Press Release – Be A Tourist In Your Own Town

22 05 2009

As two people who were new to Lansing last year, the “Be A Tourist In Your Own Town” event was a great way to explore our new home.  We only got to maybe twenty of the stops, but we hit the big ones including the Potter Park Zoo, RE Olds Museum, Impressions 5, and a few of the other museums.  This year, we’ll hit the zoo again, but we also plan on finding some of the other things and skip a few of the bigger stops.  Either way, it’s an event that we’ve been looking forward to and plan on getting our passports next for weekend. 

From a Greater Lansing Convention and Visitor’s Bureau press release….

Discover A World of Possibilities In Your Own Backyard During
Be A Tourist In Your Own Town On Saturday, May 30th

LANSING, Mich. – What would you say if someone asked, “What is there to do in Greater Lansing?” If you had to think about it, get ready to discover (or rediscover) your own backyard during the 15th Annual Be A Tourist In Your Own Town celebration. The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau will host the event on Saturday, May 30th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While a dollar sure doesn’t buy much these days, it’s STILL enough to purchase a Greater Lansing passport, allowing event participants to visit more than 60 local partnering establishments. Old favorites include: Impression 5 Science Center, Potter Park Zoo and the Michigan Historical Museum. Be sure to visit one of the many new stops including, FRAG Center, MSU’s Breslin Center, WKAR Studios and taste the new “Capital City Sundae” ice cream flavor at the MSU Dairy Store. Some attractions will offer a discount on services through June with the passport.

“The tourism industry is a key component of the Greater Lansing economy,” said Tracy Padot, Vice President, Marketing Communications. “Based on a study conducted by Michigan State University, more than 5 million out-of-town guests visit Greater Lansing each year, generating $431 million in direct spending and supporting 7,500 jobs in the tourism sector. We want residents to not only enjoy the leisure options Lansing offers, but also recognize the importance of creating a hospitable environment for our guests by serving as community ambassadors.”

Here’s how the event works:
1. Participants need to purchase a $1 passport from the Celebration Cinema or Meridian Mall customer service desks, the AAA Michigan–Grand River Avenue location, Impression 5 Science Center, Lansing Art Gallery, CATA C.T.C or the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau in Old Town. Passports will also be available on May 30th at information stations throughout the city.

3.Throughout the month of June, “tourists” can have their passport stamped at participating attractions, and once they receive 10 stamps, they are eligible to enter a prize drawing. Participants that get 15 or more stamps, are entered in for the grand prize – a night in a suite at Oldsmobile park and 10 tickets.

2.Passport holders can park at the Breslin Student Events Center on the campus of MSU, in Old Town, at the Lansing Community College parking ramp on N. Grand Avenue or at the lot adjacent to the Michigan Historical Museum and hop aboard one of four CATA Be A Tourist public bus routes. Round trip fares are only 50 cents per person.

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Press Release – Melting Moments Celebrates 25 Years

22 05 2009

From a press release….

Melting Moments Celebrates a “Quarter Century of Good Taste” 

Mark Geovjian, creator and proprietor of Melting Moments finds it hard to believe that it has been 25 years since he served his first homemade ice cream in Downtown East Lansing. “Amazing how time really does fly,” he remarked.

The 25 year milestone presents an opportunity for reflection. “We’ve always remained true to our steadfast commitment to quality. We have continually searched out the finest of ingredients for our ice creams. We still make everything by hand, as we did with the very first tub in 1984,” said Geovjian. “We are proud to be a part of the East Lansing Community, supporting a variety of causes including our own ‘Melting Moments Giving Fund’ with the Capital Area Regional Foundation and the ‘Melting Moments Children’s Fund’ at the Haven House. It’s also surprising to calculate over those 25 years how many students we’ve employed who have used this job to work their way through college. It has to be well over a thousand kids.”

The recently renovated retail store is still downtown in the original location at 313 E. Grand River Ave. In 2007 they moved the kitchen production facilities and offices to a building in Lansing where all of their tasty concoctions are created and produced. The addition of handmade Italian Gelato offers the area’s only large variety of the European treat.

When asked about new directions for the next 25 years, the discussion leads to the many “Ice Cream on the Move” events in which the company is involved, including the upcoming E. Lansing Arts Festival, Folk Festival, Jazz and Blues Festivals and a variety of Air Shows. They are also expanding their involvement in a vast number of off-site events with their fully outfitted ice cream concession trailer and fleet of ice cream carts.

Most importantly, the 25th anniversary marks a time for Melting Moments to show appreciation to all of their loyal customers. “We actually have children of folks that grew up eating cookie sandwiches at MSU events coming into our store,” said Geovjian.

Mark would like to invite the entire community to the “Quarter Century of Good Taste” celebration at Patriarch Park June 7th from 3-6pm. There will be fun and games for the whole family but most importantly free ice cream for all!

 

“Life is good…there’s ice cream.”





Blimpie Subs & Salads – S. Pennsylvania

22 05 2009
  • 6030 S. Pennsylvania Avenue #11
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 393-5477
  • Website
  • Menu
Blimpie Subs & Salads on South Pennsylvania in Lansing.

Blimpie Subs & Salads on South Pennsylvania in Lansing.

We had to kick off our Memorial Day weekend with a few errands before J went to work.  Everything we needed to do, we could do on the south side of town, so there was no need to go out to Delta Township.  The thing with staying close to home is that we are running out of new places to eat lunch.  There are definitely a few places that we have been making repeat visits to, but tyring something new is always more fun. 

One of the places we haven’t tried is Blimpie in the strip mall at the corner of Pennsylvania and Miller.  In fact, neither one of us had ever eaten at a Blimpie.  J didn’t even realize it was there and she goes by it everyday on her way to work.  I see the signs near the road for $5 12 inch subs and I’ve seen some pretty good specials at other stores.  J said she just wanted a sandwich anyway, so we went to check out a new place.

Blimpie is set up like most sub sandwich shops.  They have an assembly line counter with three ladies who made different parts of your sandwich.  The first lady cuts the meat.  She has a deli slicer in front of her and they cut the meat to order.  The next lady puts the toppings on.  There’s not as many options as some of their competitors, but they still have the most popular items.  The third lady took care of drinks and the cash register. Read the rest of this entry »





Biggby Coffee – Frandor

22 05 2009
  • 1429 W. Saginaw St. #100
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 324-7007
  • Website
  • Menu
Biggby Coffee in East Lansing near the Frandor Shopping Center.

Biggby Coffee in East Lansing near the Frandor Shopping Center.

After my last trip to Starbucks, I’m sure you all know how I feel about the place.  If you missed that review, I’m not a fan.  I don’t like coffee anyway, so my opinion on the subject doesn’t really matter.  J’s not the kind of person that can’t function without coffee, but she does enjoy the occasional after meal mocha.  Since we ate dinner at Lou & Harry’s Grill & Bakery and there was a Biggby around the corner, she wanted to stop and get a drink.

You all know the Beaner’s/Biggby story better than I do, so I won’t even get into it.  There are several East Lansing locations.  This location is right on the Lansing/East Lansing line in a strip mall between Saginaw and Grand River. The Biggby faces Saginaw Street, but it’s accessible from both roads.

The store isn’t huge, but it is typical of the franchise.  The thing I absolutely love about Biggby is how they adapt to their surroundings.  They don’t tear buildings down and put up the same pretentious building on every street corner.  I like that they use the available space and, in some cases, blend right into the fabric of the community.  This store is in a strip mall, so it’s not anything super unique, but it’s still a Biggby.  Read the rest of this entry »