I didn’t tell the whole truth; we went to Mackinac Island for a long weekend. I’m not one of those nervous souls who frets constantly about getting robbed, and I normally don’t have a problem with announcing when I’m going to be gone for a while. But this was a short stretch, and I just imagined telling the police officer, both of us regarding the kicked-in window, “Well, yes, I guess some people knew we were going to be gone…Who?…Um, well…”
The fact is, most criminals are pretty stupid. The few who aren’t probably don’t get their targets from reading blogs, though. But you never know.
However, it was time to introduce Kate to her adopted state’s most famous tourist trap, and the last weekend in July seemed the perfect time to escape lower Michigan’s heat and breathe in the clear, cool air of the straits. Uh, no. The heat wave followed us there, not as bad as downstate but plenty bad in a place that is, by and large, without air conditioning. (Even the hotels.) We slept on top of the covers and sought out shade, but still had a good time. The picture shows Kate getting in the local FTF spirit, i.e., Fleece the Fudgies. We didn’t stay at the Grand Hotel — and thank God, since it requires men to wear ties in public areas after 7 p.m. — but one of our last outings was to climb the long hill and see the famous veranda. I figured on being shaken down, but choked on the price. I would have paid $12 for the three of us, but that’s $12 per person. They employed a nice lady in black linen to enforce the perimeter. Forget it. This is why websites were invented.
We stayed here. No huge complaints, other than the vague not-quite-rightness that comes from spending three nights in a place where the prime directive is not “Make guests happy” but rather “Maximize profits.” I’m sure running a hotel, let alone a resort, is complicated beyond belief, but it seems that once you make the prime directive pleasing your customers, a lot of the rest falls into place. Instead, the place was staffed by seasonal help from overseas (we saw this phenomenon at Cedar Point last summer, too), all of whom behaved as though making a decision without upper-management approval would be met with immediate flogging. The food was merely OK, the in-room shampoo the worst ever, and the fan provided for our room — an absolute necessity in the heat — wouldn’t reach the window from the closest outlet without running the cord across the main drawer in the dresser, and then just barely. The maid, from eastern Europe, didn’t understand what an extension cord was. And, in the great tradition of the island, admission to the five-story tower that offered such nice views of the water was extra. Five bucks a head, in fact. To climb some stairs and look around. Please.
But the place had one huge asset — the Great Lawn. Two football fields dotted with comfy Adirondack chairs facing the lake. Even in the sun it was tolerable, as it caught the breezes that always seem to pour through the straits, no matter what the weather. Alan bought Kate a kite, and they flew it Saturday and Sunday:
(That’s Alan, being supportive in the background.)
We had a nice time, but came home poorer. But isn’t that always the story, even for short vacations?
I did some reading while I was up there. A book review, of Scott Smith’s “The Ruins,” coming sometime tomorrow.
Danny said on July 31, 2006 at 8:58 pm
The fact is, most criminals are pretty stupid. The few who aren’t probably don’t get their targets from reading blogs, though. But you never know.
Crap, we were all witing for our chance to break in and position all of the outlet cover mounting screws into unseemly orientations.
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Connie said on July 31, 2006 at 10:20 pm
That same heat wave hit the last two days of our up north cottage stay, and made the 5 hour drive home on Saturday a misery. Though if I had to choose between a nice Lake Michigan swim and cottage air conditioning…. since there’s no duct work to which to connect air I guess it’s a moot point.
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brian stouder said on July 31, 2006 at 10:54 pm
other than the vague not-quite-rightness that comes from spending three nights in a place where the prime directive is not “Make guests happy�? but rather “Maximize profits.�? I’m sure running a hotel, let alone a resort, is complicated beyond belief, but it seems that once you make the prime directive pleasing your customers, a lot of the rest falls into place.
Not to sound like a flak for Disney – but THAT is precisely what they do BETTER, and on a mass-scale, than anyone else on earth.
