Michigan

Hey all!

I have a serious question for everyone! I am down here in Texas on vacation from Michigan and I see a huge lack of regional food chains (Whataburger, In n Out, Zaxby’s, Church’s, Waffle House, Cookout, Shake Shack, etc.) up in Michigan. Sure we have Culver’s, and Chick Fil A (very recently), and two Taco John’s (recently), 2 Raising Canes (VERY recently only in college towns) and a Del Taco or two (Detroit only.. GR folks got scammed here).

Since I’ve been down here I’ve seen so many (fast) food places that are new and regional and just overall better. Why is Michigan so slow to getting these places in when even Indiana seems to be faster. I’m just a bit confused that’s all! I think it would be neat and actually add some variety to the food scene here! Because people travel for these regional places! Heck I go down to Ohio just to grab a bite at Waffle House!

By cabin i mean just a 2nd home or whatever. Small or big.

Excluding the excessively wealthy from this for obvious reasons.

Does anyone regret buying a cabin up north? Feel like even at $500-1000/mo is a lot. Even if you are there say 3 months a year. If you were to Airbnb at say $150/day you'd come close to a mortgage of $1000/mo over 12 months. ~$13,500 vs $12,000. And the 12k is before utilities, tax, etc. Plus, you lose any flexibility in vacation locations.

Is this just not too realistic in this economy VS say 20-30+ years ago?

This is the official /r/Michigan megathread for moving, travel, and vacation questions.Self-posts and questions will be referred to this thread. These posts are automatically generated on the first day of every month.

/r/Michigan has numerous posts on [moving](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=moving%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new) and [vacations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=vacation%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new). There is also an [extensive list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki\_cities.2Fregions) of local subreddits if you have a particular area in mind.

This is the official /r/Michigan megathread for moving, travel, and vacation questions.Self-posts and questions will be referred to this thread. These posts are automatically generated on the first day of every month.

/r/Michigan has numerous posts on [moving](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=moving%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new) and [vacations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=vacation%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new). There is also an [extensive list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki\_cities.2Fregions) of local subreddits if you have a particular area in mind.

This is the official /r/Michigan megathread for moving, travel, and vacation questions.Self-posts and questions will be referred to this thread. These posts are automatically generated on the first day of every month.

/r/Michigan has numerous posts on [moving](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=moving%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new) and [vacations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=vacation%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new). There is also an [extensive list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki\_cities.2Fregions) of local subreddits if you have a particular area in mind.

This is the official /r/Michigan megathread for moving, travel, and vacation questions.Self-posts and questions will be referred to this thread. These posts are automatically generated on the first day of every month.

/r/Michigan has numerous posts on [moving](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=moving%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new) and [vacations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=vacation%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new). There is also an [extensive list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki\_cities.2Fregions) of local subreddits if you have a particular area in mind.

This is the official /r/Michigan megathread for moving, travel, and vacation questions.Self-posts and questions will be referred to this thread. These posts are automatically generated on the first day of every month.

/r/Michigan has numerous posts on [moving](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=moving%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new) and [vacations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=vacation%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new). There is also an [extensive list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki\_cities.2Fregions) of local subreddits if you have a particular area in mind.

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the best subreddit to ask this, so bear with me please.

I'm 32F, and considering the possibility of going back to school, as I currently only have my Associates. Ideally I'm interested in working with the DNR, specifically in conservation. I'm considering an Environmental and Natural Resource Management degree from GVSU. I am not opposed to moving up north, but I am currently very happy in the Grand Rapids area (especially as my 70+ parents live nearby)

I'm in this weird mental limbo due to various life factors, and am trying to decide if I should make the leap or not. I currently make around $40k/yr working 25hrs/week in the restaurant industry (I get my choice of set schedule and get okayish high deductible health insurance), and we have a 3 unit rental property as supplemental income.

I'm not unhappy in my current life situation. I have time to pursue hobbies, teach yoga on the side, and have (unpaid) time for vacation/travel whenever we want. We have our homes paid off, no kids, no debt, and are aggressively saving for retirement (husband is also a bartender) -- So what I'm getting at is that this career change would be only to try and do something in my professional life that I find more fulfilling, and to spend more time in my life putting energy towards something that will serve The Earth in a positive way. I know I'm not going to "get rich" doing this, but it is important to me to not spend all the time/money to get this degree, and possibly uproot my life to move only to make less than I would waiting tables. It is also important to me to work a job that keeps me physically active, and ideally keeps me mentally stimulated, especially as I would probably be transitioning towards a 40hr/wk schedule.

