People + Places

Sometime back in the mid-1990s, Dr. Luis Tomatis initiated a daily ritual of hosting tea at 4 p.m. in his downtown office. For the 20 years since then, Tomatis has welcomed colleagues, friends, college and hospital presidents, and students, many of them medical students, for conversation, tea and cookies.

Ornithologist, conservationist and distinguished professor at Clemson University, Dr. J. Drew Lanham’s passion for the natural world began as a boy growing up in Edgefield County, South Carolina.

Before 2000, Lisa Cockrel had never heard of the Festival of Faith & Writing – a biennial celebration of literature and belief at Calvin College. Living in Chicago and attending college at the time, she was given the opportunity to travel to Grand Rapids and attend the festival. After an unforgettable weekend, she came away with an encouraging thought: “I found my people.”

Orchids. Those delicate, multibloomed delicacies of the botanical world. So desirable, orchids are smuggled globally as devotees seek out incredibly rare varieties.

A unique way to spend your vacation (or a weekend) is as a tourist in your own town. Treat it like a real vacation: unplug from email and try visiting places you’ve never been. And, for the ultimate vacation, check-in to a hotel in town. Plus, you’ll be able to try out a cozy spot to put up the in-laws when they come to town.

As a full-time student and athlete at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and the founder of her own company, Locker Lifestyle, Katarina Samardzija is living her dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association is looking for a local artist to create a piece of public art near the neighborhood’s northern border.

Gather your friends for an evening of painting to help support Girls on the Run.

Investigative reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski was working on a story about the failure to report sexual abuse within Indiana’s schools when she received a tip from one of her sources suggesting she take a look at USA Gymnastics. The tip led to the uncovering of a massive scandal by the organization and the discovery of the widespread abuse young girls had faced for decades at the hands of Larry Nassar.

Thinking about adopting a pet this spring? Make sure you are prepared.

In August, the first Great Lakes Surf Festival will bring surfers and other watersports enthusiasts to the shores of Muskegon’s Pere Marquette Beach.

When Henry entered the Humane Society of West Michigan (HSWM) he was not only malnourished and suffering from severe skin infections and internal wounds, but he’d also lost most of the fur on his body. Because of this, the HSWM staff members could not identify his breed.

There are two types of people. Those who are here, and those that WANT to be here.

Women At Risk International, otherwise known as WAR International, is an organization that recovers victims of human trafficking and employs them.

Former first lady and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, daughter of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, will be featured guests at the Betty Ford centennial celebration in April, “America’s First Ladies: An Enduring Legacy.”

The life of a candle shop owner means your trash never smells bad.“I mean literally, it never stinks,” says Jill Bromley-Sung, owner of Wax Poetic Candle Bar, who also comes away smelling pretty nice herself.

Don Myers had amassed a comic book collection of 30,000 issues when his college-age kids began encouraging him to do something more with his hobby, specifically, to open a comic book store.

If you have friends coming for a visit or colleagues from out of state in town for the week, there’s a visitor’s guide available to help them see all that Grand Rapids has to offer.

While February 14 could be considered Cupid’s Super Bowl, Grand Rapids has plenty of options for the romantically inclined all year. Planning your next date night? Looking to cozy up with your partner? We’ve narrowed down the choices to these seven romantic spots in town.

Celebrate this snowy season with the first-ever World of Winter festival. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) teams up with numerous local organizations to provide eight jam-packed days of frozen fun activities for the entire community from Feb. 9 - 16.