Help, need some GR Ambassadors!

[GRDadof3]

If you had someone visiting from out of town who you would consider a single female "progressive" in their late 30's, possibly to relocate here, where would you recommend they visit? Where would be a good place for this person to meet new people in the area?

Obviously from UP I can get a great list of places to stay and places to eat, but not places to meet people.

[radicaljoy]

If you had someone visiting from out of town who you would consider a single female "progressive" in their late 30's, possibly to relocate here, where would you recommend they visit? Where would be a good place for this person to meet new people in the area?

Obviously from UP I can get a great list of places to stay and places to eat, but not places to meet people.

[PR-15]

If you had someone visiting from out of town who you would consider a single female "progressive" in their late 30's, possibly to relocate here, where would you recommend they visit? Where would be a good place for this person to meet new people in the area?

Obviously from UP I can get a great list of places to stay and places to eat, but not places to meet people.

[Veloise]

What Joy typed about GRAM on Friday nights. And GRFAS folk music events. When is your acquaintance hitting town, Jeff? We have a lovely contra dance in Holland on the 21 (I'm on the board).

Rapid Wheelmen bicycle club.

No demographic constraints on any of these.

[GRDadof3]

What Joy typed about GRAM on Friday nights. And GRFAS folk music events. When is your acquaintance hitting town, Jeff? We have a lovely contra dance in Holland on the 21 (I'm on the board).

Rapid Wheelmen bicycle club.

No demographic constraints on any of these.

[GR Jackson]

End of April, Beginning of May. Thanks for the great ideas so far! I also see that the Warhol exhibit starts March 14th and goes through June 15th.

[GRDadof3]

Is thsi a business person? Maybe there is a local first event or something like that. If they are thinking about living in the city they could talk to the neighborhood association people.

[gvsusean]

what kind of person is she??? Is she artsy fartsy or a meat head (sports). Does she like outdoors stuff?

[MJLO]

I'm with sean it all depends on who she is and where she comes from. If she's coming from like a smaller Green Bay type area, it'll be easy. If she's coming from a San Fran, Chicago, Bostinish type of place. Think long and hard, taking her to eastown won't be enough to impress, if you catch my drift.

[Veloise]

I'm with sean it all depends on who she is and where she comes from. If she's coming from like a smaller Green Bay type area, it'll be easy. If she's coming from a San Fran, Chicago, Bostinish type of place. Think long and hard, taking her to eastown won't be enough to impress, if you catch my drift.

[GRDadof3]

I'm with sean it all depends on who she is and where she comes from. If she's coming from like a smaller Green Bay type area, it'll be easy. If she's coming from a San Fran, Chicago, Bostinish type of place. Think long and hard, taking her to eastown won't be enough to impress, if you catch my drift.

[MJLO]

I'm racking my brain thinking, knowing that i'm a super fan of GR, and still trying to be real. One major advantage GR has over Portland is Affordability, based on incomes and housing and the like. Other than that, the weather is fairly comparable. Portland is just as cloudy, perhaps a little warmer than GR in the winter. I think one thing to be honest about, is Infrastructure. Oregon is pretty progressive as a whole and is a high tax state. One thing it does well is the upkeep of it's roads and bridges, even in the inner city. I wouldn't want to start an arguement, I know they have been working to update the roads and highways there, but the truth is you really can see the age of everything and how much work needs to be done. It can be very unattractive. Someone from outside the area is bound to notice it over someone who is used to it and see's it everyday. (Thats not just GR but Michigan as a whole.)

It ultimately depends on what a person likes. You can always show affordability, ease of getting around, and much more tolerable traffic. You have the beauty of the Michigan landscape, Michigan summers that none compare to, and the lake shore within 40minutes. There is an ever changing skyline, and new and better things everyday. Downtown is turning into an amazing place. I thought it was amazing in the 90's it's become so much better in the past few years, and only gets better everyday. I would steer away from trying to make GR seem bigger than it is, or it's mass transit ( Portland has extensive LRT) or retail.

