Thursday, May 17, 2012
I thought I wanted to ditch the big ride – until I drove a loaded 2012 Chevy Suburban.
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. Here’s the thing: I thought I was ready to ditch the big ride. I thought I was looking for something more compact — well, as compact as you can get while loading four kids and all their stuff. I thought those things until I drove a loaded 2012 Chevy Suburban. Two days in the Suburban rekindled my passion for extra large cars (and big hair bands, too, courtesy of SiriusXM Radio). When I drove my giant custom van into the parking lot of Matthews-Hargreaves Chevrolet in Royal Oak, I admit I got what is becoming a familiar twinge of nerves. Like I’m going on yet another first date. Will they like me? Will I like them? Before I jumped down out of …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Prize winner the Rev. Dona Gilsdorf of Birmingham is a mother figure for many people at her Rochester ministry. Share your photo and stories of mom today, too.
We asked you to tell us why your mom (or grandma or mother figure) is so special in anticipation of Mother's Day and you shared stories and photos that made us laugh and cry. Congratulations to our three winners (chosen at random): Maureen Krasner of Grosse Pointe Farms: Kranser was nominated by her husband, Charles, who said: "Whether we're hiking, biking, picking blueberries, playing in the sand or relaxing at home, Maureen (Mo, Mom) is happy wherever we are as a family. A phenomenal mother, wife and friend, she's always ready to dig in for fun and adventure." Krasner wins dinner at The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake. The Rev. Dona Gilsdorf of Birmingham: Gilsdorf, pastor at Unity Church of Rochester, was nominated by Danielle Boes…
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Maples’ Spencer Eick tops Berkley’s Stephanie Miller in biggest athlete of the week contest ever!
Seaholm’s Spencer Eick won the Patch Athlete of the Week title for April 30-May 4 in one of the biggest weeks of voting yet. The Maples baseball player picked up nearly 7,500 votes after a week of unscientific polling among Patch readers in Oakland County, or 41 percent of the total votes cast (18,158). He edged out Stephanie Miller from Berkley High School, who also received strong support. The Bears’ soccer player had 40 percent of the votes (7,337). Eick came out on top after strong week at the plate for Seaholm. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles, four RBI and three runs in a 14-3 mercy rule win over Berkley last Friday. A day earlier, he helped the Maples avoid getting swept in a doubleheader against Harrison with a home run and two …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
We have some seats on the tour of Metro Detroit Coney Island Restaurants to give away. The contest closes at noon Friday, May 11, so enter now!
What's your favorite coney island restaurant? Tell us below in comments and you could win a ticket to a coney island bus tour Saturday, May 12. You can join authors of the new book Coney Detroit — Joe Grimm of Bloomfield Township and Katherine Yung of Brighton — on a bus tour by D:Hive Detroit of Metro Detroit for a tasting of their favorite coney island hot dogs. Patch is also sponsoring the tour. The tour runs 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and includes samplings of coneys at the restaurants where the bus stops. The tour will visit some coney local treasures – including a stop at Dearborn restaurant Joe's Top Dog Coney Island – home of the Jim Padilla Special, named for the former Ford Motor Co. president. Also included is a stop at a Greek …
This meal of steak frites and truffle fries was heightened by time spent people-watching on Toast's patio.
Toast is one of my favorite go-to places around town: it's upscale enough for guests but still casual, they've got a great patio and great food. Which is why when it came to enjoying an early dinner on a beautiful Birmingham Friday night, I headed to Toast where I was able to immediately snag a seat on the sidewalk and enjoy this meal: steak frites and truffle fries. Talk about delicious: I want something slightly decadent and this definitely fit the bill. Should I be embarrassed to admit I used every one of my truffle fries to sop up the steak's red wine reduction sauce? Because I did. Plus, what's better than people-watching on Pierce Street on a Friday night in May? I can't think of many.
42.546059
-83.214953
Toast Birmingham
203 Pierce St, Birmingham, MI
/articles/best-thing-we-ate-this-week-bistro-dinner
711937
/locations/6973889
This minivan is a smart person's car. But am I ready for that?
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. Who says boring isn’t cool? OK, I said that, just a couple days ago. But after driving a Honda Odyssey I realized boring still isn’t cool, but smart is. And the Odyssey is a smart person’s car. This week I headed over to Honda Bloomfield to test drive an Odyssey. Here’s the thing: I know a few Honda people. You probably know Honda people, too. People who swear there is nothing better than a Honda. People that are practical. People that are serious. People that read the safety reports before shopping for a car. People that are, well, kind of boring. I like to think of myself as more of an edgy, fun, cool kind of chick (that’s why I drive a …
Upload a photo of your mom and tell us why she's special – and you can win dinner or a gift certificate. But do it by noon today!
Have you entered Patch's Mother's Day contest yet? If you want to show your mom how special she is and get the chance to win a prize, you'll need to enter our contest by noon Thursday. You just might win dinner at The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake – the Detroit Free Press' Restaurant of the Year – or a $50 gift card at Metals in Time in Royal Oak that we're giving away to moms who touch the lives of readers in our 29 Michigan Patch communities. All you have to do is upload a photo of your mom or mother figure and tell us why she's the best. But don't do it here! Visit our contest page to officially enter. Happy Mother's Day!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Chain executives consider teen-friendly policy at some theaters – eventually.
“Watch the screen” seems like an unneeded instruction for moviegoers. But which screen? The topic of texting in theaters sparked lively debate last week at CinemaCon, an industry gathering in Las Vegas. “Several prominent industry figures seemed to endorse the idea that ... it might be time to relax prohibitions against texting in theaters,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Teens are “accustomed to controlling their existence,” notes the head of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, Greg Foster. Cell bans make some “feel a little handcuffed,” he added. Entertainment columnist Patrick Goldstein of the Times, calling himself “a purist” on this issue, worries that “Americans almost never resist technological change." He expects chains eventually will …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The story of a returned iPhone got this editor thinking: let's talk about the good things going on in Birmingham.
Sometimes the news can get depressing, including the news on the Birmingham Patch. However, we want you to be happy reading Birmingham Patch. And so the story of a lost iPHone, returned despite a rainy day and the temptation not to care, is inspiring us to ask you: what are your good news stories about Birmingham? These stories can be as simple as a friendly face on a bad day, a jogger who helped chase down your loose dog, or a lawyer on his lunch break, pulling someone out of traffic downtown. We kick off this series with the story shared by Dearnborn Heights resident Ina Fernandez. Fernandez, a financial analyst with Liberty Capital Management, was meeting a friend for lunch at Toast last week when she realized she lost her iPhone …
42.546059
-83.214953
Toast Birmingham
203 Pierce St, Birmingham, MI
/articles/birmingham-patch-is-looking-for-your-positive-thoughts
711937
/locations/6950578
I didn't see it coming, but I fell hard for the oh-so-polarizing crossover. Not only did it fit my family, but it awoke a rebellious spirit that was repressed years ago — all from a three-hour test drive.
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. I learned a few things with my first test drive: captain's chairs are important, my kids are kind of annoying in giant old vans as well as brand new shiny cars and I haven’t lost my inner rebel. Oh, and this: the Ford Flex is a pretty great ride. In my quest to research and shop for a new ride (and chronicle the adventure for Patch readers along the way), I took my first potential "next ride" for a test drive this week. Here's how it went. I was and still am way out of my comfort zone. Car dealerships have always made me nervous. What I am about to say goes against every feminist bone in my body: I was hoping the salesperson would be a woman. …
R Jeppostol
3:53 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Nice Work! enjoyed reading this piece. more ›