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Tags: College Football Travel / Sports Travel / Football Travel / Sports / → All Tags

Football Rivalry Travel: Buckeyes And Wolverines Ready To Rumble

Professional football has arrived and the World Series is pretty cool, but more importantly for some, college football is going strong. Here’s the scoop on just one of the country’s best rivalries to help your sports travel planning.

· Rivalry Match-Up: The Ohio State University at The University of Michigan on November 21
These two schools hate one another even though the teams aren’t as competitive as they used to be. Let’s just say they are both in a rebuilding period—especially Michigan. The teams have been battling it out since the 1930s, with the winner of the game often winning the Big Ten Conference and heading out to the Rose Bowl. Some even refer to this rivalry as simply The Game, so it’s pretty clear that this is a big one. Ohio State has won the last five games in a row, but Wolverine fans can always hope that this is their year to take home the win.

Stadium Info and tips on where to sleep and party, after the jump.

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Tags: Five-Bad-Rap-Cities / Bad Rap Cities / Detroit Travel / Urban Travel / → All Tags

Five Cities With a Bad Rap: Detroit, The Motor City

Some locales can’t seem to shake their less-than-sparkling reputations despite efforts to lock away the skeletons of yesterday. We’ve decided to highlight five of these Bad Rap Cities that are making moves to shed their grimy and gritty images in hopes of becoming more tourist-friendly. Maybe, just maybe, after reading this series you'll be willing to take a chance on them. Enjoy.

Bad Rap City: Detroit

Why Go?
Despite the auto industry’s depressed state, the Motor City has plenty of bright spots. This is Motown, so soul permeates the streets as well as an admirable air of survival. Even Hollywood has infiltrated the city, filming shows like HBO’s "Hung," and making movies like "Red Dawn" and "Gran Torino" on its streets.

People are passionate here, especially when it involves politics and sports, and they don’t apologize for their opinions. Yes, Detroit is a bit messy-- one street can sport beautiful new buildings, but a block away lies a condemned property awaiting its fate--either remodel or eternal eyesore.

Those still raising their eyebrows over Detroit are usually older folks still channeling 1967 riot memories or referring to neighborhoods where tourists wouldn’t visit anyway unless they were courting trouble. And the tales of government corruption? Meh. Unless you plan on moving there, it’s nothing the average visitor would experience. Our advice? Ignore the naysayers and head to Michigan.

After all, a place that counts Aretha Franklin, Madonna and Robert Frost as natives can’t be all that bad.

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Tags: Airport-WiFi-Map / Airport WiFi / DTW / Detroit Travel / Delta / Boingo / → All Tags

Detroit Airport Might Be Spacious And Pretty, But The WiFi Sucks

Update: Ok fine, so as the DTW rep points out in the comments, Boingo is available in both terminals. But our own experience convinced us otherwise, and we recommend checking out the Airport WiFi map (click the icon to the right) to note that most airports tagged have free Wifi; something DTW should think about if they can afford the snazziness evident elsewhere.

We may have told you time and time again about the wonders of Detroit's Wayne Country Airport, but despite the very cool in-terminal monorail and relaxing LED light tunnel, Detroit is not as down with technology as you think.

In particular we refer to their Airport WiFi situation, which is sad to say the least. They've had internet in their Smith terminal since 2004, but with that terminal currently sitting empty Detroit has had to equip the rest of the airport. These days, you can log into the 'net from Delta/Northwest's McNamara Terminal only, and it's a Boingo frontier there.

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / Jaunted On Location / Detroit Travel / Boston Travel / BBQ Travel / → All Tags

Right Now, Detroit Is Good For Tom Cruise And Barbecue

Yesterday, some Detroit residents may have thought the city was under seize based on the number of military vehicles and debris in the streets, but it was all just part of the latest movie shoot happening in the city. They were filming an elaborate explosion scene near Woodward Ave and Mack Ave for "Red Dawn," a remake of the 1984 classic starring Patrick Swayze.

