Discover St. Joseph

There are two great public locations in St Joseph devoted to the arts, the Krasl Art Center (which I've mentioned numerous times on this blog) and the Box Factory for the Arts . We've been to the Box Factory several times now and I'm at a loss to explain why I haven't written about it before. But, evidently I haven't. The Box Factory is currently hosting an exhibit that has me all excited. It's called, SHOOT!, and it's an all-photography exhibit... a first for the Box Factory. The Box Factory is dedicated to featuring local artists from Berrien County and Michiana and this exhibit features photographers from Berrien County and Michiana. And the best part of it, in my opinion, is that it's an "open" show. In this case "open" means it's not a juried show, your art work doesn't have to be judged as "good enough" to be a part of the show. It's open to all levels of photographers from those using cell-phone came...

Who likes to eat? raise your hand. Good. I see many raised hands out there! Well, here's a special treat for you, a 4.5 star restaurant review. :-) I'm not a food critic, we all know that. But I like to eat and I like to appreciate the dining experience, whether it's a picnic on a beach or fine dining at an upscale eatery. Today's review is for the later, an upscale eatery. This is the club house for Harbor Shores, the golf course, and the home of The Grille at Harbor Shores, the restaurant. D, L, Jo and I dined there last Sunday and it was a very pleasurable experience. Let me share that experience with you in words and photos. The decor in The Grille is a perfect balance of elegant and casual so that you'd feel comfortable in there dressed in khakis and a polo shirt after a round of golf or in a suit and tie/dress for a special occasion. The colors are fresh and a tad nautical, a nod no doubt to nearby Lake Michigan. The look is a little clubsy with the da...

It's not like you need to search for water fun outside of St Joseph. After all, St Joseph has 3 beaches on Lake Michigan within the city limits. And it has the Whirlpool Fountain for those who are so inclined. And of course you can learn to surf and kite board at the Third Coast Surf Shop . And let's not forget that you can rent a kayak at Outpost Sports and play in Lake Michigan's waves. So there are lots of options for water play right in St Joseph. But let's just say you wanted to try something different... ... like white water rafting! Where would you go... Colorado? Kentucky? Virginia? What about South Bend, Indiana? Now I'm not saying that the rafting in South Bend is equal to what you'd find in Colorado, or Kentucky, or Virginia, but I'm suggesting that you can have a lot of run rafting much closer to Michigan. South Bend, Indiana has a rafting/kayaking course called the East Race Waterway. It's right in the heart of downtown South Bend w...

It's as if the lake is poised and waiting for the sunbathers, sailboaters, and swimmers. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional beginning of the summer season and the time when everyone's thoughts turn to the beach. We have one of the best, here in St Joseph. It was bare of beach goers this morning but then it is just Friday and many are still at work waiting for the weekend to begin. The weather forecast is for a very hot weekend (temps near or above 90 all three days) but the lake water is still quite cold (upper 50s). Whether you are a beach lover or not, there is plenty happening in St Joseph this weekend. The Senior PGA Championship is being held at Harbor Shores this weekend. The community has been abuzz about this event for months now. Yesterday was the first of the four days of the tournament. The picture above was taken this morning showing the leader board after yesterday's rounds. The golfers were at it again today with much more pleasant weather (very...

Pretty much everyone has heard of Black Friday. And many people have heard of Cyber Monday. But "Small Business Saturday" is a new retail campaign that's just getting started. I'm a big fan of Small Business Saturday because I believe in buying local and supporting the Michigan economy. So yesterday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I went shopping. Locally. I'd been meaning to get out to see The Christmas Tree shop in Benton Harbor for some time now but I just never made time to do it. Until yesterday. Yesterday I made a point of driving out to The Christmas Tree shop to see what the store had to offer. I already have my Christmas tree up and decorated. The theme is "St Joseph". I have lots of nautical and carousel ornaments, a few Chicago, St Joseph, and Saugatuck ornaments, a handful of beachy ornaments, and a nice collection of glass balls to add to the mix. I'm always on the lookout for more ornaments in keeping with my theme and that's wh...

Last evening D and I had the pleasure of dining at St Joseph's newest restaurant, RyeBelles. It opened last week and this is the first opportunity we had to check it out. RyeBelles is located at 518 Broad Street, on the 2nd level just above Bloomies and Cabanas. You enter here and can take the stairs or the elevator to the second floor. RyeBelles is on the right and the Cassava Restaurant is on the left. As soon we entered the restaurant we were greeted by the hostess and seated immediately. The first thing we noticed about RyeBelles was that it's a "bring your date" restaurant not a "bring your kids" spot. The place is tastefully decorated in a subtle, dark, intimate way. With its black ceiling, dark wood walls, and dim lighting (we arrived just at 5pm as they were dimming the lights), it sets the mood for a relaxed dining experience. And in the middle of the room, making a statement by taking up most of the room, is the bar. We were seate...