about 20 miles up the road from Benton Harbor and St. Joe and six miles down the road from South Haven, whose lighthouse standing to the violent waters of late October remains in a picture on my screen saver. From the eastern shore, the sunsets are exquisite, a red circle slowly dropping into the water and in your imagination bringing it to an unstoppable boil.
There was summer camp at Ludington, the ferry to and from Manitowoc (the Badger and the Spartan), and the family car trip up through Petoskey to Mackinac City, eating taffy as we walked the streets of Mackinac Island, and the rare chance to see the lake stretch out to the south as we drove the Upper Peninsula shoreline via Escanaba.
To a displaced Chicagoan -- another priced-out loser from the North Shore – Lake Michigan has a permanent life in my memory. When I return to the city, the lake becomes what it is for so many who live there, a part of one's consciousness.
There are so many memories of lake-centered experiences. We had our grade school picnics each spring in the park overlooking Elder Lane beach. Our family vacationed yearly at Palisades Park, MI, in the dunes right on the lake about 20 miles up the road from Benton Harbor and St. Joe and six miles down the road from South Haven, whose lighthouse standing to the violent waters of late October remains in a picture on my screen saver. From the eastern shore, the sunsets are exquisite, a red circle slowly dropping into the water and in your imagination bringing it to an unstoppable boil.
There was summer camp at Ludington, the ferry to and from Manitowoc (the Badger and the Spartan), and the family car trip up through Petoskey to Mackinac City, eating taffy as we walked the streets of Mackinac Island, and the rare chance to see the lake stretch out to the south as we drove the Upper Peninsula shoreline via Escanaba.
To a displaced Chicagoan -- another priced-out loser from the North Shore – Lake Michigan has a permanent life in my memory. When I return to the city, the lake becomes what it is for so many who live there, a part of one's consciousness.
3
Another Greeley alum - so many great memories from that school and growing up in Winnetka.
For a decade, my wife and I were fortunate to live in a spectacular 8th floor apartment overlooking Lake Michigan, just 23 blocks (2300 North) of downtown Chicago. The view encompassed Diversey Harbor to the north, and the cityscape to the south. Saturday mornings often included an easy run down to Oak Street Beach along a shore bustling with volleyball tournaments, chess playing seniors and sun worshipers flaked out on the sand. It was an idyllic and totally irresponsible lifestyle of which we took complete advantage.
Eighteen years ago, we retired and relocated to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, my wife's hometown, where we own a historic home. Manitowoc, and it's sister city, Two Rivers, just five miles to the north, are connected by the Maritime Trail, a beautiful paved bike and walking path running along the shore.
My best suggestion would be to reverse the direction of Cohen's trip, head north on Lakeshore Drive out of Chicago, keeping the lake on the right, including Door County, Green Bay, the UP, and all the other places mentioned, and missed, returning to Chicago via the South Shore.
As written, Cohen's trip seems truncated and rushed. If you do it, do it right. Even a Chicago Bear fan should take the time to include a tour of Lambeau Field in order to call a junket like this a success?
Eighteen years ago, we retired and relocated to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, my wife's hometown, where we own a historic home. Manitowoc, and it's sister city, Two Rivers, just five miles to the north, are connected by the Maritime Trail, a beautiful paved bike and walking path running along the shore.
My best suggestion would be to reverse the direction of Cohen's trip, head north on Lakeshore Drive out of Chicago, keeping the lake on the right, including Door County, Green Bay, the UP, and all the other places mentioned, and missed, returning to Chicago via the South Shore.
As written, Cohen's trip seems truncated and rushed. If you do it, do it right. Even a Chicago Bear fan should take the time to include a tour of Lambeau Field in order to call a junket like this a success?
5
I can't imagine such an article without mentioning the iron ore freighters on the Lakes. They've been an integral part of Lakes history for decades and one of the greatest experiences of my life was working as a deckhand on them back in the 50's.
2
We are just back from a vacation near Sleeping Bear Dunes. A place of great beauty and peace. Long walks on uncrowded white sand beaches, kayaking on the Crystal River (yes, that is its name) and friendly locals make this an ideal getaway.
Having spent many vacations in Michigan and neighboring Great Lake states, I can attest to the fact that each one has magic to charm the visitor. Don't take my word for it, go and look around you.
Having spent many vacations in Michigan and neighboring Great Lake states, I can attest to the fact that each one has magic to charm the visitor. Don't take my word for it, go and look around you.
2
A very enjoyable article to read while on vacation on the shores of Lake Huron, my favorite inland sea. Reminded me of the drive my father and I did around that lake just after I finished university in the 1980s. I've always wanted to explore around Lake Michigan and this inspires me to make that happen.
2
Having lived on Lake Michigan for 25 years or more, I, too, have the lake in my soul and I enjoyed many of the references in the article. It was nicely written, very poetic (but not in that awful NPR/academic way). Still, it seemed like a hurried extended weekend kind of a trip that necessarily avoided many of the obvious loci in the genius of The Lake.
1
What a wonderful reminder of why I love living near the Great Lakes. I had a job that included the State of Michigan. As a result of this job, I was required to service many accounts located in various Michigan towns including Ludington. Ludington is one of my favorites. There is a beautiful state park just outside of town with a light house and camping on Lake Michigan. One year I had to go to the Upper Peninsula and decided to take the ferry to Wisconsin and then drive to my appointments in Escanaba. I arrived in Ludington on a Sunday intending to take the ferry on Monday which would give me time to be in Escanaba on Tuesday for an 8:00 a.m. meeting. When I arrived at Ludington, I checked out the ferry, only to find out it had broken down in Lake Michigan. They thought it would be towed and repaired by Monday morning. It was not! So I had to make a bee line for the Mackinaw Bridge and then drive to Escanaba along Lake Michigan. It took several hours but I made my meeting. Glad the ferry is repaired.
1
I have spent 47 summers in Holland, Michigan and consider it one of the best places on earth. No photograph selection of the lake is complete without a shot of Holland's Lighthouse, Big Red. Another big loss is not including a shot of the gorgeous lake front campus of Northwestern University.
2
This made me terribly homesick for my hometown. One of my favorite things to do when I am back in Chicago is to run along the fabulous lakefront path that stretches for miles in Chicago, regardless of the weather (and especially in the winter), as the sun is rising. The Lake, and the city, take on a gorgeous rosy glow that takes my breath away every time, and usually brings tears to my eyes. I miss it!
7
You must read Loreen Niewenhuis's book, A Thousand Mile Walk on the Beach.
She WALKED completly around the lake and tells the tale. Published in 2011, it is a great read. She chose the same route, starting in Chicago.
This article was a charming reminder of why the Great Lakes are so great.
She WALKED completly around the lake and tells the tale. Published in 2011, it is a great read. She chose the same route, starting in Chicago.
This article was a charming reminder of why the Great Lakes are so great.
19
It makes sense that somebody who thinks Chicago is the capital of Lake Michigan would fail to mention Sleeping Bear Dunes. We Michiganders know dozens of other great spots you forgot to mention, and we're pretty glad that such a cursory description will allow us to keep most of them to ourselves.
72
As a Chicagoan, I accept that we are the "capital of Lake Michigan." However, western Michigan's natural beauty is unsurpassed. There is no excuse for the omission of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Point Betsie Light, etc.
