I met up with friends for a weekend in Bay City, Michigan at the very end of August. Last year in August I was at my first every Bay City Rollers fan gathering to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the band visiting Bay City. This year, there was a casual get together with a handful of people.
We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City Riverfront – right downtown and right by the water. I paid a little extra for a river view and would do it again without hesitation.
Friday Night
Friday evening we met up and went to The Wanigan Eatery for dinner. We had two-fisted sandwiches, sat on the outside porch, listened to acoustic music, and caught up on life and old times.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a We Love Bay City mural. Thank you, Paula, for telling us about this mural and snapping a bunch of pix.
If you’re in Bay City, the mural is at the cross streets of Lafayette Avenue and Broadway Streets in the parking lot of Bud Brothers Cannibis Co.
We had to get a few photos of ourselves in, too
My friend Jan thinks this one looks like a 1960s album cover.
Saturday we walked to the Historical Museum of Bay County to visit the Bay City Rollers display with photos, Derek Longmuir’s key to the city, and the legendary handprints.
The museum is the home of the Michigan Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We watched a twenty-minute excerpt from a documentary still being produced called, “We’re Going To Rock! The Birth of Michigan Rock & Roll.”
Some of the group went off to ride the Bay Boat Lines guided cruise. I stuck around to look at the other exhibits and to watch “Smelly Little Town” another twenty-minute film that details Bay City’s complicated relationship with pop-star Madonna who was born in the city. And then I went shopping!
My Secret Garden
The weekend in Bay City wouldn’t be complete without stopping at two of my favorite stores.
I love My Secret Garden because it’s so eclectic that it’s hard to describe. And if you’re not in the area, they have a website, an app, and Facebook live sales.
In late August there were already Halloween decorations. I loved the Addams Family display.
Here are some more quick shots from inside the store.
This coaster made me laugh out loud.
To be fair, once I got to the clearance clothing rack, I stopped taking pictures and started digging. I left with a nice haul and some *very* tasty chocolate.
I didn’t take pictures of my next stop because again, there was too much looking to be bothered.
Another store I stop at is Uptown Girl. The women’s clothing store has beautiful clothes and quite a nice clearance rack. You’d better believe I left with some things from there, too.
Saturday Night
Saturday night we caught an early dinner at Retro Rocks. The restaurant has a “retro” theme with black and white photos of rock musicians on the walls and music videos playing. After dinner some of the group went to Wenonah Park to see Tommy Tutone, Paul Young, and Rick Springfield. I was exhausted and hung out in the hotel room.
The hotel was tremendously busy all weekend with two or three weddings going on during the weekend and one quinceanera. This is what I saw outside of the room: both a wedding and a quinceanera photoshoot happening simultaneously.
Additionally, the concert was happening just to the right of that parking lot. So even in the hotel, I got to listen to the music. Thank goodness I was a big music fan in the 80s because I knew most of the songs.
I relaxed, listened to the music, read a book, and watched the sun go down on another wonderful weekend in Bay City.
If you’re in the area, we’re planning to meet up again – same weekend, same hotel.
