Tulip City Dispatch

  Hey, it's pretty decent!  Hot and fresh, so it was a delight to eat...much better than the cold, slightly stale Big Mozz burger I had at Sheetz when I was out east.  Seriously, a burger like this must be served piping hot for maximum enjoyment, and the Wendy's on South Washington in Holland delivered!  The giant lump of mozzarella was a bit weird - I did expect something more like individual sticks, but whatever.  The sauce was a touch more creamy than I expected - it was something more like a Franco/American or Chef Boyardee sauce than a real, handmade Italian sauce, but c'mon, it's freakin' Wendys...temper your expectations.  It's a fast-food burger drivethru for cryin' out loud. It was a unique enough menu item that I was interested in trying it.  I'd definitely order it again!

  Yep.  They're here.  I tried them, so you don't have to! It's mushy, in a word.  The fries at Taco Bell are always sort of soggy and stale feeling.  The toppings are incredibly saucy - they work nicely with the structure of a plate of tortilla chips (a'la Nachos Bell Grande) or a burrito.  The texture reminds me of poutine, but the flavors are all wrong.  This dish is an exercise in futility. I don't know why I chose these off of the menu. I would not order these again. Bleh.

 In an earlier post on Grandville's Grand Castle , I explored some Boss Hogg level, small-town politics conspiracy theories dealing with money laundering and grift.  Everything was pretty much exactly as I expected:  From an outsider's perspective it feels slimey, but it's basically just how business is run . A new, more salacious conspiracy theory came across my radar courtesy of the Grand Rapids subreddit :  This one involves nuclear holocaust, international espionage , and a 500 year old branch of the Catholic Church .  A woman has been handing out papers to passersby in Grand Rapids, and a few Reddit users got ahold of these and shared them online. One attachment from May 2022 reads as follows: Dear Fellow American, I come to you today to ask that you seriously consider what I am about to tell you because it is of the greatest importance.  You must take steps for your own safety from a nuclear attack planned to occur on our soil during the month of May ...

 About a year ago, I made a post outlining a few ideas I had for the blog .  My initial plan of 1 post per week has fallen mostly by the wayside as life has interfered.  Personal life has been a bear, and I haven't even had time to pursue my New Years Resolutions, let alone gather sources and research many local history topics.  There have been quite a few Future History posts as I vaguely reflect on the general situations of the world and muse on life. So, let's talk about rebranding.  My roadmap last fall was as follows: New logo   - already done and deployed.  Aesthetically, I'm still struggling to find a Wordpress theme that works on PC (where I do most of my work) and mobile (where most of my traffic comes from) Developing a "mission statement" I haven't actually done much work in identifying my ideal reader and my niche.  As mentioned above, I've done some work on branding and aesthetics, and I have upped my presence on Instagram and Twitt...

 Subtitle:  Mold and breaches of fire code. It's been over 2 years since I got fired from the hotel, so I'm comfortable sharing these experiences.  I saw issues with the building, brought them up to management, and was told that either I was wrong, or these things weren't issues. Let's start with the actual inciting incident that led Stellar Hospitality (of Rochester, Michigan) to "discontinue my services":  A blocked toilet.  The hotel GM told me to stick my hands into the toilet and manually unblock the toilet after a drain snake failed and the company would not bring in a plumber.  Said GM was positively spitting when she had to come in and manually unblock the stoppage herself.  Never mind the fact that this was 2020, right as CoVid was kicking off, there's still all sorts of hepatitis germies that live in fecal matter, and I had no idea if there were needles or other drug paraphernalia in the toilet (we actually evicted some guests earlier that su...

Delilah DeWylde is a staple of the West Michigan music scene, dating back to the mid 90s in the Grand Rapids rockabilly scene .  Her and the band are, honestly, one of the most consistently fun live acts in Michigan.  Family-friendly shows are good and wholesome, then there are some more PG-13 shows with slight bits of adult humor. I got to see the band at Felt Mansion on July 28, 2022, during one of the final shows of a free concert series .  The Holland Classic Car Club was there as well, with a little car show featuring the best in 40s and 50s car design.  The setlist included Delilah DeWylde standards such as Patsy Cline's Walkin After Midnight and Rock Around The Clock  from Bill Haley And The Comets.  Anyway, feast your eyes on some awesome shots from this awesome night!

Skelletone's is a venue that was iconic for a certain demographic of West Michigan music fans.  As an all-ages venue, they played host to much of the straightedge hardcore scene back in the day.  Located on Division Avenue in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, they played host to bands like  August Burns Red, UnderOath, and A Day To Remember .  My first experience at Skelletone's was seeing Mental Infestation back in 2006 .  The venue closed in 2009 , then reopened again during 2021.  I'm very glad I got the opportunity to view the rebirth of an iconic venue with some great bands! The opening acts were Joker's Republic out of New Jersey, and Oi!L Change out of Grand Rapids.  Joker's Republic wonderfully blends Gen Z nihilism with a 90s ska-punk sound.  I seriously dig it!  Keep an eye on these guys!  Oi!L Change also has a 90s punk sound, though theirs is more reminiscent of Pennywise and that sort of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 ...