Best cup of coffee in Michigan

This story in the Detroit News got me thinking about the best place to get a cup of coffee here in Michigan. The article states that " Consumer Reports taste test found McDonald's Corp.'s coffee tastes better and costs less than brew from Starbucks Corp., Burger King Holdings Inc. and Dunkin' Donuts Inc." I like to drink my coffee black, but McDonald's coffee has seemed so strong in the past that yesterday when I had a cup of joe from McDonald's I added one cream and sugar. I have to say, it was a pretty good cup of coffee. I don't think it was the best I have ever had by any means although the price would be hard to beat.

Here is a brief (so many coffee shops, so little time) list of some of my favorite places to get my coffee fix across Michigan. The list is in no particular order - I love them all :).

• North Woods Coffee Co. - Coldwater
• The Bean Counter - New Buffalo
• L. A.'s Coffee Cafe - Three Rivers
• Java Joe's - St. Ignace
• Nicky's Coffee Bar at the Stray Dog Bookshop - Three Rivers
• Beaners Coffee (yeah it's a franchise, but it started in East Lansing and that is where I fell in love with it)

There are so many other coffee shops that I see and jot down in my memory bank as places to try out sometime. I wish I had the time to stop at them all, but alas I do not.

Feel free to add to this list in the comments for coffee shops in Michigan that you absolutely love. I will certainly add them to my list.

Have a very happy Friday!

Stray Dog Bookshop in Three Rivers is a real treat

The Stray Dog Bookshop held their Grand Opening in October of 2006 in Three Rivers, MI. They have a stock of around 10,000 used books in hardcover and paperback. Compared to the big dog in town, Lowry's Books and More, The Stray Dog Bookshop would appear to be more of a boutique bookstore. Lowry's has an inventory of over 90,000 used books in addition to 18,000 new books in their inventory. However, I think that The Stray Dog Bookshop might be able to carve out a nice little niche for themselves. The bookstore is located in a refurbished 1852 two-story home that is well-lit and cozy - perfect for a bookstore in my opinion.

On a recent visit I found that their selection was extremely well organized and it made it quite easy to browse for particular authors. You don't always find that with used bookstores. A lot of times the books are organized in categories and the authors are slapped into spots throughout that category without rhyme or reason.

The part of The Stray Dog Bookshop that really helps nail down their niche and possibly helps secure them a spot in the local book scene is their coffee bar. I enjoyed the special of the day when I was there - an almond cappuccino. It was delicious and at under $2 was a nice change of pace from the $5 or $6 prices you might pay at Starbucks or at another of the local coffee shops.

If you are looking for used or collectible children's books go to Lowry's Books and More. I don't think that The Stray Dog Bookshop is looking to enter that area as Lowry's has a huge selection of new and used children's books as well as a great selection of toys.

I know I'll be heading back to The Stray Dog Bookshop looking for a gem or two in their used books while drinking the special of the day from their coffee bar. Friendly and helpful service, nicely organized selection, and a pleasant atmosphere should help them to do well.

Visit The Stray Dog Bookshop on the web - www.straydogbooks.com

View Christmas light displays around the world at Bronner's website

Visit Bronner's Christmas Wonderland website for a cool Google map that shows different light displays at individual houses around the world. Titled, "Christmas Lights in Your Neighborhood," the interactive map allows you to zoom in on individual light displays by clicking on star icons across the map. I initially thought that the map only encompassed North America, but a there are a few listings from England as well at the time of this post. You can post your own house display or a favorite in your area. You just need an address and a photo (of course ;) ).

There are not very many houses from Michigan just yet. I'll have see about posting a couple of the better displays that are around here.

Check it out at Christmas.Bronners.com.

Yum! Beaner's Gourmet coffee beans are coming to Michigan Meijer stores

Beaner's Gourmet Coffee, a coffeehouse chain that traces its humble beginnings to Lansing, will soon have some of their favorite blends on Michigan (Indiana & Ohio, too) Meijer store shelves. This is great news for me, a former three-year resident of Lansing, as Beaner's coffee has been one of the biggest things I miss about Lansing (in addition to Jersey Giant Subs, but that discussion could fill another post on a different day :) ). As I write this it seems that friends and food are the things I miss most about leaving Lansing. Weird.

Beaner's Gourmet Coffees that will be sold at Meijer -

• Beaner's Best Blend
• Black and Tan
• Mocha Java
• French Blend
• Rwanda
• Creme Brulee
• Hazelnut Cream
• Michigan Cherry

Oh happy day for me! Not sure when Beaner's coffee will make its debut on Meijer shelves, but more information is supposed to be available tomorrow.

Via the Lansing State Journal.

Thank you Meijer for bringing quality gourmet coffee to the masses here in Michigan. :)

More High-Tech Jobs Created in Michigan

ePrize LLC will be announcing the creation of an additional 450 jobs over the next few years at their Pleasant Ridge offices. Online promotions and sweepstakes for such large corporations as Home Depot and Coca Cola are what ePrize is all about. They pulled in $30 million in revenue last year and have secured a $10 million loan for their planned expansion. Any job creation in Michigan is cause for celebration these days. When those jobs are in the high-tech sector there is cause for extreme celebration. The more jobs we can create here in Michigan that are non-manufacturing, the better our future will be. This is great news for Michigan on the heals of the Google announcement of creating 1,000 jobs in Ann Arbor.

Read the full story in The Detroit News.

Ann Arbor Google Job Positions Now Online

NOTE: This is an update on my earlier post. Interested in working at the new Google facility in Ann Arbor? Head on over to www.google.com/jobs and see if there might be a career opportunity available for you. They just listed the new positions for their upcoming AdWords campus in Ann Arbor this afternoon.

Here are the three different types of new openings -

• AdWords Associate
• AdWords Coordinator
• Associate Manager, Online Operations, AdWords