Anyway, I was looking to see if anyone has been working for The State and how they like it. Some of my questions:

• Do you think that degree is worthwhile and desired by the hiring agency? Would I not really even be considered for a role without a Masters degree?
• Once you get hired by the DNR was it possible to move up the ladder/change positions? Is it better to "get in" with any lower paying title and move up, or apply only for the positions you truly want?
• Did you get an offer that pays well soon after graduating? Or was there months/years of grunt work/internships before being hired? Can you haggle for pay with State jobs?
• Am I too old to get started in this kind of career?!
• Do you feel this line of work is fulfilling? What are some positives and negatives?
• What is the ratio of office/remote/field work with your position?
• Do you feel you get adequate vacation time?
• Do you get along with your colleagues? Is it purely a professional relationship with most or do your units/office/branches (or whatever term you use!) get along on a personal level as well? Do you work with mostly "like minded" individuals?
• Do you find there to be excessive convoluted/frustrating/slow aspects to the bureaucracy within the DNR, or otherwise toxic work culture?
  
• For those that are working for a private or non profit conservation agency, How do you like it? How'd you get into it?

Thank you all in advance for taking the time to respond, I'm sorry if that was too much personal information! I just wanted to make it clear what stage of life I'm in to ensure the responses and advice are applicable for my specific situation.

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Thank you all for voting, we had a significantly higher number of people check in this time and we are settled in on using a monthly vacation/moving megathread.

Hi, just looking for some hiking/walking suggestions. We will be in Grand Rapids this Friday and Saturday to attend an event that will only take up about an hour of our time on Saturday morning. My mother-in-law will be there as well, fresh off a vacation in the Canadian Rockies where she enjoyed a lot of hiking. She now wants to go hiking when we are in the Grand Rapids area. Are there any nice day hikes (around 5-6 miles or less) within about an hour of Grand Rapids? I would also take suggestions of nice places to walk during this time of year if there aren't any actual hiking trails near the area. Thanks!

DAY 2 reminder, Go vote!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/comments/17f9v3y/alright_time_to_revote_on_allowing_movingvacation/

Here is the daily link to the moving/vacation voting megathread. Voting ends in 7 days.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/comments/17f9v3y/alright_time_to_revote_on_allowing_movingvacation/

Once again, we are going to vote on allowing moving vacation threads. The vote had such a tiny # of participants that we thought a 2nd vote after all of them being seen would be necessary.

Vote will last for 7 days and end on Halloween. We will try to make daily posts to help spread the reach of this post.

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View Poll

I'm planning a trip for Christmas this year, Illinois -> Michigan.

I don't know much about Michigan as I've never been, what places would you guys recommend? There's a high probability I'll make it alone, looking for landmarks to visit and affordable accommodation options, connectivity via public transport would be great too

I'd love to visit the northern side of the state and check out Detroit as well. There should be ample time, a 10-day vacation

Most people I know from SE Michigan still travel to the west side of the state to their cottages and for vacations. What are the underrated towns on the east side of the state? Would love to visit some of these and probably need to book next summer now!

The congestion on US 131 and I-75 due to weekend travel up north is a challenge. It takes the joy out of vacation. Did you know there was a third option? US 127 is virtually untraveled. There are no traffic jams. No zipper merges. There are also stops for coffee, pie, apple cider, and a variety of jerked meats. It may be worth the few extra minutes added to your trip to avoid the stress of US 131 and I-75.

Vacationing in Michigan from Florida and am looking to get some Friday the 13th flash tattoos. Are there any shops in Detroit or the surrounding area doing something like this?

Hi, I’m going on vacation next week to U.P. Michigan what are some recommendations of must see’s and the chances this time of year of seeing the northern lights? Thank you.

Hello! My wife and I have three young children, and I’m transitioning from a military career. Being within ~2 hours of Detroit airport could be our next adventure. We spent time in Germany and absolutely loved it. The good and bad (winter weather and daylight, wet weather, etc). Is Michigan similar at all in anyone’s experience?

We’re both from Colorado originally, but the secret is out there, and things are going south.. We’d like a place with seasons (we don’t mind cold), outdoor activities, and good schools. Standard young family stuff.

I’ve heard the roads can be bad (understandable due to the weather- Colorado has the same challenges). We’re most passionate about excessive heat and/or excessive mosquitoes that ruin the outdoors. We’ve had to suffer in Texas for multiple years and cannot stand the heat. Enough for me to look for alternatives and post on Reddit about it haha. Germany was shockingly perfect in that bugs weren’t bad.

We can weave in anywhere. A little sad to leave our home state, but Colorado’s negatives are: ludicrous housing market, which drives you to the plains and their ripping winds anywhere but the mounains, uncomfortably dry, absolutely jam packed now and featuring a ton of whackos that have moved in the last few years- forcing suburban sprawl, really only two seasons, and almost an inability to access the mountains due to crowds and pricing. To the point a visit or vacation might be the better option.

Anyone have opinions to weigh in? Everyone in the country has always slammed Detroit but it can’t be all that bad.

