Joel Dinda's photos with the keyword: storefronts

South Haven's Old Harbor Inn probably dates from the 1980s, but it's designed to look older. The hotel lives in four separate buildings, arranged around this little alleyway of commercial storefronts. 40 or so very different rooms are scattered around the place. Those that face a boardwalk or the street have outside doors, while the upper-level rooms are up stairways. (Wheelchair accommodations are not a strength, here, though I expect some of the rooms are accessible.) All the guest rooms in the buildings to the right in this photo overlook South Haven's harbor, which is the hotel's best feature. Downtown South Haven's excellent restaurant selection is a couple blocks away, and it's about a half-mile to the beach. A great location. It's quaint, but there's a catch. There are two nightclubs in the complex. The one at the end of this road, named York's Landing, runs year-round. The other, a seasonal operation called Magnolia Grille, lives on a riverboat and is just a few feet off the alley. This nightclub density is, obviously, not a problem for everyone. And since our stays have been off-season we've not had to deal with the riverboat partiers. But the place does have a reputation for rowdiness during the summer. In fact, the hotel's invoice warned us about it. Our room--straight up from where I shot the picture--is probably far enough from the action that we'd not have been bothered. The rooms that directly face the riverboat, on the other hand, can only be attractive to folks who've come for the party. That said: The Inn's a fine hotel, and we've been pleased with the rooms and the service. The location cannot be beat. A similar view , seven years ago.

This once-handsome grouping is on Grand Ledge's Bridge Street, at River. I presume they had attractive facades a hundred years ago, but changed to match fickle architectural fashion. Somehow they got stuck at 1965. Not all is lost. There's wonderful detail above the ugly storefronts. Brick making was an important industry in this town, and it really shows in the business district.

Northeast on Bridge Street, from the bridge across the Grand River. My favorite of the local small towns. I never lived in Dimondale, but for years I had a Dimondale mailing address. Somehow the village has maintained its small town feel despite its near proximity to Lansing, and its increasingly suburban citizenry.

My route back to the pharmacy took me past Ledges Craft Lane one last time....

One last look up Bridge Street, before returning to the pharmacy. The backs of those buildings ....

Potterville, Michigan.

I'd spent the night in Kalamazoo, and the day's 366 Snaps shots documented my drive home. The weather was abysmal, and the photographs show villages in the rain. Today's weather, for the record, was worse--added ice to the mix. I'd not have driven 70 miles under those conditions. ========== If there's a single photo-a-day project that most influenced mine, it's Vishal Patel's Project 365 , which ended the day before my 366 Snaps began. V and I are very different photographers--he's more formal, more vivid, plans more thoroughly, and is prone to a very different kind of experimentation. But following his photography from day to day was an inspiration. Just wanted to get in this plug as my project winds down. His set's certainly worth a bit of your time. ========== I stopped at Mulliken's Thriftway, as usual, just before I got home, and took the photo I posted to 366 Snaps. It's of Boyer's , but since it was shot through the wet car window the pic's a bit, well, distorted. Jim, who runs the Thriftway, noticed me taking pix, apparently for the first time, and gave me a (mock) hard time about it. This was odd, because I'm always taking photographs from ( and of ) his parking lot. Jim's really in no position to criticize, as I pointed out, since he has sixteen cameras monitoring his small store and grounds. Regardless, the conversation was the highlight of the trip. I was glad to be home. Again, for emphasis: We're friends, and were gaming each other. ========== This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps . Number of project photos taken: 38 Title of " roll :" Wet & Chilly Other photos taken on 12/20/2012: none.

This photo could be considered a rehearsal for my November 12 366 Snaps pic . This is Mulliken from M-43, shot more or less from the cemetery entrance. ========== This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps . 366 Snaps project discussion and stats for August 27 .

A sidewalk, a person waiting for the signal to change, old-fashioned street light stands, some signs, and storefronts. I think this busy photo is delightful. The project's April 9 photo was derived from this idea. ========== This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps . 366/2012 project discussion here .