Overall, these photos do not do the region justice: barely adequate in composition, poor in subject selection.
Overall, these photos do not do the region justice: barely adequate in composition, poor in subject selection.
Lets keep a few delightful places a secret eh!
1
I thought the same thing and Sleeping Bear. But you know what? There are enough FIBs in Leelanau without further advertisement.
2
The ferry out of Ludington is NOT the only regular cross-lake ferry. See, also, the Lake Express "fast ferry" between Muskegon, MI., and Milwaukee. A correction is in order, qui?
13
Quite right, Dixon. The Lake Express is still alive and well (if pricier). Apart from that factual error, as a longtime (now former) Chicagoan who has often visited Michigan and Milwaukee, I enjoyed the article ver much.
Probably was broke that day or couldn't handle Lake Michigan's waves which is a common problem.
Lake Express. Who Cares? Not as big, twice as fast, half as good. IMO
The great painter Joan Mitchell, who grew up in Chicago, said throughout her artistic life (that took her to many places, most notably France) the lake was always with her.
11
missing Door County is a huge miss
15
Especially for someone from Chicago, eh?
What a disappointment that a native claiming a passion for our beloved lake could write such a mediocre article. It appears that the author spent more time studying the journals of Father Marquette than experiencing Lake Michigan itself. And how is it possible that such a major factual error as major as the number of ferries across Lake Michigan goes uncorrected for days. Besides the old diesel ship (cited repeatedly by the EPA for pollution)the S.S. Badger running between Luddington, MI and Manitowoc, WI, we also have the Lake Express (a.k.a. 'The Vomit Comet' from Muskegon, MI to Milwaukee.
It seems a tragedy that Mr. Cohen seems not to have bothered even to interact personally with this glacial remnant despite being a bit early for swimming season. He seems to have missed the delightful torture of dashing barefoot across scorching white sands toward the relief of numbing chill and back again and again. If you are lucky, locals may tell you of shallow shelves where it is 'like bathwater' (Judge for yourself!).
Holland, MI? The Door Peninsula and its Fish Boils? I could go on with examples of what he missed. I will only say that it's as if a tour guide of New York City neglected the Empire State Building and the Museum of Modern Art.
Next time, please send someone who gets out of the car and experiences where she or he actually is. Send me to re-write it ...you can save airfare!
It seems a tragedy that Mr. Cohen seems not to have bothered even to interact personally with this glacial remnant despite being a bit early for swimming season. He seems to have missed the delightful torture of dashing barefoot across scorching white sands toward the relief of numbing chill and back again and again. If you are lucky, locals may tell you of shallow shelves where it is 'like bathwater' (Judge for yourself!).
Holland, MI? The Door Peninsula and its Fish Boils? I could go on with examples of what he missed. I will only say that it's as if a tour guide of New York City neglected the Empire State Building and the Museum of Modern Art.
Next time, please send someone who gets out of the car and experiences where she or he actually is. Send me to re-write it ...you can save airfare!
50
Vomit Comet is an accurate description. They hand out "Sickness Bags with Menus". https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205623931970856&set=p.1020...
You guys missed the ferry. Manitowoc is where the car ferry leaves for Ludington. It has a great downtown, farmers market, WWII submarine, museums, bike trails, and uncrowded beaches. 30 miles south in Sheboygan are world class restaurants, riverfront, waterfront recreation, the PGA tour was here a few weeks ago. Milwaukee is nice but.........
4
I find these "where to eat", "where to go" titles inaccurate. They should read "where I ate", "where I went". That seems more truthful. This is not the fault of this article, it seems more like a travel section policy to have these headers. I would eat at different places in Chicago, having lived here. View from Hancock building is special though.
18
I agree - the recommendations for "where to eat" in Traverse City are at best random.
Having grown up in Winnetka, I was able to appreciate much in this article. But I would disagree with the author's characterization of the North Shore. Perhaps the people seem richer today, but the reality is that housing prices are still lower than they were in 2007 in places like Kenilworth, Winnetka and Glencoe. Go to the nicer suburbs near Boston, New York, DC, LA or San Francisco - housing prices are well above their pre-recession peak at this point. So if anything, Chicago has become even more affordable recently, at least relative to other big cities.
I'd also add that there are plenty of terrific urban beaches near San Diego, LA and San Francisco...Chicago really pales in comparison.
I'd also add that there are plenty of terrific urban beaches near San Diego, LA and San Francisco...Chicago really pales in comparison.
3
I've been to the urban beaches in each of those cities -- San Diego, LA and San Francisco -- and they have little to recommend themselves over those of Chicago, other than a longer season. The real advantage of Chicago, Oak Street Beach in particular, is that you are steps from the heart of the city.
What "urban beach" in San Francisco? Seriously.
Ocean Beach. Seriously.
The author should have said ya to da UP.
32
Eh?
Skipped the U.P.....? Weak.
40
The one error in this article is that there is another cross-lake ferry that leaves from Muskegon and docks in Milwaukee. The cross-lake boat used to be the Milwaukee Clipper, a sibling of the badger, but now there is a hydroplane version that crosses even faster. Muskegon displays old lumber baron houses in their former glory (maintained by taxpayers, in part, who are proud of their heritage) as well as a WWII submarine in the Muskegon Channel at the Silversides Museum. In the summer, you can visit the Milwaukee Clipper, on which volunteers serve as guides on the weekends.
7
Proust can keep his madeleines.
I have the piney, sandy, sunbaked breezes of childhood vacations along Lake Michigan.
Aahhhhh. Wonderful.
I have the piney, sandy, sunbaked breezes of childhood vacations along Lake Michigan.
Aahhhhh. Wonderful.
23
The breadth and depth of Lake Michigan surprises and transfixes you. The Mackinaw bridge is another beautiful sight and fun to cross to the upper peninsula where the best delectable, white fish I have ever eaten is served. I would also add if you get a chance try the white fish spread you can buy at a small, local grocery store in Brimley, Mi .... very adpdictive. I love watching the freighters travel the Saint Mary's River in Sault Saint Marie, Mi., as well as the car ferry transporting people to Sugar Island while eating the best buffalo burger at Clyde's Drive Inn. The drive along Lake Superior is a beautiful undertaking as well. There are so many beautiful towns along Lake Michigan that didn't get included .... another future article perhaps ?
12
Nice article. As a former East Coast resident, I find Lake Michigan an enormous improvement over Cape Cod and the Connecticut shore. Cleaner water, no jellyfish, no sharks, and no traffic.
19
There are no "surging tides" on Lake Michigan. There are tiny tides that you can't perceive.
It was heroic of you to take the last remaining ferry route from Ludington to Manitowoc, but you could also have taken the other last remaining ferry route between Milwaukee and Muskegon.
I'm wondering if you really took this trip, or just kicked back and imagined it from your childhood.
By the way, on the very rare occasions that you get a hard cold snap during calm weather-the lake is very skateable, for long (long) distances, without risking excruciating death (although I always kept a couple of screwdrivers with me to pull myself back on the ice, and dry clothes in a plastic bag in my pack, just in case).
It was heroic of you to take the last remaining ferry route from Ludington to Manitowoc, but you could also have taken the other last remaining ferry route between Milwaukee and Muskegon.
I'm wondering if you really took this trip, or just kicked back and imagined it from your childhood.
