ArtPrize.... for those not from West Michigan is a monthish long art event put on by the wicked DeVoss family. It allows artist to pay to enter into a public art competition where the artist may win one of 2 prizes: a public jury and a panel jury. Although this competition provides some networking and showcase opportunities for local and independent artist the whole system it's based on is complicated and troubling for some.

Until reading this post about ArtPrize, I was ignorant of the complexity of this event. I have attended ArtPrize annually for about 3 years now. This year was the first year I organized a whole staycation getaway with the "Frat Bros" (a couple trusted friends named Will and Ed). Hindsight and additional information have me feeling mixed emotions about what was a wonderful trip. However, I feel the need to highlight how, for me, this is an example of the challenges of living up to ones morals as somewhat "woke" Black womanist.

All that being said, this weekend was full of friendship, art, food, booze and naps. I also want to thank the Frat Bros for going on this adventure with me. Now... here are the highlights.

DAY ONE

I did some research and learned about a local distillery that has tours. A bonus was that they make their own Aquavit which is an acquired taste in booze...I'm not a fan but my epicurean frat bros Will and Ed are!  I secured 3 tickets to their Friday evening distillery tour which I was too late to join so I don't have any pictures. But, we did have snacks and drinks after the boys finished the tour and tasting at Long Road Distillers.



With a nice base in our bellies we parked our cars by the downtown AirBnB we'd rented and commenced exploring. It was time to get our corrupted art on!










There was NOT enormous amounts of ridiculously cool stuff inside this store. It was more like someone's mom's hoard and that someone happened to have a store front to put it in instead of a storage locker.



For dinner we stopped at a swanky place downtown and I seriously cannot remember the name. But, I do remember the dessert: warm chocolate chip cookies, a molten mocha cake with vanilla ice cream and berries.

DAY TWO

After a good nights rest we three urban explorers woke up nice and late to start out day. We walked over to the newish downtown market for brunch at Social Kitchen and Bar. This place had it all... old time-y portraits of animals in Victorian garb, fancy light bulbs, mason jar cups, galvanized tubs!








The lower rungs of Maslow's Hierarchy fulfilled we moved on to capitalist culture, including high brow and kitschy.





Up next the Grand Rapids Art Museum: wire faces, wire hands, emoji art, and silhouette textiles and churches made from re-purposed items.









All that art gazing made me hungry. There were multiple food trucks set up outside the GRAM. Will and I scored meat cones! I can die happy now. Baked beans, pulled pork/chicken with BBQ sauce, and coleslaw inside a carb cone!



After snack we went looking for a beverage of the adult kind. I found a place I thought had potential online called the Hemingway Lounge. It said it was a distillery. I thought they'd have awesome rum cocktails. What we found was possible the WORST  BAR EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD ((WORLD)) ((WORLD)).  When we arrived the bartenders seemed kind of busy and I overheard a lady complain about her peach martini. I figured things would work out because all craft cocktail fans know a good drink can take a few moments to make. Also, just because something is called a martini doesn't mean it is one, and to me drinks made with artificially flavored vodka or schnapps are NOT martinis. But then one of the bartenders came over and took Ed's order...then as we waited the universe began to speak. Signs started showing themselves. However, we were too committed to leave a drink had been ordered. What signs you ask?

• the space behind the bar was a hot mess
• when someone asked about the vodka the distillery made the bartender replied, "it's top notch and taste amazing"
• the bartender had just learn of and how to make a Tom Collins when the man before us ordered one

We finally managed to get our drinks and sat down. Not at the bar because who wanted to look at the mess behind it? Not us! When Will went to taste his drink that was the last straw. He'd ordered a gin and tonic and the bartender but SODA in it!!! We literally could not. We did not finish our drinks. We did not leave a tip.

That evening we had to make up for the afternoon debacle. We found a couple nice places to hangout including Flat Lander's, a small bar inside a strip mall. We also went to a fancy place with a yummy corn dip and nice bathroom signage.

 DAY THREE

Sunday was a fun day but because all three of us have day jobs we needed to keep it short and sweet. Sunday is prep day in my house so it meant I needed to get back in time do make a grocery store run and try to make something to last me all week for lunch. We maximized our time by making our last art stop the Meijer Garden's. But first, brunch at Anna's House. This place is a favorite of mine and I've been here with my family more than once. It's also a favorite of many locals so there is usually a wait, but after that wait you can have a delicious warm plate-sized cinnamon roll.







 Lastly, a note I saw in the building our AirBnB was in. Sometimes, in unlikely places you will find something beautiful.

I know it's officially fall and everyone is ready for sweater weather, PSL, and apple orchards. But, I'm going to take this post to flash back to my Summer To-Do list and recap what else I managed to accomplish in my final weeks of summer. Last time I posted I hinted that I had a few additional tricks and trips up my sleeve. Well, now is my Ta-Dah moment! I present to you: Summer Master aka The Reprise.