“Red Dawn” has been filming in Michigan since last month at various locations and will reportedly continue through the beginning of December. The cast is full of up and coming actors, like Connor Cruise, the adopted son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who, despite a hectic shooting schedule, has been spending most weekends with his dad in Boston. Other cast members include Chris Hemsworth ("Star Trek"), Josh Peck ("Drake & Josh"), and Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Night Lights").

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / Drew Barrymore / Michigan Travel / Movie Travel / → All Tags

'Whip It' Good In Michigan This Fall With Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore can officially add another job to her resume this weekend: Director. The actress is making her directorial debut in Whip It, about a young woman (played by Ellen Page) who finds her life's passion when she joins a local roller derby team. The movie is set in Texas but was filmed entirely in Michigan last year. Take a look at where to stay, where to eat and what to do in Michigan this fall to get into the true spirit of Whip It.

Where to Stay:
The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center is currently offering a weekend deal that includes a $100 Bonus Bucks coupon good toward any future two-night stay and $50 off a Hertz rental if you spend a Friday or Saturday night at the hotel this fall. Rates start around $166 a night, use the promo code V12 when booking online to get the deal.

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Tags: Top Chef Travel / Food Travel / Michigan Travel / Ann Arbor Travel / → All Tags

Top Chef's Eve Aronoff Brings The World To Your Plate In Ann Arbor

Even though Eve Aronoff's hopes of being named the next "Top Chef" were dashed on Episode Two, owing to a sub-par shrimp and avocado ceviche, the Ann Arbor chef still boasts an impressive résumé. A graduate of Paris' Le Cordon Bleu program, restauranteur in her own right, and cookbook author, she's known for bringing the world to the plate by fusing traditional French methods with exotic flavors.

Her restaurant, the appropriately named eve, opened in 2003 and reflects her worldly approach to cooking. Everything is seasonal and Slow Food Movement-approved, so expect ingredients to be sourced from the area's best farmers though her influences come from far flung corners of the world, including Africa, Cuba, and various Asian countries.

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Tags: Fall Foliage Travel / Fall Travel / Outdoor Travel / Michigan Travel / → All Tags

Michigan Budget Cuts May Cut Out Fall Foliage Hotlines

Remember when Michigan was spending all that money on their new travel campaign? Well, they may have spent too much on it, because money is starting to run out for other stuff. First, AAA Michigan had to shut down their annual fall color hotline due to budget cuts. Thankfully, Travel Michigan has picked up the slack, but they are facing their own budget deficit come October 1, so they might have to shut down their foliage hotline as well.

People may just be forced to drive around aimlessly and do their own research to find the best spots. However, the spokeswoman for the state’s tourism group thinks that Travel Michigan will be able to keep the hotline running. Unless there’s a total state shutdown, she thinks things will be safe from the axe.

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Tags: Travel Snapshot / Northwest Airlines / Delta / DTW / Airlines / → All Tags

Northwest Planes And Delta Red Dresses Spotted At Detroit-Metro

Yesterday morning, during our hop on a 6am flight from New York-LaGuardia to Detroit-Metro, we were once again confronted by the schizophrenia of the whole Delta/Northwest merger. Although the fancy McNamara terminal at DTW has been decked out in Delta regalia since before April, a few traces of the old red-and-grey still exist.

For instance, our DC-9 plane was still sporting the Northwest livery, as was this 747 jumbo jet pictured above, patiently sitting at a gate until a 12:35pm departure to Tokyo (it's no coincidence that the terminal's sushi bar is across from this gate). Aside from that, everything from the in-flight magazine to the Biscoff cookies were stamped with the Delta logo.

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Tags: Travel Advertising / Michigan Travel / Midwest Travel / → All Tags

Another $30 Million Spent In Making Michigan Look Pure

If you enjoy the Pure Michigan ads that the state's tourism agencies have been plastering everywhere, then we have good news for you! The Great Lakes State has just decided to dump an additional $30 million into the campaign, locking in another year of radio, print, and TV spots across the Midwest.

