Hemingway Country

The Petoskey area was home to Ernest Hemingway during the summers and other periods of his young life. His family had a cottage on Walloon Lake and there is a restaurant/bar downtown that he used to frequent, called the Pink Pony back then, now known as the City Park Grill. Up here, his father taught him survival skills such as fishing, hunting, and setting up a camp. His book, In Our Time, has a story about the effects of war on a young man who was taking a long fishing trip in Northern Michigan called "Big Two Hearted River". Hemingway is not one of my favorite authors, but it is interesting to know what he thought about this area from his writing.

The best bookstore around anywhere!

What goes better with coffee than a book? I can't think of anything (except maybe a pain au chocolat -- a chocolate filled croissant). This is McLean and Eakin, my favorite bookstore. Also locally owned, they have an award winning children's section and it is just a great place to hang out. They used to have a big cushy chair in the window that you could sit and read in. I did that one afternoon and scared quite a few people when I moved! Petoskey is a small town, but it has a GREAT bookstore! And, it is very conveniently located right next to Roast and Toast! Check them out at www.mcleanandeakin.com.