Plenty of people gave me their opinions on Michigan City, Ind.
“Oh, you’re going to Michigan City?” said a colleague, her voice revealing sympathy.
“Only reason to go is the outlet mall,” said another.
Having grown up in Youngstown, Ohio, I’ve always had a soft spot for cities once grand, now dilapidated. I have fond memories of taking my little cousin from Highland Park to the mall in Youngstown, only to have her look around, stare at me, swallow hard and say, “This is your mall?” So a sympathy-inducing, one-mall town happens to be my idea of home. And it’s with that attitude that I approached my day trip, ready to show the world how wonderful such a place can be. As often is the case, I was right.
Getting to Michigan City is a snap; it’s a quick, 70-minute drive from Chicago (or a quick, 95-minute Metra ride on the South Shore Line). Thinking like a city dweller, I arrived armed with quarters, ready to feed the meter every two hours, and was pleasantly surprised to find a great expanse of free parking spaces on Franklin Street, the epicenter of the old downtown. Eureka!
I parked in front of the Mainstreet Theatre (807 Franklin St., 219-874-4269), and faster than you can say Rodgers and Hammerstein, a woman came running out the door to offer me a flyer on the final performance of “State Fair.” An appropriate small-town welcome for this city of 32,900.
After stopping at the weekly Saturday morning farmers’ market at the corner of 8th and Washington Streets, I had an urge to sit on a bench and eat cherries all morning, but instead I embarked on my own private walking tour. Michigan City has a great Web site (www.emichigancity.com) and from there I printed out a recommended architectural tour of the downtown district.
(If you, unlike me, are a shopper, not a sightseer, now’s your chance to head to Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets, 601 Wabash St.–or, as I learned on my tour, the former home of Michigan City’s largest and longest surviving industry, railroad freight car manufacturing. J. Crew, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Coach and Polo–they’re all there. Enjoy.)
My first stop on the trek was what I thought would be the John G. Blank Center for the Arts, 312. E. 8th St. What I found was a closed building. Soon to re-open under its original moniker, The Old Library, the neoclassical limestone structure was designed by Reed & Stern, a Minneapolis architectural firm who also submitted the winning design for Manhattan’s Grand Central Station. Later I did find the new arts center, the Jack and Shirley Lubeznik Center for the Arts, in its transitional space at 720 Franklin Square, waiting for the completion of its new home at 101 Avenue of the Arts. Yes, Michigan City has an Avenue of the Arts.
At my next stop, the A.J. Henry House (700 Pine St.), I actually got inside the front door, my measure of success. Built in 1904 for A. J. Henry, the owner of a lumber company, the Queen Anne-style home is now in the hands of 35-year-old Rick Heath. The Henry House isn’t currently open to the public, so I lucked out meeting Heath and getting the VIP tour. Years of wear on the home are apparent, but Heath, inviting me inside, has clearly put a ton of work and heart into restoring the old mansion. He spoke of the city’s various preservationist organizations with skeptical optimism and then told me that the house is for sale, which made me just plain skeptical about its future.
After stopping at about 10 more landmarks (there are 27 on the list), my feet hit their limit and I ended the tour at a gloriously air-conditioned spot, the Michigan City Public Library (100 E. 4th St.). Built in 1977, Helmut Jahn’s design sports an unusual saw-tooth roof, planned to distribute light evenly throughout the building. It is a pretty cool library and its open-air courtyard a beautiful respite.
But I didn’t come all this way to hang out with a bunch of bookworms, so off I went down the street to Rag Tops (209 W. Michigan Blvd., 219-878-1514), Michigan City’s museum of classic cars and memorabilia, open since May. Director Harry Anderson was happy to show me around, even as he was preparing for the next day’s car show and the performance of his band, The Flashbacks. There was the orange 1968 Dodge Charger from “Dukes of Hazzard” (yes, the General Lee), the blue 1957 Chrysler Crown Imperial Convertible once owned by Ray Sellman, an old Tribune cartoonist, the yellow 1935 Auburn Boat Tail 851 Speedster, and, my favorite, the replica of a diner.
Having spent all morning in Michigan City amongst empty storefronts and funeral homes, never even seeing the water, I headed down to the beach to eat. Next to the train station, Swingbelly’s (100 Washington St., 219-874-5718) is sort of on Lake Michigan, if you don’t count the occasional train whizzing by to spoil the view (and ambience). The food, diner fair, was perfect for my fake diner-induced hunger.
Now comes the tragedy of the day: My 2 p.m. tour of the Barker Mansion (631 Washington St., 219-873-1520), the event I had been looking forward to all day, was canceled. Can you believe they’d shut down an opulent English manor-style mansion for a wedding? The nerve.
Tragedy turned to opportunity as I used this unexpected downtime for some beach bumming. And here lies the difference between Michigan City and my run-down hometown: Michigan City has a beach. A pretty nice and uncrowded beach. I took a nice walk down the restored “catwalk” to the lighthouse and sat on the dock watching kids doing stupid things on the rocks.
And then, for the first time all day, I got back in my car. I opened up my guide to the area’s orchards, farms and gardens, closed my eyes, and pointed my finger on the map, landing on number 23, Stateline Blueberries (9957 N. Frontage Rd., 219-874-7721). A 10-minute drive and there I was, bucket tethered to my body, picking sweet berries in the sun. If I’m making it sound romantic, well, it was.
Really, my whole day was. That’s the thing about towns like Michigan City. Brand new shiny buildings and Starbucks-filled streets are all well and good, but I’ll take the history and character of a struggling town any day.
Michigan City happenings
Aug. 6-16: The Festival Players Guild: As part of the 35th season of the Canterbury Summer Theatre, the Guild presents “Clue: The Musical,” (based on the board game) at Mainstreet Theatre, 807 Franklin St. $11-$13; 219-874-4269.
Aug. 16-17: Lubeznik Lake Front Art Festival: The Jack and Shirley Lubeznik Center for the Arts will hold the festival in lakefront Washington Park. The festival will feature live jazz, including the Count Basie Orchestra, from 4 to 11 p.m. Aug. 16. Festival tickets, $1-$5; Jazz night tickets, $10-$50. 219-874-4900.
Aug. 21-24: In-Water Boat Show: The Michigan City Parks and Recreation show will feature food, entertainment, the latest in boating accessories and more than 500 boats. Michigan City Port Authority, 200 Heisman Harbor Drive. $8; 440-899-5009.
Through Sept. 30: “Summer Whites: A Glimpse Into A Victorian Wardrobe”: The exhibit is currently on display at the Barker Mansion, 631 Washington St. You can see a model of the former lady of the house, Catherine Barker, in her white first-communion dress, and in her bedroom her white batiste gown. 219-873-1520.
— Allison Benedikt
