The Return of the Heartland Gathering, August 5-7 (and it's not just for Heartlanders!)

[Alex]

Way back when, in '67...wait, that's a Steely Dan song. Let's try again.

 

Way back in 2003, Chicago was a hotbed of eG members and activities. The lone Grand Rapids eG'er at the time, MatthewB, suggested the alternative of having a gathering here. The rest is history. (Silly Alex, of course it's history; it happened in the past.) Since then, there've been three gatherings in Ann Arbor, hosted by the generous and organized tammylc, along with one each in Chicago, Kansas City, Cleveland, and -- expanding the definition of "heartland" just a bit -- Philadelphia. For example, here is the "report" topic for the 2010 Ann Arbor gathering.

 

Tammy has again offered to host a gathering this year, August 5-7. This will be a bit less scheduled than most of the others, although activities -- food-related and otherwise -- certainly are available for those who wish. To get a sense of what a gathering is all about, (and to get an idea of how involved they used to be), please see this post from 2006.

 

Although it's a "heartland" gathering, anyone can attend. EG'ers have come to Michigan from as far afield as the Pacific Northwest, New York City, eastern Ontario, and even Japan (via Cleveland). Of course, guests are welcome, too.

 

This year, we'll start by getting together on Friday night at The Last Word, a terrific cocktail bar with good food. On Saturday, we'll make, and eat, a communal dinner in the common house of Tammy's cohousing complex. Those of us who will be cooking or baking at the common house will hit up the Kerrytown Market and Shops and the adjacent Ann Arbor Farmers Market, plus any other shops as needed (Zingerman's?) for ingredients. (Sometimes a dish is created on the spur of the moment, depending on what looks wonderful at the market. That's how the legendary eGullet roasted cauliflower topic got started.) Folks also can opt to bring ingredients or even completed dishes. Wine, etc., will be BYO. On Sunday, if enough people are interested, we'll get together for brunch, place TBD.

 

Re money, Friday night and Sunday brunch will be separate checks. We're looking at a contribution of $20 per person to cover shopping expenses for Saturday's dinner, with collection details TBD.

 

Please post any and all questions you might have. Depending on who's interested and what's needed, we can post information about lodging, transportation, etc.

 

So if you're thinking of attending, please add a post with your eG name (real name optional), how many people will be coming with you, and which days you'll be there. I'll start:

 

Alex +1 Fri/Sat/Sun

 

To keep eGullet's legal team from dragging me out of my house in the middle of the night and forcing me to watch Gigli and eat stale popcorn as punishment, I need to include this: Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in the eG Forums.

[Maison Rustique]

I keep hoping there will be another in Kansas City. We had just moved here and planned to go to the first one, but had a flood (bad installation of a water softener) that created complete chaos for us. Workers in/out of the house for the entire week (and a very long time after, too). I was so sorry we had to miss it!

[NancyH]

Hoping to attend. My husband Bob is recovering from spinal surgery, and I am being prepped for a hip replacement, but it may all work out. Interested in recommendations for nearby hotels, preferably 3 star or better.

[cdh]

Hmmm... I have cause to be in Michigan and Chicago that weekend... will have to see if I can pass through.

[Alex]

8 hours ago, NancyH said:

Hoping to attend. My husband Bob is recovering from spinal surgery, and I am being prepped for a hip replacement, but it may all work out. Interested in recommendations for nearby hotels, preferably 3 star or better.

 

Wow. I hope both of you recover well and quickly. It would be good to see you there.

 

Regarding lodging, here's a general answer for everyone. Ms. Alex and I are big fans of Airbnb. Ann Arbor and vicinity has a lot of them, with a wide variety of prices and types of accommodation. In fact, we've already booked a place we've stayed at twice before. And if we weren't staying there, we'd probably go to this place outside of Dexter, which looks to be about eight miles from Tammy's. These three also look interesting, and are closer to town: one two three

 

The nicest hotels near Tammy's place are Weber's (formerly Weber's Inn, now just Weber's -- a "boutique hotel," la-di-dah) and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ann Arbor West.

 

BTW, in case anyone is flying in or taking the train, I'm absolutely certain we'll have plenty of folks who can drive you to and from the airport, train station, or our venues.

[Kerry Beal]

I was really hoping I'd be able to attend this year - but the rug rat's sitter is away in Europe and so we are staying longer up north and that will be the weekend we are driving back. 

[gfron1]

Ironically, moments before i read this post a friend suggested that her family travel from Grand Rapids to come visit me in St. Louis on that very weekend. I'll suggest we reverse course and see if I can make it. I have no other commitments at this time.

[Alex]

26 minutes ago, gfron1 said:

Ironically, moments before i read this post a friend suggested that her family travel from Grand Rapids to come visit me in St. Louis on that very weekend. I'll suggest we reverse course and see if I can make it. I have no other commitments at this time.

 

 

That would be terrific. I hope you and your friend and her family can make it there.

 

 

[MelissaH]

Alas, I'll be in Colorado that weekend, just at the tail end of a conference.

[David Ross]

The gathering in Cleveland was memorable and I've missed these ever since.  I doing the job search trek right now, but I'll see what I can do to be there.