By the way, on the very rare occasions that you get a hard cold snap during calm weather-the lake is very skateable, for long (long) distances, without risking excruciating death (although I always kept a couple of screwdrivers with me to pull myself back on the ice, and dry clothes in a plastic bag in my pack, just in case).
15
You never heard of seiches?
As a Michigan girl transplanted to arguably one of the more beautiful areas of the south, this article made me homesick. I echo the sentiments many expressed here, however. Much of what is stunning on the Lake Michigan shore was overlooked, particularly Arcadia Bluffs and the drive over the Mighty Mac. Nevertheless, this reading makes me miss cool summer nights, Honey Crisp apples, and wild raspberries.
27
One more quibble: "Unless it’s August or September, when the water temperature climbs into the low 80s, your skin takes on a bluish tint...." Air temperature maybe, but water temperature?
11
I've been in Lake Michigan when the water was 80 degrees. It's rare. It takes a number of cloudless, windless days in August in a row, but it can happen.
6
I agree, the Phister is an amazing hotel.
1
It is spelled "Pfister" ...famous for a resident ghost. Some major league players won't stay there for that reason.
1
La Becasse, Maple City.
1
Maple City? Pfff.
Burdickville.
Burdickville.
La Becasse's mailing address is Maple City, but it is right next to Big Glen Lake & is closer to Glen Arbor. Great restaurant. The area has lots of good food, but La Becasse is one of the very best.
You totally skipped Holland, Michigan. Then again, I'm happy to have several towns in West Michigan remain well kept secrets. I spent 3 years as a kid living there and I'd hate for too many visitors to ruin the dunes.
13
Ditto for South Haven (Don't miss the Blueberry Festival), Saugatuck and Douglas for the art galleries!
7
Agree!
Yes, yes, yes! Not only rt galleries, but bookstores and excellent restaurants.
I was a kid in Evanston Illinois, then in LaPorte, Indiana, then high school in South Bend Indiana on the St Joseph river. My father's aunt lived in Michigan City. Our favorite place, as high schoolers, was Tower Hill in the Indiana Dunes, where we'd go on Memorial Day to slide on sand and scorch our skin, and resolve to return every day until Labor Day.
Thanks for bringing back memories of the one thing that made life in Rust Belt Northern Indiana bearable--the Lake.
Thanks for bringing back memories of the one thing that made life in Rust Belt Northern Indiana bearable--the Lake.
3
Great article...but you neglected to mention, or visit , the Saugatuck- Douglas area on the Lake.
18
South Haven? Sleeping Bear? Leelanau county? Charlevoix? He missed the best of Lake Michigan AND didn't drive through the U.P. !!
That's because he never got off I-94 between St. Jo and Ludington, so he actually missed seeing a large part of the lakeshore, since he simply skipped it--possibly to take less time on his trip by zooming along the Interstate instead of following the lakeshore. Not a real Lake Michigan trip as advertised, but more of a "here are three small sections of Michigan and one of Wisconsin" sort of thing. Oh, yes--and Chicago, which sits on a very small part of the Lake.
I grew up going to Glencoe beach on Lake Michigan with my mother would and brother almost every day. We would go on cloudy days that produced raindrops. We were diehards. We would go when there were “seiche” warnings hoping to see a giant wave that never seemed to happen, but the anticipation was wonderful. It was a long climb down to the beach, so we would spend most of the day. We joined the other “beach families” along the lakefront and made summertime friends. We ate sandy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with soggy potato chips and washed it down with lemonade. We waited for 1 hour to pass before plunging back into the cool, clear, unsalted water. At 3pm we would start packing up our gear and climb back to the hot car. Before air conditioning, when dad got home, we would go back to the lake for an early evening swim, so he could cool down after work. This was the best time to swim; not many other people around, the air temperature was only a little warmer than the water temperature. It seemed perfect. My parents would both swim. After everyone was cooled down, we’d head home to our summertime supper.
As a teen, I would go with friends. We smoked, gossiped, and listen to transistor radios, worked on our tans and didn’t want to get our hair wet!
Those early years going to the beach with my family are very treasured memories for a now dry Arizonan. The smell of Coppertone still takes me back to Lake Michigan!
As a teen, I would go with friends. We smoked, gossiped, and listen to transistor radios, worked on our tans and didn’t want to get our hair wet!
Those early years going to the beach with my family are very treasured memories for a now dry Arizonan. The smell of Coppertone still takes me back to Lake Michigan!
22
Perhaps close to the shores of the Great Lakes, Wisconsin seems pancake flat, but most of it is lovely rolling hilly and very green countryside.
13
When I was a teenager, my dad took me and my brother on a road trip from Chicago to Sault Ste. Marie. We visited Mackinac Island. Saw the Soo Locks. I saw the memorial to the Edmund Fitzgerald. We crossed into Canada. And then went back to Chicago on the coal-fired ferry. What an adventure. Thanks, Dad!
8
The boom of Michigan shore towns like Holland, Grand Haven, Traverse City, Charlevoix, and Harbor Springs over the last decade has been a sight to see. Wealth from Chicago, the South, and even New York--including Chef Mario Batali, who purchased a summer home in Leelanau County--has really helped an otherwise stagnant Michigan economy. Taking a long summer holiday (at least) for some r&r at the family cottage is a tradition I will also instill in my children, who will be raised in 750 miles away in the Beltway. Lake Michigan is just a magical place.
15
Having sailed up to Mackinac in a 44 ft. sailboat and visited many of the ports mentioned in the article, I'm surprised that the author missed Charlevoix, on of the most picturesque harbors on the Michigan coast. There is nothing like waking up in the morning as the fog clears, opening the main hatch and watch the harbor, surrounded by condominiums appear from the fog. It is a sight not to be missed!
2
Try not to tell too many people about Harbor Springs, my favorite place and where I can be found every summer. Shhhh....
I'm another Midwesterner inside the beltway installing a love of Lake Michigan in my daughter. Well said
As someone who grew up on the lake, I give the author a B-. It would have been a B+ had he truly circumnavigated the lake. The upper peninsula of Michigan is a diamond in the rough, and it's having been bypassed by the author is typical. His family missed an awful lot by not going all the way.
28
Nice article, but the best views and back highways were entirely missed. And I'm not telling where they are. Those who believe that ocean beaches with a human use density of about 3 people per square yard on any sunny day is as good as it gets simply don't know.
25
I'm not so sure keeping secrets is best for Michigan. The small-town shop owners, restaurateurs, bed&breakfast operators, and fishing industry would love an uptick in visitors ... and the state's flat economy depends on them.
5
Everyone outside of Michigan knows all about Michigan economy...southeastern Michigan has always been a boom and bust economy--when the rest of the country coughs, SE Michigan gets pneumonia...but has recovered nicely, better than many parts of the country. The rural non touristy agricultural parts of the state and the UP are income challenged. Western Michigan has a steadier and more diversified economy with lots of industries and manufacturing...and the tourist areas usually do well except when no one is travelling. We really don't need east coast crowds, thanks...
Wonderful article, thank you. I would give anything for a Big Al's hotdog and fries.
2
missing everything north of Manitowoc? city slickers idea of circumnavigation...
32
Beautifully written piece that made me homesick also.
