Grand Rapids: The City that Has It All

6 Comments

Tonight, I was updating my interests on my Facebook profile, and out of curiosity, tested the automatic link that is under "Current City," and was directed to a Facebook/Wikipedia page for Grand Rapids that included the history of the city, along with demographics, population, industry, economy and cultural information.

Can I just take a minute to say that I am so thankful for a city that has...

A strong arts base (GR Symphony, Ballet and Opera, various art museums and galleries, and of course, now ArtPrize)
A booming medical industry (Think Medical Mile's cancer and heart centers)
Several higher education institutions (Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, Calvin College, Cornerstone University, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College, etc.)
Numerous types of media organizations (I counted 61, which includes newspapers -- The Grand Rapids Press, of course -- TV and radio stations and online publications)
Four Christian publishing houses (Zondervan, Baker, Eerdmans and Kregel)
Plenty of museums (for art and area history/culture)
A million good places to eat (And now we have Restaurant Week, which I get to go to this week!)
Rising film opportunities (Festivals and film offices alike)
Beautiful scenery (Go to Belknap Lookout at night.)
Tons of festivals throughout the year (Festival of the Arts, Hispanic Festival, Celebration on the Grand, etc.)
Concerts to attend (Meijer Gardens venue is the prettiest, Van Andel attracts national acts, and MixTape, Orbit Room and The Intersection book the smaller/local/up-and-coming bands)
Authors to see (This week I am going to see Stephen Prothero lecture on his new book, "God Is Not One" at GRCC's Diversity Lecture Series. Prothero is a professor of religion at Boston University and recently was featured on The Colbert Report.)
So many different neighborhoods to visit (Hint: Heritage Hill, Eastown, East Hills, Belknap-Monroe, for starters)

I think I'll stay here. :)

About Post Author

Rachel E. Watson

I think, read and write. I might mull on music, spin original poems, share insights or tell stories, but you can be sure whatever you read here comes from a thoughtful and considered place within.

6 comments:

Pam Elmore said...: Great list -- thanks for this, Rachel! :); November 10, 2010 at 3:33 PM
Adam said...: You're right, this is a good city and getting better. I think downtown has changed a lot since I was in high school in the late 20th century :)

I have to add one thing I'm thankful for in this city: a group of locally-based social media experts who are always eager to learn, discuss, and share their knowledge: Grand Rapids Social Marketing http://grsml.wordpress.com/; November 13, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Adam said...: Oops, my link to GRSM's blog didn't work. Here: grsml.wordpress.com.; November 13, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Rachel E. Watson said...: Thanks Adam. :); November 13, 2010 at 11:38 PM
faeriechylde said...: I know this was an old post, but I just happened to see it and had to say, "You are so right!" I'm proud to consider Grand Rapids my home-town. (Although Traverse City isn't so bad either...).
~Becca; April 15, 2011 at 5:57 PM
Rachel E. Watson said...: I like TC, too. But GR is my sweet spot. :); April 20, 2011 at 7:51 PM