OT: 2 days at Mott coming up
A week from tomorrow, I pack my wife and both young sons in the car, and we drive to Mott Children's Hospital for the first time, where we will have approximately a 2-day stay. The occassion is that my wildly premature (now) 4-year-old will have a number of tests on his chronically problematic pulmonary/respiratory system. This is not unusual for our family at all, and my little one will be okay. We just feel the need to see a different peds pulmonologist.
What is unusual is that this is the first time his needs have taken us away from Grand Rapids, where we live a mere 3 miles from Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. Some of us will be in the hotels around the area of Plymouth Road and 23.
I have been to Ann Arbor a lot (not an alum) but always for sports for the last 30 years or to see my ex from high school in the mid-90's. As a 2-child family, we have the luxury of playing man-to-man defense with the boys. The oldest is 6, and from around late morning on Friday I'll have sole responsibility for him while my wife stays with the little hospitalized one. We don't tend to linger in the hospital room after the little one is stable, we typically just seem and make sure he is comfortable and that my wife has all her meals and such. When we are in GR, me and the 6 y/o just head home.
So the ask... I've got a healthy and fun 6 year old for 24 hours in Ann Arbor. There sure isn't a football or basketball game to attend (week after spring game). He loves Michigan, and he loves sports. What should we do? Is there a way that Friday to meet a coach or a player or tour an arena or field? Does anybody have any connection they can arrange? My 6 year old has the fortune of being the healthy one, but he has sure had some downers in his short life due to having a brother less than 2 years apart that has been gravely ill for much of his life. He could use some kind of cool Michigan experience.
Second part of the ask - I tend to find my way in to the taverns (Arbor, Grizzly Peak, Blue Tractor, etc) when I am there. Where should I take a 6 year old on a Friday night in spring in A2?
Thanks in advance for any and all input. This is the greatest and most well educated population of sports fans on the planet.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
ScottyP's got nothing, godspeed to your boy.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
Thank you. The little one has the potential to emerge one day as the toughest man alive.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^
I retract, we did take the litlle ones to the Childrens Museum before, pretty cool, they loved the water room.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
If he's into sports, it looks like the baseball team will be hosting Indiana at Wilpon on that Friday. Could be a good chance to see a solid game before heading to dinner somewhere with the little fella. Hope you have a good trip and everything works out well for your son and family!
April 12th, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
Baseball vs. Indiana at 6 PM on Friday and 2 PM on Saturday.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
Id reccomend the University's Natural History Museum. All young boys like dinosaurs and they usually have kids' activities going on on weekends.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
I would second this, pretty cool exhibits for a small museum. Also there is the children's hands on museum (LINK).
And the Arb is right next to Mott if you're looking for a quick way to burn some energy.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
Baseball has a home series against Indiana!
April 12th, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
Hope all goes well with his visit and sorry you have to deal with all of that. I don't have a ton to offer. Though I grew up in Ann Arbor, we didn't spend our time on campus. I would definitely recommend touring the campus, definitely hitting M Den, Stucci's etc. Hopefully, the weather will be ok. If you can check out the Big House, that would be tremendous.
Good luck with everything.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
Now we're talking. I will look in to both of those. Thanks for the input and keep it coming.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
April 12th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
Keep fighting alongside your young son. Here is hoping he overcomes any and all challenges that come his way. As for the fun stuff...the baseball idea is a great one. You can get very close to the players/action which for kids is "AWESOME" or so my son used to say. Plus, even adults like hearing the sound of a ball hitting a car when someone fouls one off to the right side of the field. Too many food options to mention. A stroll around the diag will expose your son to just how beautifully diverse humankind really is!
Best to you and your family.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
Thank you. My little has already shown more fight than his daddy ever had. He will be comfortably nuzzled with his angel of a mama and surrounded by capable medical staff.
As the dad to the older one, I have a strong sense of responsibility to feel like he gets something cool out of a somewhat inconvenient trip like this. He's pulled out of school, etc. So there is no way I can just sit around the hospital or hotel with him.
And lastly, yes, selfishly, I also have no intention of sitting around the hotel if I can do something else. And those that have been through hospital experiences like this can relate that sitting around there doesn't do anybody much good either. It's a helplessness thing.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
Hitting the arb right next to Mott is never a bad thing if you want to excise some of his energy. Bring a football/frisbee, a blanket and have a dad/son picnic prior to exploring the town. Should be in full bloom then
April 12th, 2017 at 12:36 PM ^
Go to the Union, walk around State Street and through the Diag.
If you're leaving the hospital, head to north campus and walk around the wave field and through the FXB (PLANES!) Other's suggestions are good too, try to enjoy the time in town and best of luck to the little one.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
co-sign - I loved hands-on as a kid, and now my kid loves it.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^
This is all terrific. There is more in this thread already than I would have found on my own. Many thanks.
Follow up question: the interwebs indicate a very reasonable price to take the boy to the baseball game (cheaper than the few dozen Whitecaps games he has gone to). Is that a ticket I can likely walk up to a gate and buy or should I lock in now?
