A City on the Edge
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city on the edge. On the edge of Lake Superior. On the edge of the wilderness. On the edge of the country. It’s far north in Michigan, populated by people called Yoopers (we are in the dictionary, look us up) and we tend to sound a little Canadian, eh.
When I lived in Marquette, I lived in a crappy apartment that was on the edge of town. It allowed dogs and had a burn mark in the shape of a cookie sheet on the carpet in the kitchen. Right outside was the bike path. Across the street was a hiking path and the river. Up the street was the lake. In the opposite direction was the busy downtown and campus. The atmosphere is eclectic. Young and college-y with microbreweries and dive bars mixed with old stately homes either carefully restored or split into apartments for the ever-revolving student body. A farmer’s market is in the heart of the downtown area where farmers, chocolatiers, artists, florists, and bakers sell their wares. Musicians play, kids dance, and neighbors chit-chat. Overall, you get a sense of community.
You could head up the highway farther for the big box stores, the mall, the chain restaurants, which is part of Marquette, but not Marquette. Marquette is the farmer’s market and the Food Co-op and the marina and the restaurants with authentic German, Italian, and Greek food. All places long part of…
