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Your Stories: Summertime memories of Lake Michigan Drive

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A picture of Lake Michigan Dr in Grand Rapids facing west. There are houses lining both the streets and the photo is from 1973 so has a vintage patina to it.
City of Grand Rapids Archives and Records Center
A picture of Lake Michigan Drive in Grand Rapids taken in 1973. Tom Topolski said the trip out to the beach in the summertime started with a trip down Lake Michigan Drive.

Our last episode was all about the Mile Roads of Southeast Michigan: why we have them and how they’ve become cultural shorthand for understanding the history of Detroit.

But the Mile Roads are just a portion of the Michigan roads that make meaning in our lives. 

Many of us have a road that's more than a line on a map — it's a memory. Maybe it’s the street you grew up on or the dirt road that leads you to a cottage Up North. 

For listener Tom Topolski, it’s Lake Michigan Drive.

GUEST:

  • Thomas Topolski, Hudsonville resident

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Molly Anderson is a <i>Stateside </i>Intern for Michigan Public. She is studying English and History at the University of Michigan. She feels safest when surrounded by antiques, books, and funny people.
April Van Buren is a producer for Stateside. She produces interviews for air as well as web and social media content for the show.