Jillian Manning | Author
Local Love Stories
Feb. 3, 2024
Love is in the air this time of year, so we asked readers to share their love stories set against the backdrop of northern Michigan. How wonderful to discover that this little corner of the world has been where so many couples meet, fall in love, and begin new adventures together!
24 Ways to Celebrate the Arrival of 2024
Dec. 23, 2023
Out with the old, in with the New Year’s Eve parties. From a five-course dinner to a throwback 2000s bash to a classic ball drop, it’s time to bust out the sparkles and sequins (and kazoos) at events around the North.
Get an Artful Start
1. Crooked Tree Arts ...
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How the Mural Gets Made
Nov. 25, 2023
Brianne Farley is no stranger to turning a boring old wall into a vibrant, eye-catching mural. When she’s painting on that massive version of a canvas, she says it really feels like “the world is your oyster.”
You can find Farley’s whimsical works around no...
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Shopping for Luxe
Oct. 14, 2023
Get your wallets ready...these local goodies are too good to pass up. Let the shopping spree begin!
1. Moraine: Spire Earrings
You can buy a diamond ring or a tennis bracelet just about anywhere. That’s why we love shopping the works of Moraine by Kelsey McQuown, b...
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Film Review: Flora and Son
Oct. 14, 2023
Sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned. That’s been Flora’s experience, from getting pregnant at 17 to separating from her husband to struggling to connect to her rebellious teenage son. She lives in a dingy shoebox apartment in Dublin, works as a nanny, and takes out her...
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Film Review: Sitting in Bars with Cake
Sept. 30, 2023
With a slate of spooky movies headed into theaters over the next few weeks, this scaredy cat searched for a new release that promised no jump scares or exorcisms. I landed on Sitting in Bars with Cake, an Amazon Prime adaptation of…a cookbook memoir.
Yes, that was ...
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Your Guide to Up North Pride Week 2023
Sept. 23, 2023
Up North Pride, a Traverse City-based nonprofit “collective of 2SLGBTQIA+ humans [and] allies looking to build a more inclusive and welcoming northern Michigan,” has made September their new go-to month for their annual Pride Week events. Here’s what’s on the sched...
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The Water Guides: See the Boardman River, Cedar Lake, and Power Island from a New Perspective
July 15, 2023
Skip the magic carpet ride: Local kayak guides can show you the world…or at least the watery part of it. From the urban landscape of downtown Traverse City to quiet inland lakes to an island wilderness, these guided tours show you a slice of northern Michigan you haven’t seen...
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Your Nautical Shopping Guide
July 8, 2023
Ready to get out on the lake? So are we! But as always, we hope to do so in style, so we’ve put together a list of a few retailers across northern Michigan that offer the coolest suits, hats, shoes, and accessories you need for a day on the boat, at the beach, or in the waves.
... Read More >>Keep Showing Up: Up North Pride leaders reflect on June events, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and allyship
June 17, 2023
Nearly 53 years ago, the first Pride march was held in New York City, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. In Traverse City, Up North Pride (UNP) hosted its first Pride march in 2014 and has since grown to offer one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the sta...
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Highs and Lows of the High Season
May 20, 2023
We’re approaching the most wonderful time of the year in northern Michigan. Summer can be downright magical, with quiet morning hikes, afternoons at the beach, and endless entertainment opportunities for a night on the town. But all that fun in the sun also means increased traffic, ...
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Building Blues
April 29, 2023
The construction industry has been on a roller-coaster ride for the past three years, from an all-time low in jobs and projects in spring of 2020; to a flurry of building activity to meet pent-up demand; to frustrating snafus with supply chain issues.
And that’s to say nothi...
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Will Travel for Weed: The Growth of Cannabis Tourism
April 15, 2023
Each year, thousands of visitors flock to northern Michigan for our beaches, our wineries, our trout streams, and our Nordic ski trails…just to name a few.
But are they also coming for our cannabis?
Canna tourism has taken root in states like Colorado, Oregon, and C...
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10 Years of Fascinating People
March 4, 2023
2023 marks the tenth year of the Northern Express Fascinating People list, and as we looked back through the archives, we were blown away by the 180 people we had featured over the years. (Plus 20 more in this issue!)
While we can’t go back and interview each of the...
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The Accidental Novelist
Feb. 25, 2023
You can take the girl out of Interlochen, but you can’t take Interlochen out of the girl.
Perhaps that’s why New York Times bestselling young adult author Brittany Cavallaro set her hugely popular Charlotte Holmes series in a boarding school. Or why Hello ...
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Jan. 28, 2023 Friends. Mentors. Colleagues. Sisters, moms, and cousins. No woman is an island, and this week we’re celebrating the wing women who help us become our best selves at work, at home, and in our communities. We asked several NoMi women in leadership who their wing woman is&mdas...
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Jan. 7, 2023 Here are five words you’ve probably never heard before: “I cannot wait for February.” But so says comedian Mike Geeter, one of the guiding forces behind the 2023 Traverse City Comedy Fest, which comes to stages in downtown TC Feb. 2-4. Geeter and business...
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Jan. 7, 2023 The ache in your lower back that just won’t go away. The unexplained inflammation or skin sensitivity. The chronic illness you’re living with, but only barely. These are a few of the reasons folks seek out alternative therapies after they’ve left the doctor&rsquo...
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Dec. 10, 2022 We all know we can get a good box of wine for everyday occasions, but around the holidays, we feel compelled to step up the game. When you want to give the perfect gift or impress your guests—all while supporting local makers—here’s what we recommend.
Wing Women: Beside Every Great Woman Is Another Great Woman
Funny in February
Striking Back Against Chronic Pain
Deck the Halls with Decadent Drinks
SPIRITS
A Collective Collage
Nov. 26, 2022
We so often think of art as a solitary pursuit, done in the quiet of a studio with only a paintbrush or a potter’s wheel or a pair of pliers for company.
But all artists great and small need community. All need feedback and encouragement and a burst of inspiration. Enter: Th... Read More >>