The Friday Five, 10/20/17: 5 things I've been up to this week

There has been lots of driving this week. Luckily, I had the Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring AWD to drive, so check back tomorrow for my review of that.

Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring AWD (all-wheel drive)

What I've been up to this week:
  1. The aforementioned driving: to/from Ann Arbor, then to Clarklake (MI), then Ann Arbor, then home. I drove down to Ann Arbor last Thursday night for a friend's bridal shower, at Aventura (tasty tapas!), then stayed with a friend that night in A2. On Friday morning, I drove home, and then on Saturday afternoon, we drove to Clarklake for the wedding, then stayed at Hyatt Place Ann Arbor that night. Then back to Clawson the next day. We also tried out the Royal Oak beer stroll before the wedding ... which was delicious but a lot of food and drink!
  2. Eating tasty food, per usual. On Friday morning, I went to the media preview for the new Buddy's Ann Arbor (check out my post & enter to win a gift card!) and on Saturday we had the RO beer stroll. On Sunday, I saw Blade Runner: 2049 at the Emagine Palladium and afterwards we tried out 2941 Street Food, in downtown Birmingham, which was very tasty.                                                               *Side note: anyone else who used to go there before it was an Emagine find it SO WEIRD that it's only one level now? Just me? It's nice but different-looking ... I remember when it was the Birmingham Palladium and had 3 floors.
  3. Buying a comforter set for my second bedroom. You may have read my recent post about the new Nectar mattress I got (which I'm seriously considering moving to my own room ... it's that comfortable) and last weekend I went shopping at Kohls and Bed Bath & Beyond to try and find a new comforter and sheets for it. I ended up buying one of those "bed in a bag" type of things, at Bed Bath & Beyond (my coupon hoarding usage finally paid off!). I love the comforter style so hopefully my guests will too.
  4. Seeing movies - four days in a row. My original plans for this week were Blade Runner: 2049 (MoviePass) on Sunday, a screening of Only the Brave (click for review) on Monday, then Breathe on Tuesday, and then Geostorm on Wednesday. I did see Blade Runner: 2049 (pretty interesting - 3.5-4 stars), Only the Brave (great movie) and Geostorm (meh) this week, but ended up subbing in a MoviePass showing of The Mountain Between Us on Tuesday instead of driving to Livonia for the Breathe screening. I overall enjoyed TMBU (I'd give it 3.5/5 stars) but it was definitely cheesy at times. Also DON'T see it if you're afraid of planes ... obviously. 
  5. Staying overnight at Hyatt Place Ann Arbor. I had originally booked a Red Roof Inn for Saturday night, but when a media opportunity came through last minute for Hyatt Place, I was very pleased to accept. The hotel is VERY pretty and every room comes with either 1 or 2 king beds (!!) and free breakfast. I hope to stay there again sometime in the future.
Buddy's Pizza in Ann Arbor is now open!

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Image
*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.
Read more

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MAMMA MIA! will be playing at the Fisher this April, from April 23-28, and I'm excited to see it—I'm a big fan of the movies but I've never seen the Broadway show. About the show: Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 year
Keep reading

GIVEAWAY: Duel in the D, February 10 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit {ends 1/10}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had a great time at Duel in the D last year—I'm a UM alum, but I had only ever seen ONE hockey game in my life at that point, and this was the second one.  I'm looking forward to it again this year, and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it as well! About the game: The return of college hockey is headed to Little Caesars Arena with the annual “Duel in the D,” presented by Meijer, set for Saturday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.  The fans of Hockeytown will be treated to one of the most intense and exciting rivalries in college hockey, as the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey teams will add another chapter in their storied rivalry and clash for the “Iron D” Trophy.  The “Duel in the D” matchup features the most-played rivalry in college hockey. The game will mark the 346th all-time meeting between the h
Keep reading