Airport, The Holy Grail?

[OnMackBayou]

Someone in Chicago is still going to hit Saugatuck or Charlevoix because it's much closer, and frankly the summer weather along Lake Michigan is much, much nicer than summer weather in Florida.
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Charlevoix is heavenly, but how do you get there quickly from anywhere? Much less Chicago. I lived in Chicago for 13 years and spent many a month in Naples when I could escape the unpredictable Chicago April and Mays (like 1989 when we had a big May snowfall-yikes!). If I had known about this area at that time, and if there had been a direct flight, I would have been here in a heartbeat.

It takes time, but marketing and word of mouth can make an area popular. However, when I see what it did to Naples it does make me nervous we could end up the same way. This area reminds me of Naples 20 years ago when it still had some quaintness and people weren't climbing over each other to get ahead.

 

[beachmouse]

Charlevoix isn't a bad drive from the I-96 corridor (metro Detroit through metro Grand Rapids). As for Chicago cottage country, maybe I should have described it as Saugatuck and the points south of Saugatuck.

Either way, once August rolls around, it's just so much more pleasant in terms of weather to hit the beach at Grand Haven or Saugatuck or Luddington or Pentwater on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan than it is here. The giant sand dunes may not be as white, but the weather is just so much more pleasant- mid 80s during the day, and cooling off at night into the low 60s, and it's rare to get the awful Florida summer humidity.

One of the big reasons why we left Michigan was the seven months of annual slush and assorted other terrible weather during much of the year, but middle to late summer there can be utterly divine.

 

[Chickpea]

Guys
Believe me when I say that I think we are YEARS away from seeing significant (however that is defined) numbers pf european visitors here. And even though one may greatly appreciate southern culture - it is not the same culture I am talking about.
I will remain skeptic until I see what airlines and from which cities we will have direct flights to and from.

Signing off EXTREMELY frustrated as I have to book 2 trips and NOTHING is shorter than 8 hours of tavel time even when flight time (if direct would be no more than 2!!!!!!!!!!!(

 

[Uncle Timmy]

Local TV news this morning said they plan on breaking ground in 6 weeks. I'm looking for a link to post...........

Anyone else see this?