*sigh...* Michigan will be so different from Seattle. I hope I catch on to the place pretty quickly, though. Holland and GR just don't sound all that exciting compared to here...
Between Grand Rapids, Holland, and Muskegon, there is a lot to do...
- Grand Haven is an awesome beach town (Joey is spot-on). I hang out there as much as possible in the summer, as we used to rent a house there a few years back.
- Michigan's Adventure (Muskegon) is owned and operated by the folks who run Cedar Point, and has a fair number of good rides with plenty to do. It does have the former world's largest wooden roller coaster after all...
- Berlin Raceway (Marne, Michigan... Halfway between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven) is the home track to Johnny Benson, a good place for Saturday Night Speicals during the spring, summer, and fall months.
- Grattan Raceway (just outside of Grand Rapids) is a test favorite for Car and Driver and the major automakers, not to mention a central hub for SCCA competition.
- There is plenty of football, particularly the Grand Valley State University Lakers (Allendale, Michigan... Halfway between Holland and Grand Rapids), the Grand Rapids Rampage, the Western Michigan Broncos (Kalamazoo), not to mention your own Hope team (so so if I recall), and the down-home goodness of the High School football that we are all obsessed with here.
..... There is also Hockey (Grand Rapids Griffins, Muskegon Fury, both former champions), Baseball (West Michigan White Caps, former champions), Soccer (I forget the name of the GR team), etc...
- In terms of concerts, there is the Muskegon Summer celebration, the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids always has something going on (usually good), not to mention the awesome Grand Rapids Symphony at DeVos Place, plenty of theater productions from Holland to Grand Rapids, as well as Kalamazoo (with theater and music, etc).
- Lots of museums, including the Gerald R. Ford Museum, the VanAndel Museum, and the Grand Rapids art Museum (obvious all in GR), all of which bring in world-class exhibits year-round. One also cannot forget about the Frederick Meijer Gardens as well, as they are amazing too (the DaVinci horse comes to mind).
- Obvious other good things include, but are not limited to:
* Lake Michigan
* Chicago
* Detroit
* Lansing (capital of Michigan)
* Brooklyn (home of the Michigan International Speedway)
...Plus, I may even be able to get you a job in Holland if you want. I have quite a few friends (ie Managers, assistant managers, former co-workers here in G-Rap) who work at the Steve and Barry's (store #192) in Holland, and I'm sure they would do me the favor...
EDIT:
WINTER TIME!
Things calm down a bit as the weather gets cold, but its no big deal really. Depending on how the season works largely decides what is going on. This year we went without snow most of the time, but when we got some, it was normally a lot.
A lot of folks go skiing either here in Grand Rapids (Pando, Cannonsburg) or head north a bit (Crystal Mountain, Nubs Knob, etc). The cold weather, overall, isn't that bad. If you can stand 20-40 degree weather from about November to late February or early March, you'll be fine.
...We keep as busy as possible. Given that Holland is only a 30 minute drive from Grand Rapids, there is plenty to do either on the coast or further inland...