If You Only Have Time

Linda Burton posting from Lansing, Michigan – “If you only have time for one thing,” begins the “Stellar Tip” from Christine Bennett in the Greater Lansing 2013 Visitor Guide, “make sure to visit the State Capitol.” Now, there’s a Visitor Guide after my own heart, as I’ve been digging deep into capitols for 38 states to this point; I love it when they are recognized as a Top Attraction in their own city. “Step back to the Victorian era,” are the tantalizing words they offer, followed by; “award-winning Capitol Building;” and “nine acres of hand-painted surfaces.” An image is forming in my mind and I’m eager to go; I see that tours are available every half hour on Mondays through Fridays from 9 to 4. Oops, no weekends? Hmmm, weekends are important times to draw visitors. What else do people do on the weekends in Greater Lansing? For Historic Sites I note some memorials and markers that may be visited at any time: the Remembrance Memorial honoring those who died on 9/11; the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Memorial, honoring the 2,651 Michigan casualties of that war; the Malcolm X Homesite Marker, a registered historical landmark where he once lived. The Michigan Walk of Fame invites a leisure stroll any day of the week; it is downtown on the sidewalks of Washington Square and honors the “ingenuity and resourcefulness of Michigan residents” – that would give a lot of insight into what Lansing, and Michigan, are all about. The Potter Park Zoo is open daily, as is the Michigan Historical Museum. The Impression 5 Science Center is open Tuesdays through Sundays, as is the R E Olds Transportation Museum; okay, it’s going to take grid paper for a chart. Fit “time” into what promises to be an interesting city – now there’s the challenge! » read more