Ok folks, it was a VERY close vote. The "allow" moving/vacation posts won by a very small number of votes, out of the total community. We are talking about 5 votes out of less than 300 total votes in a community of 381,200 members, so not even 1% voted. As a result since the vote was so close, we've decided on the trial option I mentioned. We will give these posts a try until the end of October and then we will come back to the community to see how everyone feels about them again. The mod team hopes that giving these posts a chance, and allowing more people to see them will give the community a better feel for said posts giving us a better chance for a more informed vote starting at the beginning of November.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE still use the "search function" of the sub to see if someone has already asked your particular moving/vacation post.

We still reserve the right to remove any of these posts, if need be. Posts that will be subject to removal would be extremely easily found answers on google/bing/etc. Posts that still have a defined community, such as "Im moving to NW Mi, where should I look for housing", will still be requested to post in those more defined and local Michigan subs. Also, duplicate postings such as two posts looking for suggestions for Metro Detroit vacation activities on the front page at once would be removed.

Thank you all for your input. We've been really growing as a community again since June and we appreciate all of you.

We are vacationing in the U. P. and were looking forward to grabbing lunch at Suzy’s Pasties on U. S. 2. We were sad to see it closed. I thought maybe it was just closed for the season but it looked permanently closed. Google says it’s permanently closed. Is this true? Does anyone know why it would be permanently closed? We loved Suzy’s!

(We picked up pasties from Lehto’s instead. Maybe I’ll update with a review.)

The mod team has been discussing changing a few things to more suit the community and we are somewhat stuck on what to do with the moving/vacation posts. We have a regular weekly megathread, but it doesnt get many responses, so people are left without answers. On the other hand, there are quite a lot of these posts- the community likely doesnt realize because so many get pulled by automod before they even reach the main page. So our question to you is:

Do you want to allow vacation/moving posts on the front page automatically or keep the current megathread system?

The poll will stay up for 7 days, thanks for you input!

We are investigating if automod can be effective to allow one or two days a week w these kinds of threads.
We are talking roughly 18-20 sometimes more in summer, per week. Either Vacation or moving type posts.

View Poll

Have a safe and happy labor day weekend. I live up off M-115 and traffic is already picking up. M-115 is not 696 please don't treat it as such. I've seen people pass me like im standing still. and almost get clipped by oncoming traffic. There is no need to go that dang fast. Stay within 55-60 and your good. Scanner has been busy. MSP and the sheriff departments are paying close attention.

And the deer are out. lots of peeps are hitting them.

I've seen people pulling a boat, while driving 65/70 talking on the phone.

Yeah locals like us love the peeps coming up north. it brings in tourism dollars and helps us all make bank at our yard sales. But no vacation is worth dying over just to get there 2 mins faster.

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65MPH speed limits on state highways

• US-2: Wakefield to Iron River (Gogebic and Iron counties)
• US-2: St. Ignace to Rapid River (Mackinac, Schoolcraft, and Delta counties)
• US-23: East of Cheboygan to east of M-65 (Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties)
• US-45: North of US-2 to M-26 (Gogebic and Ontonagon counties)
• M-28: East of Harvey to Christmas (Marquette and Alger counties)
• M-28: Munising to I-75 (Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, and Chippewa counties)
• M-28: Wakefield to US-41 (Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, and Baraga counties)
• M-32: Atlanta to Alpena (Montmorency and Alpena counties)
• M-33: Atlanta to Onaway (Montmorency and Presque Isle counties)
• M-37: Mesick to Wolf Lake (Wexford and Lake counties)
• M-55: US-31 to Cadillac West (Manistee and Wexford counties)
• M-64: M-28 to Old M-107 (Ontonagon County)
• M-65: US-23 to M-32 west junction (Arenac, Iosco, Alcona, and Alpena counties)
• M-65: M-32 east junction to US-23 (Alpena and Presque Isle counties)
• M-68: I-75 to US-23 (Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties)
• M-72: Grayling to Mio (Crawford and Oscoda counties)
• M-72: Fairview to M-65 north junction (Oscoda and Alcona counties)
• M-72: M-65 south junction to Harrisville (Alcona County)
• M-77: US-2 to M-28 (Schoolcraft County)
• M-115: Benzonia to Mesick (Benzie and Wexford counties)
• M-123: I-75 to Paradise (Mackinac and Chippewa counties)
• M-231: M-45 to M-104 (Ottawa County)

This is the official /r/Michigan megathread for moving, travel, and vacation questions.
Self-posts and questions will be referred to this thread. These posts are automatically generated on the first day of every month.

/r/Michigan has numerous posts on [moving](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=moving%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new) and [vacations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/search/?q=vacation%20self%3Ayes&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=1&sort=new). There is also an [extensive list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki\_cities.2Fregions) of local subreddits if you have a particular area in mind.