That said, there were lots of shoppers out, me included (and I hate shopping but grandchildren make me all mushy), as the last couple trips were for medical reasons, not shopping, dining and enjoying the beauty of the area.  

Wow, lots of shuttered business buildings!  Two Penny Jenny continually brags about what she has done for Michigan but you never hear about the empty business buildings and homes displaying the dreaded for lease or sale signs - city after city after city after city.

Our Lansing area is just as bad and it is also dismal on the NE side of the state, two areas that we are so familiar with - it just really made it more dismal when I saw what I saw in Traverse City these last two days.  The area was bustling due to the Christmas season but it was very sad to see the shuttered businesses in an area that always seems so busy and vibrant, despite the ups and downs of past recessions and down turns.

The very sweet and attentive breakfast lady at our hotel said it is the worst she has seen in all her years in the area.  She said years past there were tons of Canadians that frequented the area to shop because of the dollar difference and now no one is coming from the northern border for the same reason - why spend the extra money traveling to TC for the same deal they can get in Canada.