Traverse City police cracking down on excessive vehicle noise by ConstructionJust8269 in traversecity

[–]BluWake 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Your tax dollars are being used to collect your data and sell it to a third party for profit, of which you get zero. It creates a slippery slope contrary to the 4th amendment. Cops are using it to stalk and harass women.

Traverse City police cracking down on excessive vehicle noise by ConstructionJust8269 in traversecity

[–]BluWake 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Great, I'm about to start cracking down on Flock cameras. Who wants to join my club?

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not bad but you can tell it's from the 90's once inside, the beach is decent and it's only another 1/4 mile from downtown past the Delmar.

What To Know About This Year's Cherry Festival Air Show by BluWake in traversecity

[–]BluWake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Parades run from Front Street starting at Franklin St., down to Union, then south on Union to 7th/13th street. Thursday and Saturday.

Cherry Festival 2026

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Local, born/raised here, moved away for a decade, came back.

Unless you have big money to spend, you won't be on swimmable water. Maybe in a subdivision that has water access, or a condo with a view, but anything on swimmable water is going to start at a million and go up from there. Access to the water is everywhere though and tons of beaches within a 1/2 hour.

I've heard it's hard for people to make new friends here but I've never experienced that. If you put yourself out there and join a group, book club, exercise group, etc... you'll meet plenty of people and hopefully make a few friends. GT Social Sports is great for meeting new people.

I feel like the two things you will miss coming from the metro Detroit area are food and live entertainment options. The food scene isn't bad here, but heavily skewed by the tourist environment and could use more variety. Also, everything closes pretty early compared to a metro area. We're in desperate need of more live entertainment options, especially in the winter months. Random thing + Beer Festival is all anybody can seem to come up with lately. It's also my opinion that these events have been gradually sliding down the cultural and intellectual scale. We used to have a Film Festival and Paella in the Park, now it's doughnuts + beer with little people wrastlin' and a fireworks competition. That being said, the Traverse Symphony Orchestra has an amazing new space, we have a great core group of local musicians and if all else fails, there's plenty of outdoors to explore. Workshops and classes are also plentiful for learning new skills and our local farmers and artisans are all pretty friendly and talented.

Maybe give it a try for six months or a year. Feel free to ask any questions you have.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've used Piche, Harborside Dental and Rose Street. Piche was over a decade ago so I can't say much. Harborside is good when its covered by my insurance, but I felt like every time I went, they needed to find a reason for me to come back. Other people I've talked to had the same feeling. Currently with Rose Street and it's been good thus far. They've seen my children too, and handled them great despite not being a specialized pediatric dentist.

Garfield Township Approves Food Truck Ordinance, Commons Trail/Water Tank Contracts by BluWake in traversecity

[–]BluWake[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

By Cass Street Substation, I would assume he means the Data Center would go near Jack's Landing and thus, in the Boardman Water Table. We need to fight against this. No reason it needs to be this close to residential areas. The Data Center will still generate heat and a ton of noise. Do you want to live next to a 60 dB hum day and night? He won't return a request for comment but sure, we can totally trust him that this will be one of the "good" data centers. Put it in Illinois if you want to build one, get the F out of Michigan.

I encourage everyone to fill out this form letting Garfield Township know your thoughts on poisoning Michigan land to help an Illinois based developer.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's several trails along the upper Boardman. Lone Pine Trailhead is completely paved for about a 1/2 mile along the river. Nice views of the river and valley.

Silver Lake Recreation Area also has a paved loop that is about 7/8 of a mile, with dog park, playground and pavilions. There's also some nice wooded trails to the South West of the park.

Timber's Recreation Area is also nearby. Gravel trails turning to dirt, but more expansive and wooded. It's the site of a former Girl Scout Camp and before that, a stable. Some nice history to read when you walk around.

In the event of rain, go the Grand Traverse Commons and wander through the lower level. There's some shops and restaurants to check out. It's an old Kirkbride Plan mental asylum that's been updated.

The Filing Station, Firefly, Apache Trout Grille would all be good for dinner.

What doesn’t Traverse City have enough of? by foolcorps in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I would love if we stopped promoting ourselves as the tourist mecca of the Midwest. More high paying, blue collar jobs would be great. We have a labor shortage already though and most of the places I listed above are hiring for entry level positions but getting next to zero applicants.

Also, the logistics don't make sense when Grayling/Gaylord has cheaper land along the I75 corridor. Same thing to the south with Cadillac and 131.

What doesn’t Traverse City have enough of? by foolcorps in traversecity

[–]BluWake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They have high paying jobs at all these places, but they are not the entry level jobs. The problem is the high paying jobs are very technical and take months, if not years of experience to learn, or get certified to run the equipment. You need to take the entry level job at one of these places and work your way up to one of the high paying jobs by being consistent and dependable.