Every couple of years, we do a major-special vacation (traveling further than an adjacent state), but otherwise a 2 or three day jaunt can be big fun. Hotel pools (if not the donuts on the continental breakfast in the morning) are probably 25-30% of the attraction for the young folks (they enjoy games of Marco Polo with kids they’ve never met before)
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Danny said on August 1, 2006 at 2:00 pm
Nancy, don’t know if others are having any problems with the site today, but I am. This morning I could not get to the main url or the sub-url’s (e.g. “nancynall.com/2006/07/31/the-mini-break/”). Now I just not get the the main page. I get a 403 Access Forbidden error.
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Danny said on August 1, 2006 at 2:04 pm
…and with as much money as we are paying you, a little more of that prime directive of making the guests happy would be nice. 🙂
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Dorothy said on August 1, 2006 at 4:15 pm
I was worried when I saw that evil Turk leering at me from your website! So glad all seems to be on the mend now. And I’ve read a couple of reviews of “The Ruins” which make me really, really want to read it. I’ll wait for your review, however. Not that I was gonna run out tonight to get it.
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alex said on August 1, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Ah, Mackinac. It’s been about ten years since my last visit, when the cost of merely touching the Grand Hotel was still zero. Back then they were hurting for guests mightily and glad to have folks checking it out. Properly attired, of course. I have a picture of my mother and me getting bombed on cocktails on their famous verandah.
Used to stay at a small B&B — forget the name — an old house but comfy for what it was and resident owners went out of their way to ensure guests were happy. McNally’s was the name, come to think of it. The house had been in their family for generations. Just a modest little place. Of course, one had to book rooms a year in advance just to stay there.
Sorry to hear the island’s become such a money-sucking piece of shit.
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Joe Kobiela said on August 1, 2006 at 6:12 pm
We go to the island once a year to run a race, 8-miler the weekend after labor day. Goes all the way around the island, starting at mission point. We get out there by flying, it is about a 2.5hr flight from Auburn. We land at St. Ignacia and spend the night there. much cheaper, then fly out to the island in the morning and run, buy fudge and fly home. Mack is a great day trip but I like staying on the mainland.
Cheers
Joe
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Bill said on August 1, 2006 at 7:51 pm
Glad you’re back online. I loved the “Simple Plan” movie but don’t think I’d care for the King-like follow up. Our last time in Mackinac was at the Grand Hotel, courtesy of winning a local radio station promotion. I looked up their pricing on the internet and was astounded. Still, I wish them well and hope the got-rocks can keep the place going. It’s a major piece of history. We stayed home in our own little air conditioned paradise this weekend. Maybe when it’s cooler…
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joodyb said on August 1, 2006 at 8:28 pm
I did Door County (Wis.) last week. Was having a parallel tourist-trap experience. I don’t know what all the fuss is about, though we did not make it to Sister Bay, which is probably where all the fun was. Egg Harbor appears to be where people just quit when they get tired of the drive from Chicago. But it is lovely. Unless you are about pies, don’t go for the food. It must be farther north.
Still. A perfect pool and a beautiful California-quality winery kept the whining down.
I cannot believe they charge $12 to see that hotel! Thanks for the heads-up.
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brian stouder said on August 1, 2006 at 9:34 pm
Our last time in Mackinac was at the Grand Hotel, courtesy of winning a local radio station promotion. I looked up their pricing on the internet and was astounded.
OK, so I went to their website, and was also astounded by the room rates, but then I saw this –
http://www.grandhotel.com/jeffdaniels.html
Jeff Daniels? The ‘dumb’ guy in “Dumb and Dumber”? He does ‘unplugged’ music at a resort hotel at Mackinac these days?
Well, I guess a guy has to earn a living….
(I prefer to think of him as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in Ted Turner’s movie Gettysburg)
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Dorothy said on August 1, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Brian – Jeff Daniels lives in Michigan. He is managing director of a theatre there. Here’s the website:
http://www.purplerosetheatre.org/
My sister lived in Michigan a few years ago and she picked up one of the brochures for me from this theatre. She thought I’d be interested because I was doing community theater at the time.
And Nancy – I’m rethinking reading The Ruins. I went to Amazon today, too, and read the mixed reviews. I liked the movie A Simple Plan but did not read the book. Maybe I’ll wait for the movie on this one. I forget now who bought the rights to it – read that somewhere. Old age is hell.
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