Grand Rapids, Michigan / Lodging, Dining, Brewery, Meadery, Distillery, and more!

September 2018, Weekend, 1-night, 2 days

You can find more posts about the Grand Rapids area by clicking on labels at the bottom of this post. I am sharing a few brief details about new experiences here.

View from guestroom at JW Marriott Grand Rapids

JW Marriott, 2-Queen bed guestroom #1318, Gold status

This is the first  time we have stayed in a room with two queen beds, and it is also the first time I did not receive an automatic upgrade to the concierge floor at this hotel. I did receive an upgrade to a river view guestroom. I am not sure if three adults in the room had something to do with the concierge upgrade. After I inquired, the front desk agent said there were not any concierge floor rooms available with two queen beds; however, she would code our keys for access to the lounge. We were not in the hotel that evening, so we missed the concierge social hour. It was nice to have access in the morning for speciality coffee and continental breakfast. The only difference I could see between a king and queen guestroom is that the queen guestroom contained a chair and footstool instead of a chaise lounger. Both beds were super comfy, as usual!

2-queen bed guestroom at JW Marriott in Grand Rapids

My Marriott app has not been working properly since the Marriott-Starwood merger. Following is what happened this stay: After I checked in on the app, it was still saying I needed to check-in. Additionally, the guest information showing was incorrect after I checked in; it said 1 guest on the app, and 6 guests in my website confirmation. My reservation had been made for 3 guests, and the hotel confirmed it was correct on their end. When I arrived, I was told that it showed I had checked in. I did not receive a notification that my room was ready via the app, and I never received a bill after checkout. Usually, I receive a bill via email after checking out on the app. I had the same check-in and similar checkout app experience with a recent Marriott Courtyard stay.

Hog Heaven pizza at Mitten Brewing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Breweries

April 2018

I am sharing some growler refill information, and Happy Hour menus I had not been able to find before our most recent visit to Grand Rapids. To see more details about the area and additional establishments, click on one of the labels at the bottom of this post.

Atwater Brewery in GR

Atwater Brewery in GR

Atwater has Happy Hour every day from 3PM - 6M! 😄 The Happy Hour menu above was on the table when we visited. Service was excellent, and the beer was even better (well...both were excellent). Atwater Brewery also carries Ice Box Brand ice cream bars. This is the second brewery I have been to that sells them. Beer and ice cream does not seem like a natural and complimentary combination, to me, although I have not tried it. The ice cream bars look delicious, and I am planning to try one on my next brewery visit. Since I will be visiting Muskegon before I get to Grand Rapids again, I think I will try one with a dark beer at Pigeon Hill in Muskegon.

The Knickerbocker Happy Hour menu

The Knickerbocker New Holland Brewing

One of my favorite dark beers is Dragon's Milk made by New Holland. I think Dragon's Milk Reserve flavors are amazing. My personal favorites are raspberry and cherry. If that is too sweet or fruity for you, try it mixed half-and-half with regular Dragon's Milk--delicious! Cherry was available during our visit; however, it was the only beer not included in Happy Hour pricing. Again, I am sharing the Happy Hour menu from our visit, as I could not find this information online. 

Decal and crowler from Perrin Brewing

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Holiday Inn - GRR Airport

February 2018, Weekday, 1-night, King suite #230

Platinum perks and check-in

I redeemed points for this stay, and received an upgrade to a suite before our stay. I called IHG to make the reservation, because the site was not functioning properly when I tried to make the reservation online. When I called, I found out it was because the only available room type with points for three guests, was a queen-bed handicap guestroom. The agent said he could reserve that for me, and he suggested I call the hotel directly to see if they would upgrade me to a king suite because of my status. King suites have a sofa bed, whereas, a standard king guestroom does not. I called the hotel, and the agent happily fulfilled my request. At check-in, I received 500 Platinum bonus points, which posted to my account right after we checked out.

King suite 230

There are three floors at this hotel, and the agent had told me the suite on the top floor was not ready yet. We had arrived about 15 minutes early of check-in time, and gladly accepted the one on the second floor.

The suite was comfortable, and we loved it. The only thing we did not like about it, is that the lighting over the table in the work/sitting room was extremely dim. I am not sure how anyone could hold a meeting at the table. A guest we chatted with in the bar that evening commented that he did not like that the door into the guestroom opens into the bedroom instead of the sitting room. This suite served our purposes well.

Wet bar area in the work/sitting room

The workroom contained a small fridge, sink, table with four or five chairs, TV, work desk, and sofa sleeper.  A K-cup coffee maker with supplies was on the sink. I am guessing there was supposed to be a trash liner in the large trash can in this room. The lid was not set on all of the way, as if housekeeping had not completely finished up before leaving the room.

Room with sofa sleeper and table

Grand Rapids, Michigan / ArtPrize, JW Marriott, Knickerbocker Brewing Co, CityBuilt Brewing, Fountain Hill Brewing Co, Atwater Brewery

October 2017, Weekday-weekend, 2-days

One of my ArtPrize favorites!
Not because I am a horse fan; because of the quality/how real it looked.

ArtPrize Nine

We visited on the last Friday and Saturday of ArtPrize, after voting had ended. In previous years (this was our 6th visit; not all consecutive years) when we visited on Friday during the day, the crowds had been minimal. This year, it was busy, busy, busy! There were many students and group tours on Friday, and Saturday became crowded after 11:00 AM. I think I preferred ArtPrize when it was smaller, and more centralized to the downtown area. This year, exhibits could be found as far away as Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Gerald R. Ford International Airport. We did get to see a lot of cool art, some of which I am sharing, along with additional information in this post.

Inside Gerald R. Ford Museum.
You may be able to read the artist's statement, if you click on the photo to enlarge it.

White Pine Trail and West Michigan Brewery Experiences ~ Brewery Vivant, Cedar Springs Brewing Company, Rockford Brewery

April 2017

At Brewery Vivant

Brewery Vivant

Brewery Vivant is a pretty cool place. The beer and food we have had has always been excellent, and this visit was no different. We shared the beer cheese pretzels and a "limited time" dessert, because the menu said the dessert paired well with Undertaker beer (which I was having). Everything was delicious, and we had our growler filled before we left. Brewery Vivant is located on Cherry Street near Eastown.

Taken from our table at Cedar Springs Brewing Company

Silver Line - Riding the Rapid in Grand Rapids, Michigan

March 2016, Weekday afternoon - evening

the sun setting downtown Grand Rapids

We wanted to visit a few of the breweries in downtown Grand Rapids without having to drive or look for a parking spot, so we rode The Rapid Silver Line downtown.

Buying tickets

We purchased our tickets from a kiosk at the bus stop on Division near 60th Street. Tickets can be purchased with cash or a credit card. The process was fairly easy with a few minor inconveniences. The sun was very bright the afternoon of our trip, and there was no shade cover over the screen, which made it difficult to read. The touch screen did not respond as expected; we had to touch most of the buttons more than once. A receipt was not printed, even though I chose the selection to receive a receipt. And, we had to purchase each ticket individually. I do not understand why more systems are not set up to allow travelers to purchase more than one ticket at a time. When we rode the Light Rail from the Seattle airport to downtown, we were able to purchase two tickets at once, and the process was super easy. It is possible to purchase more than one ticket at the kiosks in Chicago, also.

We each purchased an all-day pass for $3.50 because the cost for a one-way ticket was $1.75.