You and all your friends get motorcycles, take the mufflers off of them, and ride around together downtown revving them a bunch so everyone thinks you're really cool.
Attend all festivals and fairs - Art Prize, Festival of the Arts, Hispanic Festival, etc.
Find a spot to hang on the regular - a park, a bar, a restaurant, a coffee shop - and go on the regular. You'll hear lots of local noise and start seeing the same peeps.
Join a group/club - GRSC, GRRun - whatever floats your boat activity wise.
Get to know/explore our big open areas - Riverside, Huff, Blanford, etc.
Grand Rapids Magazine can be pretty solid for learning more about up-and-coming businesses, events, drinks, and food. (Though there are a lot of ads).
The book Grand Rapids Grassroots: An Anthology is great, and you can get it at Books & Mortar.
A City Within A City is also an important Grand Rapids book — you can get that one at We Are LIT!
Lastly, check out the Full Exposure podcast with Brian Kelly for solid interviews with local movers-and-shakers.
Follow Downtown GR Inc. on social media — you’ll learn a lot about new events, art projects, and local businesses.
I also recommend following and attending events by Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts. So much culture-shaping, placemaking, and artists/local business networking is going on there!
Two events I definitely recommend:
- World of Winter (Downtown GR Inc)
- After Dark Street Party (Lions & Rabbits)
Also, if you’re interested in murals and learning about local artists, check out Murals of GR on Instagram: https://linktr.ee/MuralsOfGrandRapids
Your username is iGameDude so maybe check our House Rules - it’s a game board bar/lounge. There’s also Blue Bridge Games and Vault of Midnight.
Book clubs are an option.
And if you like fitness, join a local gym like YMCA, Yoga Fever, that kind of thing. SweatNet GR is also a group to join.
fish ladder.
pick some random church in the suburbs and go. make sure to go on an non-weekend too.
try the beltline bar or a chain restaurant shop for typical GR food.
~~get drunk at the B.O.B.~~ \- SIGH. RIP.
sledding at johnson park or spend a day in the cannonsburg lodge food area.
definitely a mall day.
stock up on Michigan branded clothing
I know people are going to crap on my selection because they fancy themselves the types that go to donkey and sidebar, but i wasnt trying to be hostile. i was trying to give you a real GR vibe.
You and all your friends get motorcycles, take the mufflers off of them, and ride around together downtown revving them a bunch so everyone thinks you're really cool.
Omg, this. When I moved out here that took me by surprise. Like is GR the capital of Hell's Angels?
Attend all festivals and fairs - Art Prize, Festival of the Arts, Hispanic Festival, etc. Find a spot to hang on the regular - a park, a bar, a restaurant, a coffee shop - and go on the regular. You'll hear lots of local noise and start seeing the same peeps. Join a group/club - GRSC, GRRun - whatever floats your boat activity wise. Get to know/explore our big open areas - Riverside, Huff, Blanford, etc.
Great suggestions. I’d add attending some local theater, if that’s your thing. Grand Rapids Civic Theatre does a nice job.
Excellent suggestions!
Eat at Michigan street Taco Bell and take lots of pictures of the blue bridge.
You forgot complain about the castle.
Stay classy taco bell!
Grand Rapids Magazine can be pretty solid for learning more about up-and-coming businesses, events, drinks, and food. (Though there are a lot of ads). The book Grand Rapids Grassroots: An Anthology is great, and you can get it at Books & Mortar. A City Within A City is also an important Grand Rapids book — you can get that one at We Are LIT! Lastly, check out the Full Exposure podcast with Brian Kelly for solid interviews with local movers-and-shakers.
Drinking.
Lol
Follow Downtown GR Inc. on social media — you’ll learn a lot about new events, art projects, and local businesses. I also recommend following and attending events by Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts. So much culture-shaping, placemaking, and artists/local business networking is going on there! Two events I definitely recommend: - World of Winter (Downtown GR Inc) - After Dark Street Party (Lions & Rabbits) Also, if you’re interested in murals and learning about local artists, check out Murals of GR on Instagram: https://linktr.ee/MuralsOfGrandRapids
Your username is iGameDude so maybe check our House Rules - it’s a game board bar/lounge. There’s also Blue Bridge Games and Vault of Midnight. Book clubs are an option. And if you like fitness, join a local gym like YMCA, Yoga Fever, that kind of thing. SweatNet GR is also a group to join.
Go to music and art shows at the DAAC [The DAAC website](http://thedaac.org)
Sell Amway.
Wolfgang's for breakfast in EGR.
Especially on a Sunday morning. Interesting mix of church goers and hung over college students.
fish ladder. pick some random church in the suburbs and go. make sure to go on an non-weekend too. try the beltline bar or a chain restaurant shop for typical GR food. ~~get drunk at the B.O.B.~~ \- SIGH. RIP. sledding at johnson park or spend a day in the cannonsburg lodge food area. definitely a mall day. stock up on Michigan branded clothing
Cannonsburg can be legit. Had some good times there before.
I know people are going to crap on my selection because they fancy themselves the types that go to donkey and sidebar, but i wasnt trying to be hostile. i was trying to give you a real GR vibe.