Geek Speak – LoveLansing: Lansing First Fridays

by Daniel

LoveLansing is a blog series on what makes the Lansing area fun and unique.

There is a new deal in town–Lansing First Fridays. On the titular Friday of each month, local businesses offer special deals, discounts, and promotions. Since I had the day off, I sampled some of the fun on the very first First Friday–April 1, 2011. Yes, the launch date was April Fools Day, but all of these deals were legit. I started the day with a trip to Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee, where I saved $1 off a special drink.

Well, rather the girlfriend did.

I ordered an americano, which did not count (her drink did). Properly caffeinated, we trekked out to East Lansing for brunch at Beggar’s Banquet. We made a quick detour to the MSU Surplus Store first, but that shall be the topic of its own blog post in the future (and they were not part of First Fridays).

We asked our server at Beggar’s about the appetizer deal on the First Fridays website. He had no idea what we were talking about, and sadly, this would be the norm at every location afterward–with one exception, but more on that later. After he confirmed the deal with the manager, we learned we had to order two main entrees to get an appetizer (or dessert) for free.

Two entrees was more food than we wanted for brunch, so we passed on this deal–but, it would make for a better lunch plan (the deal was good until 2PM). I opted for the California eggs Benedict (which will be featured in an upcoming Geek Eats), and S had the caprese salad.

Post brunch, we explored East Lansing a bit. Mackerel Sky was also taking part (free cookies and tea). I had to pry S away from the jewelery counter.

After more wandering around, S checked the First Fridays Twitter account, and she saw that the Demmer Center had just put out a deal–free equipment rental (rifles, pistols, bows).

I figured now was as good a time as any to prepare for the zombie apocalypse.

Like Beggar’s, we had to ask about the deal at Demmer first, as the guy working the desk had no idea what it was. But, after a quick chat with his manager, the promotion was confirmed.

For around $20, S and I rented a revolver, had a safety training class, hands on instruction the whole time, a shooting lane, and 100 rounds of .22 ammo. This was a great deal.

Later, we met up with Suban from Poppy on a Kite at the Waterfront Bar & Grill ($4.75 Michigan craft brew pints) in the Lansing City Market. Now, I love Waterfront to begin with, so I don’t need any extra encouragement to go–especially now that they have Bell’s Oberon on tap.

 

We also grabbed an early dinner. S had a veggie wrap, and I had the special of the day–the crab cakes. Tasty.

We compared notes with Suban, and agreed that a city map of places that had deals would come in handy, such as an interactive map on the website. Downtown, Old Town, and East Lansing all had deals, but a map would have been a big help. A schedule view would be a nice addition, as certain deals were only good during lunch or dinner hours.

Our next stop was Old Town (we walked there from Waterfront, via the River Trail). S and I stopped by Preuss Pets, because that’s just what you do when you are in Old Town. Never been? Do yourself a favor and go walk around.

We then stopped by Cravings Popcorn (extended hours for First Fridays), to sample the April Fools “gravy” popcorn. S bought a bag of Sea Salt and Pepper popcorn.

Suban and her friends awaited us at Grace (free accessory with a $100 purchase–which is easy there). I kept quiet while the ladies looked over purses and such. S went with me to the shooting ranger earlier. Fair’s fair.

After Grace, we visited one of Old Town’s newest galleries, Gallery 1212 (extended hours, snacks, live music).

Gallery 1212 is a cute place. Lots of space, and it is a “learning gallery” (they have classes and such). Our next stop? Back to Cravings Popcorn (Suban and her pals had not been there yet).

I broke my “no pop” rule and had a Faygo Vanilla Creme Soda. It was tasty, and worth it. I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, so Faygo practically runs through my veins.

Cravings, thankfully, sells the “classic” version of Faygo made with cane sugar. Our next stop was the Exchange (2 for 1 tapas).

The Exchange was another place where we had to ask about the deal and wait to get the OK from the manager–but it was quickly sorted out.

I have a feeling, when the next First Fridays comes around, people will be more aware of what is going on. There will be growing pains with any new promotion like this, especially one that is city-wide. S and I split a pair of tapas (shrimp cocktail and salmon on rice).

Then came our next, and perhaps greatest adventure–the free Entertainment Express Trolley to East Lansing, which runs every fifteen minutes on First Fridays, instead of the normal thirty.

Upon reaching the bus/trolley stop outside of the Exchange, I observed: “We either have to wait fifteen minutes–or less than fifteen minutes.” It had been a long day. It was fun to ride the trolley as a group.

We decided to end our evening with a night cap at the Harrison Roadhouse (and they were aware of the deals). After our drinks, we grabbed the trolley outside the Roadhouse, which was nearly full, and returned downtown. The bulk of our fellow passengers got out at the Rum Runner stop (no cover on First Fridays), but our group was ready to call it a night.

Did I enjoy First Fridays? Yes. Despite a few snags (which were all easily sorted out), it was a great way to spend the day and explore the Lansing area.

What was my favorite First Friday deal? A tie between the free gun rental at Demmer and the free Entertainment Express rides.

What would I change about First Fridays? An interactive map and a time or schedule view of the deals on the website would come in handy. I could add “making sure employees knew about it,” but this was the first time, so confusion is to be expected. Trolley rides up to Old Town would be nice as well (just for First Fridays), if possible.

Will I take part in First Fridays again? I may not get another full day of it like this month, but I certainly plan making use of some of the deals in the future. I’m really looking forward to making more use of the free Entertainment Express rides once it gets warmer out.

For our Lansing readers (all three of you), did you try out any of the First Fridays deals?

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Daniel J. Hogan is the geek half of Ginger and the Geek. He is also a photoblogger and host of the Magic of Eyri Podcast. He is very tired. Follow him on Twitter, @danieljhogan.