Is it me or are there more and more of these regional pieces in the Times these days? I'm loving the series on the California drought and writing like this on the midwest. I guess and hope these are because we online subscribers are further flung than just NYC & envrions, even if we lived there at one time or another. NYTimes, I hope this formula works where you become a more national paper with a national (digital) subscriber base as a way to 'monetize' the absolutely steller writing you publish.
Blech. I just typed the word monetize. Gross.
Is it me or are there more and more of these regional pieces in the Times these days? I'm loving the series on the California drought and writing like this on the midwest. I guess and hope these are because we online subscribers are further flung than just NYC & envrions, even if we lived there at one time or another. NYTimes, I hope this formula works where you become a more national paper with a national (digital) subscriber base as a way to 'monetize' the absolutely steller writing you publish.
Blech. I just typed the word monetize. Gross.
12
Ah, but the U.P. Gentle reader, skip it not. Mackinac to Escanaba, and on the way home a stop at Lambeau, and a drive through Door County before you go. Like the Lake, you can drink it all in.
50
Nice article!
2
Milwaukee, shortchanged by a Chicagoan once again.
11
If you live in Traverse City area and want to get away from the summer crowds for a weekend where does one go to?......sssshhhhh US 23 to Lake Huron in Presque Isle county it's nearly deserted.
14
I loved this and may add this to my "road trip" list. Thanks for taking me back to some wonderful memories. As a Midwesterner, I claim Lake Michigan as my ocean.
12
What happened to the Upper Peninsula? The Bridge to Canada? Is that not part of the journey? Why ferry over half way through?
I grew up within 5 miles of Lake Erie, east of Cleveland, it snows a lot and the lake was part of your daily life, even if you never set foot into it. The US side is home to 4 million people, industry and pollution. The Ontario side is wide open with barely a harbor.....the 56 miles across could just a well been another planet
Lakes are special when you cannot see the other side, you simply wonder!
I grew up within 5 miles of Lake Erie, east of Cleveland, it snows a lot and the lake was part of your daily life, even if you never set foot into it. The US side is home to 4 million people, industry and pollution. The Ontario side is wide open with barely a harbor.....the 56 miles across could just a well been another planet
Lakes are special when you cannot see the other side, you simply wonder!
12
Just want to say, I love love love the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Too bad you didn't finish the tour through the UP, which is also spectacular. Our vacation next summer is likely to be at Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Painted Rocks, and Tahquamenon Falls, a state park with a microbrewery.
18
Go to Interlochen National Arts camp 15 minutes from Traverse City, too. National & international musicians, & also great student & faculty concerts, which are often free. The sunsets with the sun melting into Lake Michigan are spectacular.
What about the Milwaukee-Muskegon ferry, the Lake Express?
7
A very nice circumnavigation. I was quite excited initially then I figured out the trip was by car, not boat.
Chicago is where it is because it is connected to both the Atlantic Ocean (via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River) and the Gulf of Mexico (through a sequence of rivers that end at the Mississippi). Today Lake Michigan is still the beating heart of Chicago and the entire region, a treasure to be protected, not degraded. And I agree, he should have gone all the way around, and he should have taken more pictures!
9
Close but not quite. Living where you do I'm sure you know that the present all-water route you describe includes a section of canal in Illinois connecting the two enormous fresh water systems. Let's not confuse our ocean-coastal friends whose grasp of mid-continent geography is already dicey. (I've lived in NY for many years but I grew up about 150 miles south of Lake Erie and vacationed as a child near Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.)
Not going all the way around means the family missed another important man-made navigation point, the locks at Sault Ste. Marie that lift and lower ships around the rapids in the Sault River that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
Not going all the way around means the family missed another important man-made navigation point, the locks at Sault Ste. Marie that lift and lower ships around the rapids in the Sault River that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
4
Actually, the river and locks at Sault Ste. Marie connect Lake Superior with Lake Huron, not Lake MIchigan. Let's not confuse people even further ...
5
Loved this article! I just participated in a Swim Across Lake Michigan, raising $ for cancer research. I loved your quote, " To really know the lake, though, you’ve got to get in it over your head." I finished the swim with a whole new respect for the lake. My "training" involved photographing its many moods (which can be seen in my Instagram account, janefultonalt). I too grew up in Glencoe and Loved your references. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
4
Living here, you do forget that it's an inland sea until to venture north a bit and sit where the dunes are wild and waves crash in the wind. A number of years ago I was showing a work associate from New Zealand the area. He just kept gaping at the lake, gobsmacked, and finally said that while he learned about the Great Lakes he had no idea that they really are inland oceans. It was eye opening for me.
29
You missed the most beautiful beaches on the lake, hidden within the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.
17
Right on, a long held childhood memory...
Thank you, and well done.
Certainly a mere snapshot of the western coast, this writer missed mentioning so many great towns filled with charm and pluck, survivors of shifting economies and recession. The list of "If you Go" places is indeed brief and cannot begin to showcase all Michigan offers. The state is town after town of amazing places. Michiganders are individuals with grit who stay despite hard times and winter waist high snow because they would never dream of leaving the Lake. There is a car ferry that runs from Muskegon to Milwaukee too. And sunsets in every town along the great shoreline end the long vacation days with perfection.
10
"There is a car ferry that runs from Muskegon to Milwaukee too. " It's also known to break down or not to be able to handle the waves of the lake.
I don't know how Mr. Cohen does it. I do not mean write about his family's vacation. What I mean is, how does he read these comments picking apart his story? This story was told so well if I read it a couple of more times I could actually postpone my planned vacation because I just experienced a wonderful vacation through reading this article. This story was more than about
8
"...His ensuing days were filled with sojourns in which he held up, waiting out a bad spell…" Wha-a-a-? Bad writing.
1
Any attempt to describe Lake Michigan is like the blind men describing the elephant - incomplete and insufficient unless all the observations are included. Other commenters have given their views of "the lake". Here is mine: a pure almost deserted wide sandy beach bordered by sand dunes that are a world unto themselves. A lake that has as many moods as there are days in the summer. Carefree, shoeless, personal - just me and her, and all the time in the world.
17
There is passenger/car ferry service on Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Muskegon Michigan on the Lake Express from April through October. The crossing takes about three hours on this catamaran ship.
2
And it's known to cancel crossings. The Badger is much more reliable.
And what about the minute plastic balls that are inside every fish in the Great Lakes, and harming them and our food chain?
2
Our son-in-law's family owns a vacation home on Lake Charlevoix and we were privileged to stay there in July with our new grandson. The bike trail from Charlevoix up to Petosky is delightful, with beautiful views of Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay. A great lunch time stop in Petosky is Jesperson's, which is famous for it's pie. Harbor Springs is also very nice with a beautiful bike ride up M 119, the Tunnel of Trees. A better vacation cannot be found anywhere.
11
You missed DiMaggio.'s for pizza north,of StJo nd the hamburgers at a Riverside bar. Great golf courses in that area
As a lake adventurer and resident of Chicago, I was so excited about this article and the beautiful accompanying photos. I immediately shared with my aunt in Connecticut and sister in LA, who have never seen the lake like I have.
Unfortunately Rich Cohen, on the (progressive!) NYTimes' dime, abandons his awesome idea at the halfway point and chooses to take the coal-spewing Badger back across the lake: the most lake-polluting route possible!