SUMMER BEER FEST!!!

I have a super cool awesome friend who works for a trade organization that caters to craft beer folks. She is awesome. Beer is awesome. Going to the Michigan Brewer's Guild's beer festivals is something I have done at least annually, (if not bi-annually) for years now. I have a cousin who also enjoys craft beer. We made it a bonding day. If you've ever gone to an outdoor festival you know have much fun they can be. However, they also require lots of energy and some prep. As a veteran of such events I have a system in place to enjoy the day. As someone with a chronic illness this preparation is important for health reason as well. If you're a sick person masquerading as a healthy person preparation is key to ensuring you can do what you want to do and not pay for it by having low spoon days for 3 days afterwards.

Next, beers... So many beers: my cousin does a thug pose next to a tap list, a peek at the Fli-City brewery Tenacity tent, of course the Beer City's Founders was there, and lastly beer and cookies are the adult version of cookies and milk.







And all of this was made possible due a friendship fordged by U of M's random roommate generator almost 2 decades ago.




TACOS FEST DETROIT






MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

I have a best friend who became so when I announced, "We're gonna be best friends." This friend isn't a big talker, nor does he emote much. But, we are two opposite peas in a pod and when I learned he was getting married I was super excited. His nuptials give me hope that perhaps some day I too can find my media naranja. His wedding was a super spectacular weekend where I got to wear a sari (ohhh the colors), hangout with my old undergrad guy friends and talk made trash. I felt like I was 22 again.


Below: The groom mean mugging during the processional. Did you know they serve ice cream as part of the ceremony during traditional Indian weddings?!! Some wedding decor outside the ceremony room.







STAYCATION/VACATION

I didn't just travel out of state to have fun times with friends. I also have friends who came to visit me!!! GASP! I was shocked myself, I mean really, how often do big city living folk come to the humble mitten for fun? In this instance my friends Annie and Zoe can for a nurses weekend getaway in Detroit. Bonus of bonuses Annie is a bartender on the weekends and knows people in the "industry." As a result, I was able to take part in their gastro tour of the city. We ate, we drank, we laughed, and repeated this process for 3 awesome days at an AirBnB in the city. I tried to forge a friendship with "Chef," Annie friend in the restaurant scene because I could definitely use a new friend who likes to eat and drink. Sadly I didn't pass his viable friend test. Some of the places we ate and drank our way across the city include: Grey Ghost, Detroit Foundation Hotel, Seldon Standard, Wright & Co., Parks & Rec, The Skip, Standby, and Bad Luck Bar.








MOTOWN PHILLY MIX

The final trip of the summer season was to see my friend Raj. He's super awesome because he's a calm force to my anxious nature. He's another friend I claimed through vocalization and persistence. Raj moved from A2 to Philly around a year ago and while it's tough when your friends move it's always good to see them grow. I promised to visit him once he got some furniture and the end of summer was an opportune time... My trip also coincided with the Nas/Lauryn Hill concert. That was a great start to a lazy weekend... A lazy weekend that actually was pretty full of doing things.





Lucky me Raj took a half day so we could then gallivant about town. First stop: lunch at Reading Market. I had to take a full walk through to see what the options were before choosing of course. In the end we sat at the counter of Beck's Cajan Cafe and ate. I did NOT get the muffaletta (pictured below) but it was a nice photo op.





After leaving Reading Terminal we had to walk off that food. We had a nice walk about Philly and saw some art, tchotchkes, I tried a version of those cookie shots, and saw a pun!




All that walking made us thirsty so the search for a cool, hip bar began. I found a nice one online but actually finding the street it was on was puzzling. Philly is an old city with old city streets. This means many streets seem more like alleys because they are so narrow. This means sometimes these narrow streets don't have street signs. This means that even if you're using Google Maps to try and find the street you can walk by it twice. In the end... twas worth it, they have a scrabble themed wall.






My final morning there Raj saved possibly the best food combo for last. Before putting me on the MegaBus to ride outta town we stopped into Federal Donuts for chicken sandwiches and... you guessed it: donuts. Their chicken sandwiches have American cheeze, pickles, and some sort of ranch seasoning. It's a mixture of flavors I was not familiar with but I dug it. The donut selection included both fresh made to order cinnamon sugar type fried dough circles and fancier ones! Believe it or not I did not take photos everywhere we went. Other stops that weekend included brunch as La Colombe, some takeout poutine fusion from Shoo Fry, a tour and tasting at New Liberty Distillery, and a seat at Root's bar. Overall, EPIC WEEKEND.



LASTLY...

A final check in on my summer bucket list. Not everything got done but I feel pretty good about my experiences. And, there's always next summer. ;)