April 12th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
Pretty sure you could walk up and get them but I would not guarantee it. Team is pretty solid this year.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
April 12th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
Worth a shot. Love it.
"Grand Rapids man arrested scaling Michigan Stadium fence, with 6 year old hanging on his back" . News at 11.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
April 12th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
You got a name? This one is definitely a male doctor. I'll check with the Mrs.
and I thought he was only a decent basketball player.
Different initials than we are seeing.
What are we saying? This is Michigan, fergodsakes, all the doctors will be world class.
April 12th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^
No one has suggested to take the 6 year old to skeeps on Friday night for their weekly "shots for tots"???
I am not above that.
A2 does have a Hopcat now. Being from GR, I have been going for almost 10 years. I'll find a way to get in there for a minute. If you locals haven't been to Hopcat, give it a shot.
I don't know whether you have them, but I would consider bringing two bicycles (for you and your six year old.) It allows you to tool around and cover a lot more ground a lot easier. I have done this on a couple occasions when coming to Ann Arbor with my teenage son. Of course, we can do a lot more riding than you can, but it may or may not be worth it. Kind of depends on how bicycle savvy your six year old is. But I just Google mapped, and it is 1.1 miles from Mott to the Union. Plus the Natural Science Museum is halfway, and the route goes through the diag. Also, you could drive (with the bikes) down to the athletic campus, and easily see the stadium, maybe Crisler, the baseball fields, yost, the football museum, and maybe go inside the Old IM building.
I think the suggestions you've gotten already are great. I think the only thing I'd add is that it makes sense to call or email the athletic department. It is just possible that they might find a way to give your son the experience of a lifetime. Between Coach Harbaugh and Coach Beilein, they are extremely thoughtful and generous men. And I know that both of them appreciate everything that happens at Mott.
Best of luck. You are in my prayers. I have a teenage daughter debilitated with health issues, and it isn't fun.
The University buses would be my recommendation for getting to the Union, Natural Science Musem, and South campus rather than bikes with a 6 year old. It picks up right by the Mott entrance and drops off right in front of all those places. Google maps can even tell you which buses to take to get wherever you're going through their normal transit directions.
And Magic Bus (LINK) can even tell you how long until the next bus is there.
Others have already recommended the Hands on and Natural History museums, which my 6 year old daughter enjoys.
Misc
-Not sure if you guys ice skate, but open skate at Yost is usually 12pm (yost.umich.edu) and that might be pretty cool. As you know, it's right next to Schembechler Hall if you're doing the tour as well.
-If you are looking for food/beer up near your hotel, Rappourt Brew & Chew just opened up on Plymouth/23 area. There aren't a ton of options up there but this place is good...I stopped by on Saturday for a few.
-Mark's Carts & Bill's Beer Garden are cool options on a Friday afternoon/evening downtown depending on the weather
-Hopcat has a kid's menu, which I found out on Sunday.
Edited to say I wish your younger son and you guys all the best.
While you're at Mott, take your sons to check out the designated play room there on the 8th floor, called the Michigan Game Day Experience. It's a cool little play room.
A couple ideas for dinner, I think your son would enjoy the re-openned Pretzel Bell on Main and Liberty. Decent food, and it's filled with Michigan memorabillia. If you want to get off campus, Bigalora is a favorite of ours, as it is very family friendly, in the Arbor Crossings shopping center on Washtenaw. There's also a pretty cool park across the street from there for your son to run around after dinner.
Check it out:
A terrific place to take young children........fun and educational
The cut-in-half toilet was a project that my father-in-law created and donated.
but I will go with the crew on the Hands-on Museum. My girls love it there. Throw in a visit to the Big House (and perhaps a baseball game) and you've got one heck of a good day.
Maize and Blue Nation is behind you and your family for the reason for the visit. Keep up the good fight!!
You guys are all great. This is more discussion than I thought I would get, and it's all appreciated. MGoBlog is a wonderful community.
You mentioned evening but if you arrived in the morning then the noon public skate at Yost is a neat experience and an absolute bargain.
Other people have covered the baseball (they're seriously really good this year), and the Hands on Museum. Just walking to the Big House is always a good time.
As far as restaurants, I just had a really good meal with my girlfriend's sister and her kids at Arbor Brewing. Good kids menu, and the waitstaff was super sweet and good with the kids. The kids wanted to keep their faygo glass bottles and the dude went and washed them out first. It's the little things, yanno?
Other than that, any of the big cheap Ann Arbor institutions would probably be great. Cottage Inn, Mr. Spots, Blimpy's, Pizza Bob's, Fleetwood. All have kid-friendly food and won't break the bank. Should all be relatively busy on a Friday night, but maybe that's part of the experience.
Best of luck to your family and the little one.
Stop by Washtenaw Dairy for a gigantic delicious value-priced ice cream cone. 602 S Ashley St, cross street Madison. An AA tradition.