In addition to blackening these great waters, Rich's decision means many millions of New Yorkers will never get to see that Michigan is more than just a mitten.
Unfortunately Rich Cohen, on the (progressive!) NYTimes' dime, abandons his awesome idea at the halfway point and chooses to take the coal-spewing Badger back across the lake: the most lake-polluting route possible!
In addition to blackening these great waters, Rich's decision means many millions of New Yorkers will never get to see that Michigan is more than just a mitten.
6
I now live in Sydney, one of the most beautiful seaside cities in the world. But I'm still a Michigan boy. As I read this article, I followed the route via Google maps, looked looking up pictures of the towns, beaches and the lake. Memory after memory of places I've been, sights I've seen, smells I've smelled; my childhood heart aches for its freshwater home.
12
WHERE IS THE SLIDE SHOW OF PHOTOS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS PIECE?!? The few that are here are lame at best.
Why go to the trouble of listing such beautiful places as Petoskey and Mackinaw, MI (or their counterpoints in Wisconsin) without SHOWING them? You missed an opportunity to SHOW the splendors of a region of America many readers have never visited.
Why go to the trouble of listing such beautiful places as Petoskey and Mackinaw, MI (or their counterpoints in Wisconsin) without SHOWING them? You missed an opportunity to SHOW the splendors of a region of America many readers have never visited.
7
Shhhhhh...it's the Riviera of the Midwest. Nobody needs to know.
10
Homesick for the beautiful lake front where I romped with my lab summer and winter.
13
Can you imagine the phrase Chicago, Wisconsin?
Originally the border of Wisconsin was supposed to go all the way to the south end of Lake Michigan. But Illinoisans knew that access to the lake was essential to developing commerce in their state and so they schemed to push the border north. Michigan's UP was also supposed to originally be part of Wisconsin. So poor Wisconsin lost out twice in terms of land.
Originally the border of Wisconsin was supposed to go all the way to the south end of Lake Michigan. But Illinoisans knew that access to the lake was essential to developing commerce in their state and so they schemed to push the border north. Michigan's UP was also supposed to originally be part of Wisconsin. So poor Wisconsin lost out twice in terms of land.
10
When you left Ludingon for Traverse City on Highway 31, you missed out on the prettiest part of the eastern lake shore. Highway 22 follows the lake along the "pinkie" of the mitten of Lower Michigan. The sleepy beach towns of Empire and Glen Arbor, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and the drive from there around to Traverse City are spectacular.
It's just as well, though. A big influx of tourists would ruin the relatively quiet charm of the area. Take your family there next time, but don't write about it in the NYT, OK?
It's just as well, though. A big influx of tourists would ruin the relatively quiet charm of the area. Take your family there next time, but don't write about it in the NYT, OK?
56
"but don't write about it in the NYT, OK?"
Like you just did.
Like you just did.
Hah! Totally agree. The beauty of Western Michigan and the UP is very unknown in the wider world.
2
That was my summer vacation growing up. 6 hour drive (felt like it anyway) from Detroit. When you hit Traverse City you're almost there. A cottage for a week on Glen Lake, a trip to the dunes.
4
Not a true circle tour without the Upper Peninsula, Green Bay and Door County. Too bad because it is a well-written piece.
46
Agree. I bailed at "In the morning, instead of continuing through the Upper Peninsula, as planned, we went south. This meant giving up the dream of complete circumnavigation, but..." The detour left out the coolest part of the drive
2
The Hemingway family's summer home was in Walloon Lake, not Horton Bay.
9
Rich Cohen is such a north-sider, focused on Oak Street Beach and the Hancock building. Chicago has more miles of beach than any other US city, and the best are on the South Side, like Rainbow Beach or Promontory Point (which also has the best views of the skyline, which is better from the south).
22
It's a shame the writer didn't do a true circle--the UP has much to offer. The drive along Highway 2 is pretty spectacular...
31
I live in Houston & I am no home sick for MI now!!! Thanks!!
2
Your photos are gorgeous, and I'm laughing at your reference to "Michigan proper," meaning the lower peninsula. The Upper Peninsula is also "Michigan proper"! The lower peninsula isn't "Michigan-Michigan," it's just what we Yoopers call "downstate."
34
Living in Wisconsin, I feel the UP should be ours!
There is another ferry across the lake, from Milwaukee WI to Muskegon MI, twice daily. Each crossing takes about two hours. In summer season, I ride the Lake Express as a senior for $100 one way, including my motorcycle. It's clean and modern. http://www.lake-express.com
The Port of Milwaukee isn't scenic, but Muskegon's harbor is.
The Port of Milwaukee isn't scenic, but Muskegon's harbor is.
9
This article misses the experience of the inland sea. From my novel--He started the diesel and set the rpm’s high enough to make way on the mooring, then walked forward as the Anomie, pilotless headed out into the larger lake from his sheltered bay.
Here, the waves were building with the wind, slapping, clapping against the Anomie’s beam- three footers. There would be six or eight foot ones on Lake Michigan, possibly even larger...Steep lake waves because of the fetch of only a few hundred miles, not the long spread rollers of the sea. The diesel surged until he made the harbor and then the drawbridge where he honked his horn and waited until its green-blue arms rose above him, he looking up as the mast slipped through…steel girders and sky above.
The glorious blue North of earlier in the day had retreated from the sky and with the winds shift East arrived greater humidity and clouds. The horizon going a flat bruised, yellow-gray, and the water, no longer the azure of the morning now turned a forceful stormy tarnished silver. The wind continued to build as he spun the Anomie bow first to the waves. The halyard clanged as he raised the mainsail, flapping snapping to the winds whistling increased howl. Wilson shut of the diesel and let the Anomie slide off the wind, due North, into a quartering, building, white clotting sea...She turning from form to function, and becoming alive.
Here, the waves were building with the wind, slapping, clapping against the Anomie’s beam- three footers. There would be six or eight foot ones on Lake Michigan, possibly even larger...Steep lake waves because of the fetch of only a few hundred miles, not the long spread rollers of the sea. The diesel surged until he made the harbor and then the drawbridge where he honked his horn and waited until its green-blue arms rose above him, he looking up as the mast slipped through…steel girders and sky above.
The glorious blue North of earlier in the day had retreated from the sky and with the winds shift East arrived greater humidity and clouds. The horizon going a flat bruised, yellow-gray, and the water, no longer the azure of the morning now turned a forceful stormy tarnished silver. The wind continued to build as he spun the Anomie bow first to the waves. The halyard clanged as he raised the mainsail, flapping snapping to the winds whistling increased howl. Wilson shut of the diesel and let the Anomie slide off the wind, due North, into a quartering, building, white clotting sea...She turning from form to function, and becoming alive.
5
Friends of friends were transferred to Grand Rapids from Philadelphia many years ago. We agreed to meet and greet, to take the family on a picnic at "the Lake."
They, natives of France, exclaimed upon cresting the dune and seeing Lake Michigan, "This is not a Lake. This is a sea."
I've never forgotten that moment. As a Chicagoan transplanted to Michigan, it's deepened my appreciation for the Lake I love!
They, natives of France, exclaimed upon cresting the dune and seeing Lake Michigan, "This is not a Lake. This is a sea."
I've never forgotten that moment. As a Chicagoan transplanted to Michigan, it's deepened my appreciation for the Lake I love!
