ETCETERA

O

NIGHT CAP

Through the Land of Craft Beer, Jesus and Family Fun

a

Scenic stops not to be missed along the 1-94 Detroit-to-Chicago route.

By Reva Nelson

Thankfully, I've never had occasion to hear the follow-
Tim not going to lie to you: We are not road-trip people.
ing uttered from the service station PA system: "Reva
Packing up the car and exiting the house for the open
Nelson, your shower is ready."
highway is perhaps our most direct route to marital
Of course, the drive comes complete with its own read-
discord. Inevitably, someone's beloved attachment object
ing pleasure, too: roadside billboards. As best I can tell,
gets forgotten.Then there's that pesky last-minute search
the battle for the hearts and souls of 1-94 drivers has two
for the kids' DVDs.
distinct sides: Jesus devotees, with their hand-painted
For many years, we considered the 284-mile stretch of
"Jesus saves" signs and mega-churches, and the late-night
Interstate-94 from Chicago to Detroit as merely a means
Asian "health spa" crowd.
to an end, trying to make the fastest time without getting
But the more seasoned we have become with the route,
ticketed (damn you, Indiana, for your 55 mph speed limit
the more we venture off it (in no small part thanks to our
and omnipresent police officers lying in wait).
trusty GPS). It's what is off the freeway, and out of the fray,
Occasionally we would caravan to Detroit from Chicago
that we like best about this trip.
with our other then-exiled friends (shout-out to the Kleins,
GPS enabled, we've found a playground in New Buffalo
Freedlands, Loewenthals, Slaims and Polakoffs). These
where the kids can play at the public beach before stop-
tandem trips — choreographed with messages passed
ping for dinner at Brewster's (Exit 1; 11 West Merchant St.).
through various tollbooth attendants — included a pre-
We, too, now have a favorite antique dealer in Michigan
scribed stop at a certain soulless Arby's in Paw Paw.
City, Ind. (Exit 34B; 3707 Front-
Left to our own devices, my
age Road), where we envi-
husband Dan and I didn't have
sion how great the antiques
any real traditions about the
would look piled with our
trip, though there was a cer-
kids' endless toys. This, while
tain TA gas station in Sawyer,
warning
the boys,"Don't touch
Mich., which fascinated us for
anything!"
a time.
I'd be remiss if I didn't also
For those of you who don't
include the pursuit of good
know the pleasure of the TA,
Michigan beer that has found
it's a virtual small town under
its way into our trips, cour-
one roof (albeit, a town where
tesy
of Dan's new-found love
neither I, nor anyone I know,
for craft beer; much of it is
would want to call home).
conveniently located within a
You can buy snacks, apparel,
couple of miles of 1-94. (We get
plumbing parts, home decor
a
growler to go since we are
— all emblazoned with a
driving.)
classy Budweiser logo — and
Dark Horse Brewery in Mar-
more. You can even take a
Dan Kaplan and Reva Nelson with their two boys, Levi and Izzy.
shall (Exit 85; 511 S. Kalama :
shower.

zoo Ave.) is our fave. The place has the charming feel of
a small-town dive bar -- in the best possible way. Bell's
in Kalamazoo (355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.) has surprisingly
yummy veggie sandwiches, too.
Arcadia Ales (Exit 98B; 103 W. Michigan Ave., in Battle
Creek) is slated for a future trip. Rumor has it they have
good brick-oven pizza, but I can neither confirm nor deny.
I'd tell you our picks for Indiana brew pubs, but I'm still
too bitter about a certain speeding ticket and that state's
extortionist fees.
The drive can be drudgerous, no doubt. But if we time it
just right and the weather cooperates, catching the sunset
over Lake Michigan is worth far more than the time for the
brief detour, speeding tickets notwithstanding. RT

REVA NELSON is a freelance writer who lives in Chicago with her

husband, Dan Kaplan, a psychologist, and their two sons, Levi and lzzy.

She is originally from Southfield.

Share your favorite road trip stops with Red Thread.
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