A Treasure Map

While seeking out locally-inspired Christmas presents for my family, I came across "Mim's Map Guide to the Traverse Region." It's a fold-out map of Traverse City and the surrounding area, dotted with a wealth of suggested destinations, from lakeshore beaches to eclectic markets, artists' studios, restaurants, and peninsula wineries, all collected by a longtime resident.

About Traverse City, Mim writes:

"This small city of 14,400 reminds many of a minature, more sedate Ann Arbor. An increasingly liberal, affluent populace has spawned many good restaurants, creative shops, a fabulous library, & a vibrant and interesting downtown."

Since she mentions all the places I already find interesting, I look forward to following this treasure map to new discoveries. For instance, once the sidewalks are clear enough for long-ranging walks again, I'll have to go searching for #52 in the TC section: "Knotted Trees. To mark trails, Indians twisted saplings into a knot that eventually left a bulging path-pointer in the mature tree. One remains near sidewalk at 427 Washington St."

Browsing through the September issue of National Geographic Adventure in the dentist's office the other day, I noticed that TC also scored a mention on the list of "Next Great Adventure Towns." After thinking long and hard about where to call home, it's nice to know others agree that it's a good choice. But I hope it doesn't mean hordes more people will soon come to the same conclusion!