39
Now that you mention it, I remember standing near the top of the dunes where you get your first view of the lake and hearing people exclaim in differing accents, 'You can't see the other side!'. The word lake really is a misleading label...
I too grew up in Michigan and this was always "the lake," though I've moved from one side of the mitten to the other (and now in "Michiana," a part of Indiana that wants to belong to Michigan). I once took visitors from Israel to see it and they too admired our lake, calling it "the sea."
This is a lovely article. I'm glad the author got to revisit some of his childhood memories. The Midwest is gentler than some other places, at least for middle-class White folks.
This is a lovely article. I'm glad the author got to revisit some of his childhood memories. The Midwest is gentler than some other places, at least for middle-class White folks.
That was the exact reaction of a Montana-born and bred friend upon seeing Lake Superior for the first time. It's difficult to explain to someone who's never seen the Lakes.
Having grown up on the East Coast, my first view of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior floored me with the uncanny incongruity of flat water (it was May) that seemed to have no farther shore. And I still, decades later, treasure the long, long summer nights as the best thing about Michigan summers.
13
Indiana Dunes National Seashore or the State Park are great places to swim and be "in" the dunes. Real waves - you feel like you're at the ocean.
12
Be very careful. Rip currents drown people all the time there.
1
Benton Harbor to Ludington? You just skipped some of the best places in western Michigan. South Haven, Saugatuck/Douglas, Holland, Grand Haven, Pentwater. You make it sound as though there is no reason to exit US31, which apparently you chose not to do.
34
I grew up reading "Paddle to the Sea," by Holling C. Holling, one of the best children's books ever written in my opinion. It was a marvelous, kind human geography of the place and the people who lived there, and especially, the Great Lakes.
15
Thank you for mentioning Paddle to the Sea - I pull that down from my bookshelf everyone once in a while to read it again, and again and again.
5
I know it's a great lake, but the "greatest lake of all?" Those of us who live near both of them know only Superior deserves that title. As George Monro Grant wrote in 1872, "Superior is a sea. It breeds storms and rain and fogs like the sea. It is cold in midsummer as the Atlantic. It is wild, masterful, and dreaded." Michigan is to Superior as the farm fields and sandy beaches surrounding it are to the wild forests, rugged headlands, and whitewater rivers surrounding the "Shining Big Sea Water."
43
True enough. I stood on a cliff, The Sleeping Giant, that drops 300 meters, vertical, to The Lake. No other sea wall on any other coast is that high. We split the lake with Canada, but who cares?
4
Agreed. Superior is the superior lake.
2
But it's so cold.
3
Beautiful piece. Thank you.
4
You need to go back around and visit the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. I won't try to describe the experience. I will only say that it was a horrible mistake to have made this trip and to have written this log without having stopped there.
19
The Hemingway place is on Walloon Lake, not Horton Bay of Lake Charlevoix.
5
"There is a designated route called the Circle Line." No - that is the boat around Manhattan - the Lake Michigan Circle Tour is the road route around the big lake.
30
lovely article. but Lake Superior is the "greatest lake of all'. great enough to swallow all the other great lakes, and an extra lake huron, i believe.
12
Not including the UP and the Sleeping Bear dunes in this adventure is a major fail. However, there's something I couldn't agree more with and that's Lake Michigan is the "Greatest" lake on Earth.
9
This would have been a great piece but you forgot to mention the Potawatomi and other American Indian tribes that were removed from the area and the tribes that still live in the area. While you spend some time waxing about the french explorers you never once discuss or use the names of the tribes that were forcibly removed from the area. My tribe, Potawatomi, calls this removal the Trail of Death. I am not suggesting you write an essay on our removal but I would have expected you would at least use our name. Potawatomi - Nishnabe.
68
Growing up in Michigan and Chicago, and currently living on the west coast, I’m accustomed to blank stare when I speak of the beauty of the places in Michigan and what the lake brings to Chicago (and vice versa). The lake was always east, a way to constantly get my bearings. Here the water is west, and I still expect it to be east.
Thanks for giving those who have not been, a taste of this fascinating and beautiful area. Thanks for giving those of us who have been a bit of nostalgia and a yearning to return!
Thanks for giving those who have not been, a taste of this fascinating and beautiful area. Thanks for giving those of us who have been a bit of nostalgia and a yearning to return!
37
Ah, the MI side of the Lake. How about the sunsets? The fruit? The grape growing and the wineries? The terrific restaurants up and down the coast? So many great places - parks, small towns, beaches and sand dunes without end, fishing for salmon in the Lake, boating. And then there's winter - cloudy all the time, snow out of nowhere. Still, have you ever tobogganed down a snow covered dune?
Here's the deal: people on the east side of the Lake really want people to think Calif has the best sunsets, Cape Cod the best dunes. And on and on.
Here's the deal: people on the east side of the Lake really want people to think Calif has the best sunsets, Cape Cod the best dunes. And on and on.
30
One reason to skip the S.S. Badger crossing is it is the last coal-burning ship on the Lake Michigan. Each crossing results in a ton or so of coal ash dumped into the lake.
16
Another reason to skip the S.S. Badger is the Lake Express, a modern, twin-hulled, high-speed ferry that makes the crossing in a fraction of the time it takes the Badger to chug across the lake--and that lands just south of downtown Milwaukee (less than a mile or two from the Pfister, the Art Museum, etc.) rather than in the gull-poached hinterland of Manitowoc. (Meaning as well that, while the Badger may be literally the last survivor of those mid-century steamers, it's definitely NOT the only operating ferry. Just saying.)
1
They finally stopped doing this - this year. I rode the Badger in July and they noted that they were now in compliance.
1
Thankfully, as of this spring, the SS Badger no longer dumps coal ash in the lake.
5
Nothing to see here! You East Coast residents just keep thinking of Detroit when you hear Michigan. We want our shores and paradise to ourselves.
Truthfully I have lived in many places in the US and Michigan is the best. Not just because of the great places to visit and experience but also the food. Living now in Grand Rapids I enjoy the best craft beers while enjoying Lake Michigan. The winters are what they are. We get as cold as NYC but with enough snow to ski and sled.
Truthfully I have lived in many places in the US and Michigan is the best. Not just because of the great places to visit and experience but also the food. Living now in Grand Rapids I enjoy the best craft beers while enjoying Lake Michigan. The winters are what they are. We get as cold as NYC but with enough snow to ski and sled.
47
But come to Detroit too! A beautiful, energetic, historic, and amazing city.
1
The shores in northern Michigan are quite beautiful, especially around the upper peninsula. But if you think that Michigan has great food, then you have never so much as put a toe outside the state, where eating is considered something you "get over", like a chore or defecation. The food is the downside of living there. The state has one of the highest obesity rates for a reason, and that reason has nothing to do with delicious food…and everything to do with Michigan cuisine: deep fried oreos and bar food. You can have BOTH beauty and amazing food. That is why the east and west coasts are so expensive.
To Stella; You are overlooking the ubiquitous whitefish that are served throughout the Great Lakes coastsl areas--a delicacy no matter how it is prepared and for that very reason more versatile than lobster and more healthful too.
My wife grew up in Petoskey, so we have visited "Up North" for many, many summers. Mackinac Island is a jewel that very few of those from the Northeast know about and it has to be seen to be believed.
