the matthew Z project

Bay City, Michigan is located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. The city is geographically divided by the Saginaw River, and travel between the east and west sides of the city is made possible by four modern drawbridges which allow large ships to travel easily down the river. The city is served by MBS International Airport, located in nearby Freeland, and James Clements Municipal Airport. Well what’s there to do when you get here?! Heres just a few of my favorite things to do.

Daytime family fun ~ FREE

Bay City Boat Lines 

The Islander

Bay City Boat Lines provides narrated tours and private charter service aboard the excursion vessels Princess Wenonah and Islander. Free rides are offered weekdays at 10:00 a.m. during the summer season. Dinner cruises and special events are offered periodically and the vessels are available for private charters. The Princess and Islander depart from their dock on the east bank of the Saginaw River, south of Veterans Memorial Bridge. 

I have done the free tour and its a great way to spend a couple hours and you get a great history lesson of Bay City. It is kid friendly and handicapped accessible. Dress for the weather as the top is open, however the bottom is enclosed.  It is a  free (seriously FREE), roughly 2-hour tour of the Saginaw River; Narrated by local TV persoanlities.  Snacks and beverages (alcohol if you fancy that) are available for purchase as soon as the boat leaves port.  Tours are Monday thru Friday from 10am – 12noon.  Reservations needed.  I give this 2 thumbs up. Did I mention this is FREE!? 

Night life entertainment

The All-New Big House

The All-New Big House on Midland Street

The All-New Big House is an all 80′s & 90′s dance club located on Midland Street, in downtown Bay City!!! Featuring open mic night on Wednesdays,  Jedi Mind Trip on Thursdays, and Impact Sound Entertainment on Friday & Saturdays!!! Bay City’s only retro bar!

This party is totally gnarly!  The drinks are well made, cheap, and delivered by great waitstaff.  Oh yeah, NO COVER – EVER! That’s right, they don’t charge to get in.  Dressing retro is highly encouraged! 

They offer a slightly tilted pool table (believe you, me it helps), darts, neon lights, a huge painting of pac-man, and a rubix cube. Enjoy the party. Don’t forget to tell them matthew Z sent you. Read more…

the boys of Bubbler

Recently Bubbler Tuesday has been getting a lot of questions…what is it, where did it come from, why do you have them?  Well, all but the where did it come from can be answered here.  For the where, you have to think back to the year 2003.  The Space Shuttle Discover disintegrated over Texas during re-entry. Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Ðindic is assassinated in Belgrade. The US led coalition force invades Iraq. U. S. president George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A banner behind him declares “Mission Accomplished.”  SARS. Voters recall Governor Gray Davis from office and elect actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him. You get the idea, a lot of bad and crazy things were taking place. 

With all this though, there is some good. Read more…

bubbler shot glass with scarf

Bubbler Tuesday.  Ah, say it with me.  Bubbler. Tuesday.  What, you say, is Bubbler Tuesday?  Bubbler Tuesday is a Tuesday; nonethesame as any other Tuesday save for it has a flared kick-ass ending to it.  Most start as any other day really.  You wake up, yawn, and then realize today is BUBBLER TUESDAY!  Then back to reality, you still have the long day ahead of you before you can even attempt to start the festivites.  Now, to some, this may thwart any possibility that the day could be good because you have to wait until after work hours to enjoy the celebration that will unleash. To others, like myself, it’s the fuel that drives me to make Tuesday great.  The illusion that nothing today will eff with me.  A reason to look at the grandieur of what tomorrow will lack in comparison to tonight. For today, will be another Bubbler Tuesday! But WHAT is it?  Simply put, it’s a celebration of me.  Not ME as in me, but to whomever is celebrating.  That ‘me’. 

It’s a get together of friends, co-workers, children, and families alike.  We congregate as if going on a shopping trip to a candy store.  The enthusiasm mounts all day until it’s time to go!  Count downs have even been witnessed. You show up at the location, which changes weekly.  Sometimes there is pizza to eat, sometimes a potluck. Other times, perhaps only snacks.  It just depends.  Greetings ensue.  Handshakes flurry, hugs give way to the break off into segmented clicks of happiness.  The women tend to assist the children on the paths of righteous clothes shedding at speeds that would challenge any racer of any kind, as they make ready the choas that will begin.  They make sure the places are ready for the blitz of traffic that will become about as normal as ordering off the dollar menu at your favorite fast food joint.  The kids, after their warmups, are set to play.  They begin a migration to happytown.  They move about the party almost unknown to most partygoers.  Except the occassional scream of ‘That’s mine!’, or just the high pitched yalp of kids in utter excitement, to have so many other kids to play with, they too enjoy this day as much as the adults.  This gives way to sounds that mimic what you would hear at a circus, or carnival. Mostly pleasant.  The men.  Well the men Read more…

What do you want to read about or see on this blog in 2010?  Tell me your thoughts.  matthew Z