Stay As Long As You Want...

..As Long As You Leave By Noon.

I had planned to go for the run that I had enjoyed the last time we were in Charlevoix, but it was a slow start the next morning. John was busy getting the boat in order of course, but I was very tired and before we knew it, the harbor crew told us it was time to pack up and be on our way as another boat was coming in. So we hurried out of the harbor and had an indescribably, exquisitely beautiful afternoon cruising to Petosky, MI. After docking, we went to lunch at ‘The Roast and Toast” which was interestingly chaotic and very busy. The layout was tight as it was well attended. The décor was fun and a bit silly with several built in blue and turquoise or yellow and orange striped seating cubicles edged in half broken teacup and saucer ‘wallpaper’ protruding from the walls, and crumbs on most of the flat surfaces.

Overall the food was decent, with healthy sandwich choices and homemade sourdough bread. There were also gooey brownies with an oozy melted m&m glaze, the “nice idea but super salty and a bit greasy” locally made Great Lakes Potato Chips and overly sweet, not quite carbonated enough locally made diet coke. I had the impression that a very creative and resourceful group of 8th graders owned and operated this establishment!

We cruised around the cute town, then John headed back to do some ferocious boat cleaning until the evening. We drank wine/cocktails while enjoying a gorgeous evening into sunset after discovering the aft deck settee could be made into ‘chaise’.

We had a fun dinner at ‘The Noggin’, a pub in the lower-level of Stafford's Perry Hotel. In 1899, just four years after Petoskey was incorporated as a city, Dr. Norman J. Perry built the hotel after giving up his dental practice (a patient had died following a multiple tooth extraction). The Perry Hotel became a lively center of attraction featuring a small orchestra during dinner and dances at least once a week. True to it’s history, there was a great singer/guitarist playing Neil Young, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, etc. and doing it very well.