YF&R Conference 2012 (Part 3--Grand Rapids)

So, here is the last of my report on the YF&R National Conference for 2012.  Basically, it is just the leftovers, a little bit of what we saw outside of the conference.  A lot of times, between the conference and the travel time, there isn't any time left for sight-seeing, but our 'Grand Finale' event was at the Public Museum, which gave us a little tour and taste of Michigan, and across the river was the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum.

Dinner at the museum, on all three levels, people visiting,  and checking out the exhibits.  They actually had kind of a scavenger hunt through the museum and if you completed it you could turn in your paper for door prizes.

Grand Rapids was actually the furniture center of the US for a time, and this was an exhibit of some of their incredible quality of furniture that was made here.

Just another cool exhibit.  The Museum there was great for all ages and had a lot of really fun sites.

MICHIGAN!!  The 'Upper Peninsula" and 'The Hand"

The museum also boasts an antique carousel that has been refinished and is walled on one side by a great view of the Grand River.

The old clock tower from an original courthouse in Grand Rapids, that had a neat story behind it, but I am too slow getting my report done to remember it.

Over the Grand River cross many bridges--we were surprised as we sat at dinner the first night in the motel restaurant and saw people--in the wind and flurrying snow--fishing from the bridge!  This seemed crazy to us, as cars and buses roared by, the building all around--unfortunately, we didn't actually see anyone catch anything.

Grand Rapids is named after the River that flows through it, the Grand River.  Early settlers tried to find ways to slow down the rapids because the river dropped so many feet in such a short distance that it was very full of rapids.

We stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza, which was at one point in the early 1900's ranked as one of the top 10 hotels in the United States.  The tower behind it has been added since it was bought and restored by Amway Corp.  We were in the older part and it was a very neat and historic hotel to stay in.

At one time, this was the lobby to the motel, and the ceiling was the, or one of the largest gold leaf ceilings in the world.

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Since our flight was later in the day, we were able to visit the museum before we left.  I am kind of a history buff and  recently read a historical biography about Harry S. Truman, and was so disappointed that for all my trips to Kansas City, I had never been to the Truman Library or historical sites, so I was glad to go to the Ford museum and learn more about another one of our President's past.

A little piece of the Berlin Wall.

A replica of the Oval Office from Ford's time there.  

Another bridge across the Grand River.  The building on the left was where the Public Museum is housed.

A few more fishermen in the cold morning on the Grand River.

I know that you couldn't have enjoyed my trip as much as I did, but maybe next year you can be apart of it!  See you in Phoenix in 2013!!