Alex Young and Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor
He’s up at 6 a.m., tending to the tomato crop by 6:30, coaching a work crew about fences for new livestock at 7, beginning the […]
U.S.
Indy via Segway, in White River State Park
For years I’ve been a master at avoiding the Segway. Those little helmet-headed drivers would look pretty dorky, I decided, if their sets of wheels […]
Traverse City: new uses for insane asylum
Sunshine, fresh air, beauty as therapy, physical exercise through work: These were crucial components of mental health treatment in the mid 1800s, and Dr. Thomas […]
Wisconsin Feargrounds: frightful fun
Tim Gavinski’s livelihood depends upon what happens during 14 days of frightening work this month. He has built a production that requires 152 paid actors […]
Little Lanesboro’s slogan: Live local, live well
Engrave your name on a brick or add it to the back of an auditorium seat: That’s how a lot of nonprofit enterprises raise money. […]
North House Folk School in Grand Marais
Forty miles southwest of the border with Canada, a Minnesota village of 1,400 overlooks a shore of near-paradise, its foundation hardy in character and nostalgic […]
German heritage strong in New Ulm, Minn.
Forces of nature brought me to New Ulm, Minn., for an overnight that I didn’t expect to be pretty. Tornado-level winds and blinding rain had […]
Mackinac Island: a study of high horsepower
Most people who visit Michigan’s Mackinac Island come for just a few hours, so they’re more likely to study fudge shops and fort history than […]
Cornucopia, Bayfield County, buffing it up?
Thanks to a “road closed” sign, my route into town changes abruptly. First it’s farmland, then woods, while navigating from roads of concrete to dirt […]
Fairfield, Iowa: Full of influences from India
I dunk a wedge of focaccia into the day’s soup – Bogota Potato, spiced with a mild curry – at Revelations Cafe and Bookstore, while […]
Off-the-grid living: Fern Hollow, Decorah
Fresh flowers show up in a half-dozen containers. Gingersnaps cover a fancy ceramic plate. A jar of mint-flavored water chills in the refrigerator. I read […]
Iowa State Fair: good contests and cookin’
We’re deep into fair weather, throughout the Midwest, but only one state fair nationwide makes the cut in the 2003 bestseller “1,000 Places to See […]