[GRDadof3]

I'm racking my brain thinking, knowing that i'm a super fan of GR, and still trying to be real. One major advantage GR has over Portland is Affordability, based on incomes and housing and the like. Other than that, the weather is fairly comparable. Portland is just as cloudy, perhaps a little warmer than GR in the winter. I think one thing to be honest about, is Infrastructure. Oregon is pretty progressive as a whole and is a high tax state. One thing it does well is the upkeep of it's roads and bridges, even in the inner city. I wouldn't want to start an arguement, I know they have been working to update the roads and highways there, but the truth is you really can see the age of everything and how much work needs to be done. It can be very unattractive. Someone from outside the area is bound to notice it over someone who is used to it and see's it everyday. (Thats not just GR but Michigan as a whole.)

It ultimately depends on what a person likes. You can always show affordability, ease of getting around, and much more tolerable traffic. You have the beauty of the Michigan landscape, Michigan summers that none compare to, and the lake shore within 40minutes. There is an ever changing skyline, and new and better things everyday. Downtown is turning into an amazing place. I thought it was amazing in the 90's it's become so much better in the past few years, and only gets better everyday. I would steer away from trying to make GR seem bigger than it is, or it's mass transit ( Portland has extensive LRT) or retail.

[Rizzo]

It seems you could point her to the cultural hot spots that make Western Michigan unique. These might not be appropriate places to meet new people and network, but they set the foundation of what to expect in Grand Rapids.

There's an established an emerged city at your finger tips. After seeing the distinct culture of Grand Rapids she can hit the bars. Isn't that how urban 30 somethings meet people?

EDIT: Why do I get the feeling that this thread will make a point of a topic sometimes discussed on UP-GR? That whole argument that GR is for families only, not single young urban professionals.

[fotoman311]

Other than that, the weather is fairly comparable. Portland is just as cloudy, perhaps a little warmer than GR in the winter. I think one thing to be honest about, is Infrastructure.

[Kib]

Take her to Hopcat, and the area right around there... The Pearl-lite

If she's more the Beaverton-type, the mall area out in Grandville

If she's more the Gresham-type, Alpine

If she's more the 23rd Ave. or Hawthorne-type, E-town

If she's from Vancouver... I don't know, Kzoo???

[Parhelion]

It's tough to know about where she should go to meet people if she's just visiting. When/if she comes here, InForum is a great networking group for professional women. I'd personally go to the art museum, Bloom for a lunch, and shop on Monroe Center and in Easttown.

[GRdutch]

I have a somewhat similar situation, I'm from GR but live in San Diego now. I'm moving back to GR having been away for about 5 years. I'm living with my girlfriend and talking her into moving back to GR with me. She is a life long resident of Southern California. I took her to GR last October to give her a tour of the city and surrounding area. She liked it but I was wondering if there were some new places that I don't know about. She loves sports bars. She's a big fan of the Angels and Padres and the USC trojans. Is there a bar that might have fans of sports outside of the Detroit teams?

[GRDadof3]

I have a somewhat similar situation, I'm from GR but live in San Diego now. I'm moving back to GR having been away for about 5 years. I'm living with my girlfriend and talking her into moving back to GR with me. She is a life long resident of Southern California. I took her to GR last October to give her a tour of the city and surrounding area. She liked it but I was wondering if there were some new places that I don't know about. She loves sports bars. She's a big fan of the Angels and Padres and the USC trojans. Is there a bar that might have fans of sports outside of the Detroit teams?

[GRdutch]

Thanks for the tip GRDad. I'll have to take her there this summer. She loves the Buffalo wild wings in east LA. We both do actually.

[GR Jackson]

I've asked the bartenders at both the Grand Rapids Brewing company and Logan's alley to please turn on the Bears game when they are on. They even turned off a Red Wings game for me. So if you ask they probably will turn on your team.

[gvsusean]

Buffalo Wild Wings in Celebration Village has about a million TV's and big screens of all sizes, with every sport on that you can imagine. You might have luck there. Just don't go on Wednesday's for dinner if you don't like being around kids. It's kids night (although you might run into us there).

[Veloise]

The BOB on a school night (other than Fat Tuesday or St Pat's) is a wide open space, with cable TVs everywhere. In July when I need a Tour fix, that's where I end up. If you ask nicely, they will let you have the remote. I like the 2nd floor pizza place (Bobarino's?). Very attentive waitstaff, happy to have any customers.