Monday, April 2, 2018

Muskegon, Michigan / Shoreline Inn, Downtown

March 2018, weekend

We always enjoy visiting Muskegon, and this time was no exception. I was on crutches this weekend, and a couple of things happened that I really appreciated!

Shoreline Inn, penthouse suite 1003

Although this was our fourth stay at Shoreline Inn, this was the first time we enjoyed an amazing sunset from our room! It had been cloudy, or our view had not been facing west, during previous stays.

Sunset view from living room couch in suite 1003
Other locations where we have stayed in the Muskegon area include: Holiday Inn downtown, Hampton Inn by Lakes Mall, Fisherman's Landing campground, Muskegon State Park (channel and Lake Michigan campgrounds), Hartshorn Marina, and Great lakes Marina. 

Shoreline Inn is our preferred downtown area hotel, and we stayed in penthouse suite 1003 October 2017. You can find more information and photos for this guestroom, and other rooms, in my previous posts: December 2017 October 2017, and January 2016. I am only including a couple of hotel photos in this post because not much has changed. The sunset photo above was taken from the same location as the one October 2017.

View from inside bathroom
I am including a photo of the whirlpool tub, as my previous photos did not show this view. The fireplace and living room area are also visible from inside the tub.

Shower in penthouse suite 1003
I try not to take things in life for granted; however, I did not fully appreciate the showers at Shoreline Inn until after our stay while I was on crutches. There are two corner seats inside the shower stalls, and a towel-type bar on the wall that can be used for balance. Every guestroom we have stayed in has had the same type of shower, although I do not know for sure if they are the same in all guestrooms. There are better photos of the bathroom showers in my Facebook album. The seats and stability bar in the shower allowed me to be able to shower during our stay. 😊

Visiting downtown Muskegon: shopping, dining

Downtown Muskegon is within walking distance of Hartshorn Marina, Shoreline Inn, and Fisherman's Landing. If you have a bicycle, downtown is also accessible from areas farther from town via Muskegon Lakeshore Trail, which is paved.

We stopped at the Visitor's Center (610 W Western Ave), to pick up a Visitor's Guide and Visit Muskegon coupon booklet. The booklet contains coupons for businesses in Muskegon, and a few in Whitehall and Montague. One of our first stops after the Visitor's Center, was The Cheese Lady! Fresh, delicious, good quality cheeses.

Coupon booklet and some Muskegon treasures
Muskegon Farmer's Market offers a wide variety of local products. The market is open on Saturdays during winter months. Starting in May, it is open outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. More outside shopping, Western Market Chaletsopens for the season on May 25th, Friday of Memorial weekend. Muskegon treasures and local items can also be found in the Shoreline Inn gift shop, and downtown at Century Club.

We visited Boar's Belly before checking in at Shoreline Inn, because their Happy Hour starts earlier than any I am aware of downtown. It runs from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM Monday - Friday. You can find more information on their website, and in my previous blog posts. One of the most difficult things I have encountered while on crutches, has been opening public restroom doors. They are usually heavy, and cannot be opened far enough with one push or pull to get through the doorway. The only way I am able to open the doors and enter/exit is: pull or push the door, then quickly place one crutch against the door so it does not shut, move forward on the crutches, then pull or push the door again to get through. Every time I do this, I have been fortunate that no one has been trying to open the door at the same time as me from the other side, because this could easily throw one off balance. Someone at Boar's Belly must have been on crutches before, or maybe the bartender had previously watched another guest on crutches have difficultly with this. When I used the restroom before we left, the entrance door had been propped open, and the bartender mentioned to me that it was open when I went by on my crutches. I was extremely thankful for their attention! This made my task easier, and I felt like a valued customer.

I am excited that Smash Wine Bar and Bistro is now open for lunch. Although we did not visit this trip, I am looking forward to a visit there in the afternoon this year. They have "lunch box" specials, evening daily specials, and Happy Hour starts at 4:00 PM.

Misc. and overall

Muskegon is one of our favorite Lake Michigan towns. It has been kind of a hidden gem with many outdoor activities and festivals. Muskegon was recently named the winner in the 2018 Strongest Town Contest.

We are looking forward to camping and boating season in Michigan! Let me know if you have any questions ~




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