This costly campaign was first launched in 2006, but didn't garner national attention until Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm threw $45 million at it in 2008. Along the way it managed to earn accolades from organizations as diverse as Forbes.com and the Travel Industry Association of America. Pure Michigan's organizers have even managed to produce figures showing that every dollar they spend brings back more almost $3 in tax revenue.

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Tags: Tubing / Best Tubing Spots / Water Sports / Active Travel / → All Tags

Tube Flotilla Set To Travel 8 Miles Down Michigan River

If you’ve yawned at our best tubing spots so far, we’ll try to intrigue with something a little more exciting. The River Rat Society is prepping for their Second Annual Port Huron Float Down. It’s less a lazy tube drift and more like a hilarious adventure. Participants are welcomed (and encouraged) to hop into whatever floating device they have, whether it be tube, raft, or blow-up boat, and just head down the river.

This year’s event kicks off on Sunday, August 16, at 1:00 pm as sailors and floaters drift down the river from Port Huron, Michigan to Marysville. It’s a pretty far journey, about eight miles, and life jackets are required for anyone daring to make the trip. Although we’re thinking booze will help keep everyone warm, there are some warnings on the site about hypothermia—so this little jaunt isn’t necessarily as safe as the lazy river at the local water park.

The event is absolutely free to everyone, just BYO floating device. Be sure choose a good one that you can maneuver quickly; you’ll want to stay clear of the commercial traffic trying to get work done on the river. Keep your passport handy in one of those waterproof baggies, because if you float too far to one side of the water you’ll be entering Canada. You don’t want any trouble with the Mounties.

Related Stories:
· Port Huron Float Down [Official Site]
· Get Ready To Float Down The Hooch In Northeast Georgia [Jaunted]
· Tubing coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Twitter / Michael Jackson / Questlove / → All Tags

Even The Airports Were Tuned Into Michael Jackson's Memorial

Ok, we really don't want to discuss the Michael Jackson Memorial that went on today. We admit we got totally suckered into watching nearly the whole thing and there is just not enough time in the day or space on the internet to list all of what we have to say about that event.

BUT if we had to pick one moment, it would be when Brooke Shields addressed Michael's children by their names: Prince. Paris. Blanket. Moving on....

While we were trying our hardest to focus on the day's work at hand, it was plain to see that the rest of America could not escape the memorial. Not even at the airports. Questlove tells us that: "cats in detroit airport giving it up for @johncmayer" after John Mayer did his rendition of "Human Nature" at the memorial. Detroit, the birthplace of Motown, giving John Mayer props? Wow, Michael Jackson really was a uniting force.

Join the travel twitter conversation, follow us here.

Related Stories:
· We Are Genuinely Afraid for Downtown Los Angeles Tomorrow [Jaunted]

Tags: Dunkin' Donuts Alternatives / Donuts / Michigan Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Michigan Bakery Combines Donuts and Candy, Creates Cravings

Some of our Dunkin' Donuts Alternatives are old-school classic bakeries that aim to preserve the heritage of this humble dessert. Others are classy, high-end operations that demand the donut be taken seriously. And some turn out donuts that just do what they were originally intended to do—make people really freakin' happy.

Sweetwater's Donut Mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan clearly falls into the latter category. This 25-year-old donut shop is the kind of place that doesn't take itself too seriously, but still manages to earn rave reviews from far and wide. Their sugar-high treats include playful, candy-inspired varieties like peanut butter cup, carmello, snickers, and chocolate covered cherries—even some filled with marshmallow fluff.

Perhaps the best part is that this isn't the kind of bakery where you have to arrive before 11 am to get anything good. Nope, Sweetwater's is open 24 hours a day. For extra convenience, it even offers drive-thru service. Honestly, we're not sure if it's a good thing for America to have constantly available donuts this good, at a place we don't even have to leave our cars to get to—but you won't find us complaining.

Related Stories:
· Sweetwater's Donut Mill [Official Site]
· Get Dat Donut [Jaunted]
· Do-Nuts So Old School, They Won't Drop the Hyphen [Jaunted]

[Photo: jima]