We did it – we embarked on our first family vacation and it was a complete success! Sure, we had to bring quite a bit more stuff than we’re usually used to, and yes – our mornings started lot earlier than trips in our past, but we did it (and can’t wait to do it again).
Ed has to visit Michigan very frequently on work trips, and its always a really long week of him being away while Ruby and I stay at home. Since we’ve got so many frequent flyer miles on the books, and I happen to have a ton of family back there, we decided to tag along with Ed on his most recent business trip. Of course, we’ve been anxious to see how Ruby would do traveling, and we were anxious to get her started since lots of travel is definitely what we envision for our family as time goes on! I also was eager to show Ed a different side of Michigan that what he’s used to. This trip ended up being a total blast, and we got lots of bonding time in with very special family.
Ed had never seen the red barns and silos as you drive outside of the Detroit Metro area … it was a sight that never got old to me, and one that definitely made us feel very far from home … This was on Highway 12 on our way out to Tecumseh and Deerfield to visit my cousins:
We stayed in Ann Arbor for the week, which is a pretty awesome place. Californians may scoff at “awesome” and “Michigan” in the same sentence, but honestly – its a charming town. Of course, with U of M there, there’s a vibrant young feel in town, and there’s a very cool vibe. Most importantly – there are fantastic places to eat!
Foodie Highlights:
Frita Batidos – This is one hip spot! “Frita” is a Cuban burger (usually chorizo) with shoestring fries and an egg on top, “Batidos” are Cuban style milkshakes. Basically, it means DELICIOUS. Its owned by a past Top Chef contestant, and it’s not only yummy, but gorgeous inside & out. You have to look at the photos here.
This was my Fish Frita with a Mocha Batido:
Zingerman’s Roadhouse & Zingerman’s Delicatessen – Zingerman’s is an institution in Ann Arbor! The Roadhouse features “Really Good American Food”, the deli has the most amazing sandwiches and pickles you could ever imagine, and Zingerman’s even has a Creamery where they make their own gelato and cheeses, a Bakery with fantastic breads and pastry and a Coffeehouse, too. We found out that if you hit all 5 Zingerman’s locations within a 24-hr. period, you could get a T-Shirt. You knew these foodies were up for the challenge! We had a lovely dinner at the Roadhouse, lunch at the Deli, picked up coffee to take home, a loaf of bread for the BBQ were going to that evening, and treated ourselves to a scoop of gelato – Mission Accomplished! We were too busy eating to take a picture, but here is one we found on the web with the line out the door at the deli. Yep – the sandwiches are that good. We waited in one of those lines, too!
Tony Packo’s (Toledo, Ohio) – We squeezed in a trip to Toledo because it’s where my Grandma & Grandpa lived, where my Dad grew up, and where the first house my parents bought and my brother & I lived in until we moved to California. My mom knows how much Ed & I love Cabbage Rolls, so she said we had to go to Tony Packo’s! What was even better was when we told anyone that we were going to TP’s, EVERYBODY had an enthusiastic thing to say about it! We are super glad we made the effort … Tony Packo’s is legit! We had cabbage rolls, paprikas dumplings and fried pickles!
Me, very excited about my Cabbage Roll
Artistic Highlights:
Also while in Michigan, we wanted to check out the Heidelberg Project, which is an art installation in Detroit that is almost too crazy to even describe here. So much of Detroit is in shambles – abandoned burned-out houses are everywhere. But the houses on Heidelberg Street have been transformed into something pretty surreal.
For a complete album of our visit to The Heidelberg Project, click here.
Toledo Highlights
As mentioned earlier, we also fit a day trip in to Toledo to stop by a few sentimental places. First on the list was the Toledo Zoo. There is an elephant statue at the zoo that is quite a legend in my family – there are pictures of my dad and Aunt Barbara sitting on it when they were kids, a picture of me & brother and cousins on it when we were kids … so of course, we had to get a picture of Ruby sitting on it, too!
Here we are, continuing tradition:
And, here I am – just about 30 years later!
We also drove by the house my Grandpa and my Dad grew up in on Ogden Avenue in Toledo:
And the house I lived in from when I was about 1-3 yrs old on Somerset:
Family Highlights
There are just so many wonderful memories with family through the course of this trip that its hard to fit them all in here. Here are just a few photos of some great times!
On our visit with my dad’s cousins, Wes & Brenda, Ruby got her 1st private concert. She was fascinated by Wes playing the guitar and singing to her!
We got a chance to catch up with cousins Kaily & Carolyn and Carolyn’s daughters, Sahra & Parisa, for a very tasty (and gluttonous!) dinner at Sweet Lorraines.
While out at The Facey’s house on Lake Erie for a mini Facey Family reunion, Ruby put her feet in the waters of a Great Lake for the 1st time!
Getting together with lots of Facey’s!
We got to visit with Kay the Cuz and Dave at JaDo Campground – the Rickard Reunion has been held here for the past few years. It was a very special visit!
Staying with my cousin Rachel and her family was really awesome. We had such a great time with Rachel & Brian and it was so awesome that Ruby could play with their son, Jack!
Ruby & Jack chillin’ at the Zoo!
Finally, some may think this is morbid, but I thought it was really important to take Ruby to the place where my grandparents are buried. I was extremely close to Grandma who passed away in 1999, and I still miss her everyday. So much of my childhood involved my grandma (unfortunately, the rest of my grandparents died way too young for me to really know them) and I wish she could see Ruby, and of course, meet Ed. We stopped by to pay respects, and Ruby got to “meet” her.
There’s just so much more, so please visit the album and see more pictures here!