23
I was born one block from the Lake Michigan shore in Racine, Wisconsin and later lived in Michigan City and Valparaiso, Indiana. It seemed like the ocean as a child, and when the waves are up, it still does.
I've been in Massachusetts for 16 years now, and most people I know here totally dismiss the Great Lakes as part of "flyover country". I'd like to beam them to Grand Haven, Michigan on a windy day to see if that changes their opinion.
I've been in Massachusetts for 16 years now, and most people I know here totally dismiss the Great Lakes as part of "flyover country". I'd like to beam them to Grand Haven, Michigan on a windy day to see if that changes their opinion.
38
Why change their opinion? Let the crowds stay on either coast, and welcome to it.
7
Thank you for your haunting and beautiful love letter to Lake Michigan, and by extension the Great Lakes. I grew up in and on Green Bay, WI and though I've lived many places, both in the States and elsewhere, I too keep coming back. And imagining. And discovering. I'm not certain I could stop, even if I wanted to.
The lakes are, I believe, technically considered inland seas. The fact early europeans deemed them 'lakes' and that they are freshwater causes many to dismiss them. In fact they are a wonder of the world, with maritime histories and traditions as deep and rich as any I've found on the better known coasts of the United States or the many ports and harbors I've explored on several continents and in both hemispheres. Again, thanks.
The lakes are, I believe, technically considered inland seas. The fact early europeans deemed them 'lakes' and that they are freshwater causes many to dismiss them. In fact they are a wonder of the world, with maritime histories and traditions as deep and rich as any I've found on the better known coasts of the United States or the many ports and harbors I've explored on several continents and in both hemispheres. Again, thanks.
30
I'm kicking myself for not buying the T shirt I saw last week in the UP: a picture of the Great Lakes, captioned "The Lakes are calling and I must go".
They do call, once you've seen them.
They do call, once you've seen them.
2
Have to agree with other commenters that not crossing the Mac and seeing the UP is a real loss.
If anything this article undersells the beaches of Lake Michigan's eastern coast. It's not just the wide beautiful sand but the surrounding dunes and woods, and the fact of having so many amazing beaches that stretch for miles and miles without interruption. Including some of the best public beaches that exist in the country: places like the Saugatuck Dunes State Park and the Lake Michigan Unit of the Huron-Manistee National Forests leave visitors from the east or west coasts without words. (My wife being an example.)
Also one small correction: Lake Michigan was not formed 20 billion years ago nor by tectonic action. It was formed starting about 14,000 years ago by the retreat of glaciers.
If anything this article undersells the beaches of Lake Michigan's eastern coast. It's not just the wide beautiful sand but the surrounding dunes and woods, and the fact of having so many amazing beaches that stretch for miles and miles without interruption. Including some of the best public beaches that exist in the country: places like the Saugatuck Dunes State Park and the Lake Michigan Unit of the Huron-Manistee National Forests leave visitors from the east or west coasts without words. (My wife being an example.)
Also one small correction: Lake Michigan was not formed 20 billion years ago nor by tectonic action. It was formed starting about 14,000 years ago by the retreat of glaciers.
23
If you went to elementary school in Michigan in the 1970s you would have learned that "10,000 years ago today the very last glacier went away. Bye bye." We watched this every year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afs_A_Lz2w4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afs_A_Lz2w4
1
Thank you for pointing out the lakes or lakes were formed by glaciers. I was ready to write to my geology professor and ask for my money back.
20 billion years ago there was no earth or even an universe. You meant 20 million years????
20 billion years ago there was no earth or even an universe. You meant 20 million years????
Sublime writing. Every observation rings as true as the memories it evokes. Thank you, Rich.
1
We live in the coastal environment of San Diego, but we make visits to my husband's family in Michigan and agree that Lake Michigan is a lovely and compelling coastal environment. But perhaps the editors should take a look at one or two unlikely elements in this article. Because the earth is 4.5 billion years old, it seems unlikely that Lake Michigan was formed 20 billion years ago, as the article suggests. And the author spent time in Petoskey, Michigan and has only one recommendation for food--the Murdick's chain of touristy fudge shops?
20
The Great Lakes are sadly unappreciated even by people who live close-by to them. I grew-up a 10 minute walk from much maligned Lake Erie and any trip back to Cleveland has to include some view or contact with the lake--both the the lake and opportunities for these have gotten better with time. When I lived in Chicago, I lived and worked within walking distance of Lake Michigan and couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
30
So true. I commute daily from Racine, WI, to Waukegan, IL, along Sheridan Rd. Among the lakefront businesses I pass is a bowling alley, smack on the lakeshore, but with absolutely no windows.
2
I grew up in a big old house (much like the ones he describes) on the shore of Lake Michigan, north of Milwaukee. When I took my wife (grew up in Buenos Aires) to visit for the first time she was speechless at the beauty of the place. If it weren't for the winters, I would still be living there.
12
You didnt do the UP? Cmon, man
87
You have to admit that the shoreline along the UP from St. Ignace to Marinette is pretty desolate drive unless you go down into the peninsulas of Delta county.
1
I disagree, Tom. It's not very populated but the view along US from St. Ignace through Naubinway is beautiful. Yes it's flat but most of the shoreline along Lake Michigan is. I still think it's gorgeous, especially in the summer.
1
Great article about the lake I've always lived near. However it would have been nice to travel through the Upper Peninsula (where I was raised). Though it's sparsely populated, it is no less beautiful than the rest of the lakefront. A true trip around Lake Michigan should include all areas where this majestic lake reaches. My partner and I do the 1000 mile drive every summer and never tire of it.
19
Lovely article about a place that I too call home, but it is a shame you didn't make it to Door County! I've lived and traveled along the lake my whole life and it is by far the most beautiful and enchanting location on Lake Michigan.
10
I spend my Summers on Mackinaw island. We love it here, but for a region rich with farmers markets and Summer produce, in general the food on this island is mediocre and greatly overpriced. How awesome that the one place the article recommends to eat/drink on the island is the Lucky Bean, home to espresso as tasty as any in the country - trust me on this - and yes, I'm very grateful!.
3
Nice article. It reminded me of a similar trip, my wife and I took with our then young daughter about 20 years ago. No trip around the lake, however, can be considered complete without experiencing the forests of the UP and the beauty of Door County, WI.
17
I, too, grew up on the Lake Michigan shore, in Waukegan, Ill. My dad often talked about taking us on a drive all the way around the lake, but it never happened. Over the years, I eventually reached every part of the lake's circumference, but never in a single trip. So I was looking forward to what seemed to be a tale of someone who actually made it (it's not an easy trip - well over a thousand miles).
So pardon me if I felt cheated when, three-quarters of the way through, we find that the writer skipped a good third of the circumnavigation, not crossing over the Mackinac Bridge (one of my great dreams, frustrated by heavy fog when I finally achieved it). The country at the top of the lake is like a different world from the Chicago end, more rocky maritime New England coast than Midwestern sandy beach, especially in Door County, Wis. (named for the Porte des Morts - Death's Door - a treacherous strait between Green Bay and the lake proper).
I hope the writer will complete his circumnavigation one day - he missed out on a lot.
