"The Great Lakes State"

Welcome to Michigan

Michigan/Indiana border on I-69
July 31, 2010

It's hard for me to write about Michigan since I was born a Michigander and lived here for two stints in my lifetime. Despite living in California for nine years, Michigan was always home to me. I think it combines the best of both worlds, with the charm of small farms and the hustle and bustle of big cities (like Grand Rapids and Detroit). It's unfortunate that often Michigan is linked with Detroit and the auto industry, since this leads to a depiction of Michigan as a burned-out, rust belt state, when that isn't the case. Also, nowhere else in the country are people nearly surrounded by water, since Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes and I think I read you are never more than two hours away from one of the Great Lakes. Lastly, Michigan is the only state that has two separate parts, since the lower and upper peninsulas are only connected by the Mackinac Bridge.

I have crossed this border countless times throughout my life, as our family made numerous trips down to Indiana to visit my mom's family. Therefore, I have watched this sign change over time. The current version uses the phrase "pure Michigan," which is part of a nationwide advertising campaign to promote tourism (you know the ones; they're voiced by Tim Allen). Aside from this multimedia tie-in, there is nothing else memorable about this sign. It sure doesn't seem to entice people to stay and visit, as it comes across as dull. The previous version of the sign from May 30, 2005 wasn't exactly great, but was much better than the current edition.

Welcome to Lansing

June 18, 2005

Despite traveling to East Lansing several times over the years (home of my arch-rival Michigan State Spartans), I had only been to Lansing proper a few times before this official visit. It's hard to get a feel for the town, since it is very spread out. Even around the capitol area, you never get the feeling this is a town of over 100,000 people. Despite being centrally located in the state, Lansing doesn't have much else to offer in terms of tourist attractions or cultural sites. Logistically it makes more sense than the former capital of Detroit, but it lacks any excitement and feels like it was created just the be the capital.

This picture is from the rear of the building, since the front is blocked by buildings on both sides. The capitol dome always looked somewhat askew to me, I guess because it seems too narrow. I really liked the layout, since the capitol is by itself and the state office buildings are located a few blocks away, keeping the grounds from becoming cluttered. When I took a tour several years ago back in high school, the interior was very nice. Our government class also visited the offices of our state senator and representative, as well as had a resolution praising our high school read on the house floor while we looked on from the gallery. It was a pretty good field trip.

Miscellaneous Michigan Symbols

State Route Sign

License Plate

Seal

Quarter