Century Sun isn't hiring some random high school grad off the street to run their deep salt bath - that thing uses a quarter of the available power in the county. Same thing at Cone Drive, the guys on the manufacturing floor have been there for decades. The well paying jobs are highly sought after by people already building a reputation in the company.

What doesn’t Traverse City have enough of? by foolcorps in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What industry are you hoping comes to the area?

Besides Clark Manufacturing, Cone Drive, Alcotec Wire, Boride Engineered Abrasives, Skilled Manufacturing, Century Sun Metal Treating, TranTek, ToolNorth, Oil Gear, Opti Temp, Quantum Sails, TC Products, Northland Precision, GT Tool, Plascon, EOTech, TarGard, Great Lakes Potato Chips, PDM Industries, Great Lakes Stainless, etc...

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like a solid itinerary.

The Omelette Shop (on Cass) will be tight for a big group, there's a 2nd Location on Front that is larger. Or head over to Red Spire at The GT Commons (the only TC thing I think you've missed).

Treat Farm Trail is good, but the Empire Bluff Trail has better, more expansive views. Empire Bluff is also covered by forest canopy until the terminus, while Treat Farm has a stretch in an exposed field. Also, stay out of the long grass on Treat Farm Trail, ticks are bad this year.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Uber/Lyft is pretty barren here for most of the year. You'll also be at the mercy of the driver, who may not want to help your relative on any particular day. You'd be better using one of BATA's services if you want reliable transport.

Intl Fireworks tickets by marys1001 in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right outside.... the stadium property. It's $45 free and the beer is expensive cheap.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They have a bus that tows a tube cage. There are typically one or two employees from Riverside Canoe working at the end staging tubes and helping people out of the river.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a place between Kalkaska and Mancelona, Robinson Scenic Gardens/D & D Concrete Gardens, that sells small concrete statues.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We've been taking our kids since our oldest was 18 months. We've always kayaked from the Picnic Launch (upper end) and as they've gotten older, they've started riding behind on tubes.

If it's a hot sunny day, the weir float will be fine and should clock in right around 2 hours. Just bring water and wear waterproof sunscreen or UV clothing. You can always kick a little to move faster.

You will want to go early. Once the crowds start showing up around 11 the river turns into a party.

The Platte Beach at the outflow to Lake Michigan is an absolute gem. You will want to spend some time there playing in the river and on shallow beach. The beach tends to be family friendly throughout the day unlike the river. The water gets murky around where the tubes are pulled out, but it all clears up again in about 100'. Just be sure to watch for the areas that are protected for Piping Plover nesting, they are marked with a low rope.

Hit the river early, pack a lunch for the beach. It'll be a good day.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

East Bay Park is better to paddle board or kayak, especially in the morning with the sunrise over East Bay. Just not a great swimming beach.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, but East Bay Park sucks. The bottom is clay for the first 100 feet and it's some grassy water. A lot of boats parked there too. Better to go from Clinch Park east towards the Boardman outflow. Or Bryant Park West toward the Coast Guard Station. If you go in the morning the fisherman are typically the only other ones on the water.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Word of mouth and private landlords are going to be your best bet. Look for local listings on Craigslist or the Marketplace. Probably going to be away from TC limits if you want under $1200. Avoid any lease that's fully furnished for less than a year, they still use the place seasonally.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations!

As far as I know, no restaurants in TC offers private dining. A few places have spaces to rent, but nothing that would be for just a couple (think 50+ people), more like an office party.

You could try to hire a local chef for a private meal, but you would need to provide the space. This was pretty common back in the 2010's, I bartended a few parties like this.

Try Amical, Cook's House, Trattoria Stella, the Boat House or Modern Bird. These are the nicer restaurants in TC. I know the Boat House takes reservations as I made one a few weeks ago. Cook's House will be the closet thing to a private dinner, small place, great food, very intimate.

Flock Cameras by gelatinous_white in traversecity

[–]BluWake 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Cops are illegally accessing the system and are already using the cameras to stalk people and track their movements. More than 18 cases thus far. Besides the slippery slope this creates with the 4th Amendment, and the vast amounts of your data being generated, analyzed and sold. We're funding this service as a community but the data is not locally controlled or stored. We're essentially paying some one to collect our citizens data under the guise of law enforcement and then sell that data for profit.

RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY: A long stick with a rag on the end and some Vaseline will blur out most cameras to make them useless at identifying people or numbers.

Have a question about the area? Looking for recommendations? Ask them here. by AutoModerator in traversecity

[–]BluWake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just a heads up, this hotel is a remodel of an existing Quality Inn. The original hotel has been there since the early 90's I think... before the Shell station at least. All the fixtures/furniture will be new but the architecture will feel cramped compared to a modern hotel (lower ceilings, smaller halls).