MARQUETTE - A recent article in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune highlighted the Marquette area as a prime Midwestern tourist destination.
The article, "Marquette's natural appeal," was written by non-fiction writer Greg Breining and was researched during the time he spent in the city this spring as a visiting writer at Northern Michigan University. It was published in the paper's July 2 edition.
Breining mentions a number of local businesses, from the Landmark Inn to Blackrocks Brewery, but his real focus is on Marquette's scenic setting - and on its past.
"Marquette, population 20,000, has long been an industrial outpost on the south shore of Lake Superior," Breining states early in the article. "Now, Marquette is gracefully transforming its nitty-gritty waterfront into an appealing public space, with multi-use trails, a nearby farmers market, condominiums and good restaurants. Yet for travelers, what makes Marquette unique is its setting in the wild hinterlands of Lake Superior shore and forest."
Breining mentions such scenic shoreline attractions as Presque Isle Park, Little Presque Isle and Sugarloaf Mountain.
It's always nice to see Marquette recognized, but its especially nice when that recognition comes in a publication as large as the Star-Tribune, which boasts a daily circulation of about 256,000, according to Denise Gurnack, web marketing manager for the Marquette Country Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Any time there is something written about Marquette in a positive way, it just makes our job easier - promoting Marquette and bringing people to Marquette to see the wonderful things we have to offer," she said.
Breining is no stranger to the area. He has spent a great deal of time in the last few years paddling the waters of Lake Superior - his latest book is titled "Paddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness" - and he told stories of the Huron Mountain Club during a reading at NMU during the spring.
He has been published in The New York Times, Audubon and National Geographic Traveler and has published a book about kayaking around Lake Superior and another about a massive volcano beneath Yellowstone.
Kyle Whitney can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. His email address is kwhitney@miningjournal.net.
