What a Bummer!!

When something starts off on a bad note, it usually ends on a bad note. Everything was just fine until I arrived at the hotel in Allegan...

 There were no "hot tubs"-they were jacuzzi suites

Since I had never been to the Allegan Antiques Market, but have heard of it for years and seen tons of advertising flyers in antique shops all over the state-I decided I wanted to check it out. An opportunity to visit just happened to present itself for today. My cousin was having her daughter's high school graduation open house (in Big Rapids-about an hour and a half north of Allegan), and since I was going to be in that general vicinity, I worked out all the details with my mom (who drove down from the U.P. (Michigan's Upper Peninsula) and met me in Allegan. We spent the night at a local hotel (the "last one before you got to Holland, MI").

Since I didn't know the area, I checked the Antiques Market's website for recommendations on where to stay. When you read the ad, it says this hotel has rooms starting at $45. When I called the cheapest rooms they had available was $75 a night in the "old section". The new section started at $95. Since it was a national chain, and I wasn't sure how easy it would be to commute from Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids to the Antique Market, I booked the room.

I beat my mom there by about 15-20 minutes. Just long enough to get checked in and see this...

 Shag carpet.

 A big burn hole in the bedspread.

An old creepy looking chair.

A clock that is probably as old as I am, and it doesn't work.

Only one light bulb worked.

 Shag carpet, only one light bulb over the bathroom sink that worked (out of 3), a giant burn hole in one of the bedspreads (on beds that looked like they were just a mattress and box springs on the floor without a frame!), a clock from the 60's or 70's, a dead moth on the floor, and a view out of the window of a yard filled with junk! There was even an old discarded pick up truck in the yard outside our window that had been there so long there were little trees growing up in the truck bed!

Since my mom has a bad knee, it was too hard for her to climb the rickety (outside) stairs and she insisted we go to the office for a room on the first floor. Of course, they only had one, and it was in the "new" section and it was another $47!!! I said NO WAY! She whipped out her credit card so fast-I knew I wasn't going to win-although I was secretly relieved to be out of the scary room.

This room in the "new section" was much nicer-it even smelled like new drywall and carpet and was MUCH cleaner! If you ever have a chance to visit the Allegan Antiques Market (which I wouldn't reccommend-I'll get in to that in a little bit), DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT stay at the Budget Host Sunset Motel! Drive the extra half an hour and stay in Kalamazoo or north in Grand Rapids-you won't regret it! This hotel charged top prices and provided only the bare minimum. Disgusted at the way we were ripped off does not even begin to describe how I feel...Since I booked the room in advance, they told me if I canceled after the 24th, I'd be charged for the room anyway-is that even legal?

There is absolutely NOTHING to do in Allegan-unless you count the goodwill store just a couple of doors down from the hotel-where I found this game-too funny!

I wish I would have bought it-I've never seen this game before. Have you?

We ended up driving to Kalamazoo just to have something to do, rather than sit in the room and watch tv. We had a nice dinner and did some shopping-that at least was enjoyable.

We got up and about early this morning to go the the antiques show and it was raining and thundering-so we waited an hour for it to let up, and it did-so off to the show it was. We got a couple of great parking spots-didn't have to walk very far to the gate at all (that was probably the best part of the adventure!). It was $4 admission and I paid for both of us with a $20 bill. The older gentleman at the gate, gave me back $2 and said "Thanks-enjoy the show". I said, "Wait! I gave you a twenty!" he said "I know that! Just give me a minute to get your change" (he wasn't even reaching to make change-but he snapped at me none the less).

 Don't know why this was at the entrance...

We went in and right away I saw some of vintage eye candy and was starting to get excited---until I saw the prices! Ugh! Everything seemed to be priced VERY high! Some booths had "sales" where the prices where just barely reasonable. There were supposed to be over 400 vendors, and I don't think they even came close to 200 (unless more than one vendor was running a single booth). There wasn't a good variety either-it seemed that if you saw one booth, you saw 5 or 6 more with virtually the same items, at pretty close to the same prices. I was soo underwhelmed with this show, and glad that I didn't make the long drive over just for that. It is one more place to mark off on my map of my antiquing adventures, and one more place I have no intention of visiting again!

If you are looking for a GREAT antique show/festival in Michigan-I HIGHLY recommend Midland and would STRONGLY discourage you from Allegan. We were through the entire show (some aisles twice, because we got turned around, in a little over an hour). There just wasn't enough variety, or good prices to make it worth the trip...but at least I can say I've been there done that-and will wonder no longer what it is all about!

Now that I'm in the U.P., I'll be looking for opportunities for some northern Michigan treasure seeking! Hope your weekend treasure seeking was better than mine!

The hotel and antiques show were a total frog...

 but spending time with my mom, uncle and cousins was the real treasure!