So pardon me if I felt cheated when, three-quarters of the way through, we find that the writer skipped a good third of the circumnavigation, not crossing over the Mackinac Bridge (one of my great dreams, frustrated by heavy fog when I finally achieved it). The country at the top of the lake is like a different world from the Chicago end, more rocky maritime New England coast than Midwestern sandy beach, especially in Door County, Wis. (named for the Porte des Morts - Death's Door - a treacherous strait between Green Bay and the lake proper).
I hope the writer will complete his circumnavigation one day - he missed out on a lot.
90
I agree the lake along U 2 has just beautiful stretch of beach we always top at. I think why would I go to the Caribbean when I have this. The writer needs to finish he true circumnavigation. But thank him for the beautiful story of our Lake Michigan.
2
Nice summary. Could have added Harbor Springs (just north of Petoskey). A deep-water port, Harbor Springs was the summer home of Henry Ford, the driving force behind personal transportation and the Midwest economy. That would have tied a lot of elements together.
The only reason he could read outside at 10 PM in Ludington isn't the length of the day, it's because Michigan is in the wrong time zone.
Michigan's Lower Peninsula used to be in the Central Time Zone, but for reasons I don't know, that changed decades ago. So now it's far too west for the Eastern Zone, so it's still daylight there at 10 PM in July & early August. The Upper Peninsula is still on Central Time, which is where all of Michigan should be.
Michigan's Lower Peninsula used to be in the Central Time Zone, but for reasons I don't know, that changed decades ago. So now it's far too west for the Eastern Zone, so it's still daylight there at 10 PM in July & early August. The Upper Peninsula is still on Central Time, which is where all of Michigan should be.
9
Only the far western counties in the UP are on Central Time. The rest of the UP is on Eastern Time.
8
My grandfather always told me that the timezone was changed to Eastern as Henry Ford had political pull and he wanted his offices and factories to be on the same time zone as the NYSE. Though I have never been able to confirm or deny this myth.
1
Have you considered the possibility that the people who live in Michigan might have other thoughts on what their time zone "should be". If you don't approve perhaps you should stay in Chicago. By the way, only part of the Upper is on Central time.
5
I grew up on Lake Michigan and wonder why Warren Dunes State Park was overlooked. It is constantly one of the most visited in the Michigan State Parks system and is easily accessible to travelers coming from the Chicago area. Warren Woods State Park not far away is an old growth woodland that show what the area looked like before the loggers cleared it.
Here are links to the State Parks pages for these parks
http://www.michigan.org/property/warren-dunes-state-park/
http://www.michigan.org/property/warren-woods-forest-preserve/
Benton Harbor is the ugliest part of Berrien County. There are many places to stop before there- along the lake and just slightly inland- well worth a trip.
Also not mentioned is that the Michigan coast of Lake Michigan is host to many growers of fruit and arriving at the right time can be a delicious experience. Cherries, peaches, pears, apples, grapes, blueberries are among the goodness.
Here are links to the State Parks pages for these parks
http://www.michigan.org/property/warren-dunes-state-park/
http://www.michigan.org/property/warren-woods-forest-preserve/
Benton Harbor is the ugliest part of Berrien County. There are many places to stop before there- along the lake and just slightly inland- well worth a trip.
Also not mentioned is that the Michigan coast of Lake Michigan is host to many growers of fruit and arriving at the right time can be a delicious experience. Cherries, peaches, pears, apples, grapes, blueberries are among the goodness.
17
Agreed: "Benton-Harlem" and Berrien County are ugly places to be missed!
Anyone interested in touring ghettos can always visit the Bronx!
Anyone interested in touring ghettos can always visit the Bronx!
Ottawa County blueberries are the best!
Why, why, why, did you have to publish this article. It's our secret that Northern Michigan is God's country. I spent every summer as a child just outside of Horton Bay and return every year, and just to point out it's over 12 miles inland on Lake Charlevoix, not on Lake Michigan. Thank goodness you didn't mention Harbor Springs and the drive along route 119 which certainly rivals any West Coast scenic drive.
38
Lovely picture of Silver Lake Sand Dunes, but you should have taken your boys on a dune ride. You would have all enjoyed it.
And it must have been tough, choosing between the ferry and driving the north shore through the UP and down where you could have seen a lake sunrise. I'm not sure which I would have picked, but of course we have Lake Huron for sunrises.
Calling the Greats "Lakes", I think, trivializes them. They are seas and magnificent.
Come back and do the true circle tour!
And it must have been tough, choosing between the ferry and driving the north shore through the UP and down where you could have seen a lake sunrise. I'm not sure which I would have picked, but of course we have Lake Huron for sunrises.
Calling the Greats "Lakes", I think, trivializes them. They are seas and magnificent.
Come back and do the true circle tour!
15
Re: dune buggies at Silver Lake
We were there two years ago. It must be the dune buggy capital of the world. Beyond standard buggies and remote controlled buggies, we also witnessed a flying buggy. This thing was on the beach driving around and then suddenly became airborne and flew away. Two people in the buggy--a man and child.
We were there two years ago. It must be the dune buggy capital of the world. Beyond standard buggies and remote controlled buggies, we also witnessed a flying buggy. This thing was on the beach driving around and then suddenly became airborne and flew away. Two people in the buggy--a man and child.
1
Nostalgia. If it wasn't for the winters, the whole area would be a nice place to live - but there is winter and it's long.
7
Keeps out the riff-raff.
6
Michigan is a magnificent state. With so much wonderful architecture as well. As people in Buffalo say, it snow's here, so what.
I had two high school friends who attended Marquette on the beautiful upper peninsula. Their third year they decided to stay through summer vacation, just to experience, as they said, "being warm in northern Michigan." They married and have retired there after sweltering for decades in Georgia.
A lot of us like winter.
I had two high school friends who attended Marquette on the beautiful upper peninsula. Their third year they decided to stay through summer vacation, just to experience, as they said, "being warm in northern Michigan." They married and have retired there after sweltering for decades in Georgia.
A lot of us like winter.
7
Cold winters, true, but there is no better summer place in the US.
2
Now you have gone and told all the Easterners about Paradise. We flee to the UP every so often, but never often enough.
10
Why dies the Times cover traveling the Midwest so poorly?
Mr. Cohen essentially phoned this in. It belongs on the Motherlode blog under summer kid trip meditation instead.
Can the Nyt not find a current resident of the Midwest to write a solid piece about Lake Michigan? Seems the hoards will now head to poor Truro and Welfleet after this week's Times outing of how nice it is alongside the pan of the Hamptons. Mi may be safe for another season.
Mr. Cohen essentially phoned this in. It belongs on the Motherlode blog under summer kid trip meditation instead.
Can the Nyt not find a current resident of the Midwest to write a solid piece about Lake Michigan? Seems the hoards will now head to poor Truro and Welfleet after this week's Times outing of how nice it is alongside the pan of the Hamptons. Mi may be safe for another season.
Don't worry. This coverage of Lake Michigan won't bring the Easterners to the UP -- good lord, he never even stepped foot in the UP on this "Grand Tour." This is a typical I-grew-up-in-Chicago view of one side of the lake -- and not event the best places on that side. To have completed skipped the UP and the best parts of the Wisconsin side of the lake is sacrilegious. There is so much more to Lake Michigan and all the other Great Lakes! Mr. Cohen has become the geography-challenged person he fears his children are becoming. His attempt to introduce his children and his readers to the magic of Lake Michigan has fallen flat.