Sunday morning, I was up and on my way to Houghton but first Lunch! Looking through the guidebook at the hotel, I found several places that caught my interest before finally deciding on Sweetwater Cafe.
The Sweetwater Cafe is located in the Village Shopping District. This neighborhood is home to many stores that cater to the students of Northern Michigan University. Sweetwater Cafe serves an eclectic vegetarian friendly bill of fare and the menu changes periodically. On my visit, the vegetarian soup of the day was Country Tomato. It was labeled soup but was more like a stew- big chunks of tomato, barley and just a hint of something spicy. For my main course, I chose the smoked salmon sandwich- a big chunk of salmon with cream cheese served on a dark pumpernickel bread. The sandwich was a little dry but still tasty. I accompanied my meal with a glass of the Cafe's renowned mint lemonade.
Due to my lunch hour visit, I did not partake, but the restaurant does have a full liquor license. I did grab a couple of gingersnap cookies for the road, intending to share with Karen when I arrived in Houghton. Intending....
Before leaving Marquette, I did a quick drive through the downtown area. The movie Anatomy of a Murder was filmed here, primarily in the Marquette County Courthouse. Unfortunately, it was closed while I was there but the outside is beautiful too. The building, dedicated in 1904 is built of native sandstone, some from Marquette and the distinctive red sandstone from the Keweenaw Peninsula. As more pictures appear here, you'll see more and more of this red stone.
The old Marquette City Hall is also beautiful, built locally in 1893 after the city raised $50,000 in bonds. The decision to build was made by Mayor Nathan Kaufman after a nationwide financial panic closed the mines. The construction of city hall put the men back to work.
After leaving Marquette, I made a brief stop at the Da Yooper Tourist Trap where I was tempted by many cheesy gifts and a couple of really cool local crafts but left without spending a penny. No cameras allowed so no pics of the Yooper Tool Box (small wooden chest with roll of duct tape only) but you can buy any of it on-line at their site.
I arrived in Houghton in mid-afternoon, checked in to the hotel then checked in with Karen. Our hotel was a little iffy with a very strange odor on the rooms. For a number of reasons, we decided to call the office on Monday and find a better location for the next two weeks. The hotel did have a great downtown location, within walking distance of the courthouse but not worth the musty disinfectant odor. Karen and I decided to do our own thing for awhile then meet for dinner.
I chose to explore across the lift bridge, in the "real" Keewenaw Peninsula. First I went to the Quincy Overlook which promised a view of Houghton, Hancock and the Portage River that divides them. However, the trees have grown a bit too tall for viewing. I also made a drive thru viewing of the Quincy Mine.
Later, Karen and I had dinner at the Library Restaurant and Brew Pub. We decided to walk and very nearly tried to walk in to the city library before we found our way to the right place.We had a nice meal with a nice view of the Portage River. During the next two weeks, I ate at the Library Pub at least 3 times. It was definitely one of the better restaurants in Houghton-Hancock. Despite my original concerns, there were plenty of decent or interesting places to eat in Copper Country. A little walk on the riverfront after dinner then it was back to the smelly hotel for the night. Tomorrow, we actually have to go to work!
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