Day 30 – Tuesday, June 22, 2010
N – 46° 24.809’
W – 086° 39.173’
Marquette, Michigan
What a beautiful warm and friendly city. We met Barb and John at 8am and walked into town to have breakfast. It’s pretty quiet at that time in the morning with most of the streets empty with little traffic to contend with. While walking down the street one of the locals greeted us and we asked him where there was a good place to eat. He started talking and recommended a place where the locals eat which turned out to be very affordable with great food!
From there we decided to visit some of the historical buildings that are architecturally significant. First was a Cathedral (left) then the Marquette County Courthouse (right). Every building was special but the one I really liked was the Courthouse. The building is unbelievable with its rich appointments and lavish use of marble and gold leaf. There is a lot of history in that courtroom but the most famous use of the courtroom was when the movie Anatomy of a Murder was filmed there. James Stewart, Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara stared in the movie that was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1959. While we were checking out the courtroom a person associated with the court entered into conversation with us and before you knew it we had a history lesson and a photo taken of the four of us standing before the bench (below left - below right is the looking up at the dome inside the courthouse).
After that we went to a bank building - Wells Fargo - built during the 1800’s and while there I introduced myself to a gentleman that worked there and explained that we were there to admire the building. Before long we were taken to an office to view a private coin and international money collection that was kept behind glass in very shallow wall safes about 3 feet wide by 4 feet high. The private office was very opulent ---- with a rich interior of paneled walnut and wall safes with there stainless steel doors trimmed in bronze, it was very impressive! Everyone we met was friendly and anxious to show off their city and welcome us. I even ran into a meter maid that was a lot of fun and recommended a great place for a burger and a beer! The weather is great so we will continue to enjoy Marquette for a few more days.
Tomorrow we will attempt to rent a car and see the sights that are out of walking distance. The marina - Cinder Pond - is very pleasant and secure. The Harbor Master has placed us in a very good location close to the fuel dock ---- which is appropriate!
