The best time to see the ice sculptures

Now!  They are still in Kellogg Park.  It has been plenty cold so they haven’t melted or fallen apart.  Best of all there are no crowds!

I love this event, but there were so many people there Saturday — throngs bumping into and stepping on each other — I didn’t feel like I could see the sculptures, appreciate the work that went into them.

I did get a few pictures that I will post later.  But if you live in/near town, go check them out for yourself.

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Weather for the Ice Spectacular: Icy cold!

The Weather Channel (www.weather.com) says the high temperatures for Plymouth on Saturday and Sunday are around 15-16 degrees.

Past ice shows have been disappointing when warm weather has melted the sculptures.  All sorts of snow and ice is melting today. It’s a balmy 37 degrees now.

But the next two days there’s no fear of any melting.  It will be plenty cold, so bundle up.

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Can’t miss recommendations for an afternoon at the Ice Spectacular

If you’re coming from out of town or live in town but hadn’t planned out your visit to the ice sculpture show, may I recommend a few places for food and drinks?

If you’re going to be around in the morning and want breakfast, head over to Crawford’s Kitchen on Starkweather.   It’s not downtown so, on a cold day, you may not want to walk from there to the ice sculptures.  But it’s very close drive (too close to drive in nice weather) from downtown.  The food is fresh and prices are reasonable.  Crawford’s is on Starkweather, just north of Main Street, about a 1/4 mile east of the downtown area.  You’ll find it in Old Village.

For lunch (if you’re not counting calories), I cannot recommend highly enough The Burger Spot, which is downtown and only about block from Kellogg Park.  TBS has fantastic burgers and hot dogs and scrumptious (haven’t used that word in years) french fries. You will pay about a dollar to two dollars more per burger there than at a fast food joint, but the burgers are excellent with many varieties from which to choose.  If you’re feeding a family, just share a basket or two of fries.  They go along way. Here’s TBS’s website. http://www.burgerspot.net/

If you just want a nice cup of coffee or some hot chocolate to warm you up, head over to the Coffee Bean on Penniman, near Harvey.  It is only a block away from Ice Spectacular.  The Bean has been voted Detroit’s Best Coffee Shop and I couldn’t agree more.  The Bean will probably be busy.  But it’s worth the wait.  There are some chain coffee/bakery places downtown, but the coffee, in my opinion, is better at the Bean.  Besides, the local business would appreciate your support.  Here’s the Bean’s webpage. http://www.plymouthcoffeebean.com/

If you’re around for dinner, there are plenty of places to eat.  If you want a more upscale type of bar food, check out either O’Callaghan’s on Penniman or 1999 Tavern on Forest.   O’Callaghan’s is a building away from Main, so it is closer (just a little) to the action.  If you want bar food and a hundreds of beer choices (literally), the Box Bar is on Ann Arbor Trail, right across from park.   There are two Italian eateries on Main, just across from the park.  Fiamma is more of an upscale restaurant. http://www.fiammagrille.com/ and Compari’s, right next door, is slightly more casual atmosphere http://www.comparisdining.com/ Both are great choices if you’re not trying to save a few dollars.

Have fun at the Ice Spectacular.

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Portion of Main Street closed for Ice Spectacular

From January 20 to 26, northbound Main Street, between Ann Arbor Trail and Penniman, is closed for the Ice Spectacular.  Essentially you cannot drive northbound on Main Street adjacent to Kellogg Park.

This should be a great year for the ice sculptures.  Weekend temperatures are not expected above freezing.

Have fun this weekend.

[CORRECTION: AS OF THE AFTERNOON OF 1/21/09, ONE NORTHBOUND LANE IS OPEN.  THAT MIGHT BE TEMPORARY.]

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The Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular is right around the corner

Famous worldwide, the Plymouth Ice Spectacular, which takes place every year in Kellogg Park, is just a little over a week away.

This year’s event is set for

Friday – January 23
Saturday – January 24
Sunday – January 25
This is a great event, especially for us proud northerners that like the cold and snow.  It’s a great reason to hang out downtown, so don’t miss it.

If you want more detailed information, check out these links

http://www.plymouthice.com/current_events/plymouth_ice/index.php

http://www.ci.plymouth.mi.us/index.asp?nid=637

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