[Alex]

I'll be bumping this thread from time to time, just to make sure it doesn't get buried in the View New Content forum. As of now we have:

 

Yes

Alex +1

Tammylc +?

 

Maybe

NancyH +1

cdh

gfron1

David Ross

[Alex]

First bump. Trust me -- a Gathering is a really good time, plus Ann Arbor is a fun place to visit (even if it was #10 in Travel + Leisure's absurd list of "America's Rudest Cities").

[cdh]

I could only make it for Friday night... I've already booked and paid for hotel room in Chicago for Saturday and Sunday for the wedding I'm going to.  Looks like this set of shindigs is on the opposite side of MI from my relatives' place in South Haven, so combining those two things doesn't seem to work.  But if I drive in from PA a stop on the Eastern side of the state could be made to work in all probability.  I'd love to see the Jolly Pumpkin brewery and Zingermans and all of what Ann Arbor has to offer by way of good food stuff...   I'm thinking of heartlanding even further west and making some sort of run from Chicago into Wisconsin to sample the beers local to there... and then following the lake back to South Haven...  Pity the ferries from Chicago to Michigan went out of business.

Edited July 8, 2016 by cdh (log)

[MelissaH]

There are still ferries across Lake Michigan, but you'd have to take one from Wisconsin.

http://www.lake-express.com/

https://www.ssbadger.com/

(And they aren't inexpensive.)

[cdh]

Thanks for that!  I think those options are quite interesting... Better than driving back down around Chicago...

[cdh]

I've put in an Airbnb request for  2 nights in Ann Arbor, the 4th and 5th of August... If that comes through, I'll be around for the Friday evening shenanigans, and will have time to explore all the fun downtown stuff there and meet up with any locals who are around.

[cdh]

OK, I'm in Ann Arbor for the 4th and 5th, leaving on the 6th in the AM for Chicago.

[NancyH]

Just booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express West for Friday and Saturday! Looking forward to joining in!

Edited July 13, 2016 by NancyH (log)

[David Ross]

I would so like to be there but can't, so I'll be reading from afar and anticipating your photo posts.

 

[Alex]

I wanted to give this thread a quick bump. I'll ask Tammy to post here with some recommendations for interesting places to visit and good places to eat lunch. I also will get a better idea of what time we'll be getting together on Friday.

 

And speaking of which, if anyone would like to meet for lunch on Friday, please let me know. We can work out the specifics as the time gets closer.

 

Yes

Alex +1

Tammylc +x

NancyH (+ Bob?)

cdh -- Friday only (also Thursday)

 

Maybe

gfron1

 

In spirit only

David Ross

Melissa H

Kerry Beal

Maison Rustique

[cdh]

I'm all about lunch on Friday if others are also up for it.  I've never been to Ann Arbor before, so having intrepid local guides would be nice... otherwise I'd just end up eating a heap of deli from Zingermans and then sit in the Jolly Pumpkin cafe chatting up the beer geeks for suggestions of what else to do for lack of any more in depth knowledge of where to go and what to do.

[Alex]

3 minutes ago, cdh said:

I'm all about lunch on Friday if others are also up for it.  I've never been to Ann Arbor before, so having intrepid local guides would be nice... otherwise I'd just end up eating a heap of deli from Zingermans and then sit in the Jolly Pumpkin cafe chatting up the beer geeks for suggestions of what else to do for lack of any more in depth knowledge of where to go and what to do.

 

You could do a whole -- repeat, WHOLE -- lot worse than that. But let's see what Tammy has to say.

[Smithy]

I'd love to come, but so far it looks like I'll be there in spirit only.  If things change I'll ask you to add my name to one of the other lists; right now I'm just glad to see a gathering coming together after so many years.

[tammylc]

Hello Heartlanders! Long time no see.

 

I can be available for a lunch outing on Friday, there are lots of options depending what people are in the mood for. Mani Osteria and Spencer are two that come to mind off the top of my head.

 

When it comes to Zingerman's, the sandwiches are good, but they're still just sandwiches. And expensive ones at that. Plus if you go during normal mealtimes, particularly on the weekend, there will be a big line. Much better, IMO, to eat at one of Ann Arbor's other great establishments, but go to Zingerman's for shopping and sampling. You can sample *everything* they sell, so it's a great opportunity to try 150 year old balsamic vinegar or an unusual cheese or honey or whatever floats your boat.

 

Sounds like you like beer - Jolly Pumpkin is great if you like sours. And their food is awesome too. Arbor Brewing Company (ABC) is another good brewpub downtown. Wolverine Brewing on the west side of town for a fascinating selection of lagers. And the new Glasshouse Brewing also on the west side, which gets great reviews but I haven't been to yet. Bill's Beer Garden at Downtown Home and Garden is also a really fun spot with a variety of choices on tap.

[cdh]

I do love beer, particularly sours.  They're what I've been making recently.  So tasting through the lineup at JP is high on my agenda. (btw, is there any interest in me toting some beer along?  I keg everything, so bottling and travelling with it may not yield the best presentation... )

 

As to Zingermans, sandwiches are indeed sandwiches... I'm more interested in getting about 2 or 3 slices each  of 8 or 9 different obscure cured pork products ... and take the same approach to cheese.