Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part story on Grand Rapids.
“You’ve got to go to Grand Rapids,” my travel writer friend Rayna told me. She’s from New York City and not easily impressed so my curiosity was piqued. All I knew about Grand Rapids was that a lot of furniture was made there. What could be so great about Grand Rapids?
I found a lot of things: an interesting and lively downtown area, good museums including the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, glorious gardens, excellent eateries, civic concern manifesting itself in a commitment to environmental issues, great art and a proximity to beautiful Lake Michigan. Where to begin?
The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids was my home away from home. Amway is a hometown company and the founders, the late Jay Van Andel and Rich De Vos have contributed much to their community. The hotel combines two distinct sections — the renovated, historic, 1913 Pantlind Hotel and an adjoining contemporary tower. From my room in the tower, I had a great view of the Grand River — the river’s grand, the rapids not so impressive — and the Ford Museum on the opposite bank.
The hotel’s ideally located for exploring the city — walking distance to the Ford Museum, the brand-new Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Van Andel Public Museum, the performing arts center and sports arena. My first foray was to visit the premier symbol of Grand Rapids, the sculpture, “La Grande Vitesse” by Alexander Calder — again, just a quick walk from the hotel. The vivid red-orange creation stood out against a brilliant, blue sky. It stands 54 feet long, 43 feet high and weighs 84,000 pounds. The artist developed such close ties while working on the sculpture that he later produced other works for the town — his “Festival Sun” is the symbol of the city’s art festival.
I didn’t get to tour the new art museum because it wasn’t open then, but I did get to hear a talk on the environmental elements used in the design. Grand Rapids is on the cutting edge in sustainable development. Just this year, the city was recognized by the United Nations as a Regional Center of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development — the second city in the world to be recognized — Toronto was first — and the only city in the United States to receive such acclaim.
All across town residents are doing their part for the environment. In one of the city’s older areas — the trendy East Hills district — the roof of Marie Catrib’s restaurant is covered with varieties of sedum, reducing heating and cooling costs. Beside the parking lot is a rain garden, a xeriscaped area that catches the run-off from the parking lot, filters it and allows it to return to the water table. Marie’s electricity is wind-power produced. Inside, Marie serves amazing food — fabulous hummus and baba ganouj and other Mid-East specialties but, also, in winter, pasties — a Cornish specialty popular with early miners in the Upper Peninsula where Marie first lived after emigrating from Lebanon.
Many times larger than Marie’s gardens is one of Grand Rapids’ best attractions — the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park — a felicitous merging of art and nature. Combining both carefully manicured areas with swaths of natural plantings and native vegetation, the gardens offer expanses for mind, body and soul.
More than 170 sculptures, including the realization of original DaVinci plans for a giant horse, are scattered throughout the property.
The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden is one of the largest in the nation and combines plants and sculptures with opportunities for imaginative play. Adults will have just as much fun there — I did.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is another GR highlight. All the other presidential centers have their museums and libraries in the same location. Gerald Ford, a Grand Rapids favorite son, had divided loyalties and specified that his museum would be in Grand Rapids and the library at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, his alma mater.
The museum is as unpretentious as the man.
The first exhibits, about his early life, are displayed simply in an area that has a distinct warehouse look reminiscent of his stepfather’s paint factory. The settings become more formal as he progresses to Congress and on to the White House.
Presidential museums are among our nation’s greatest historical resources and I want to tell you more about this one.
There also are so many more interesting places to visit in and around Grand Rapids that rather than slight them I’m going to save them for another column.
ELAINE WARNER is an Edmond resident.
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