![\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2014\/08\/Boyneinsummer.jpg\")
<\/a>Boyne Highlands Resort is in Harbor Springs…but close to Petoskey, too, where Boyne Mountain Resort is also just down the road.<\/p><\/div>\n
Two towns that taste like slices of\u00a0<\/span>Americana<\/span>\u00a0are neighbors in Northern Michigan: Petoskey and Harbor Springs, located on either side of Little Traverse Bay, in the upper\u00a0<\/span>Lower Peninsula<\/span>. The two villages are only four miles apart (and even closer as the crow flies or by boat), making it is easy to visit both in the same day. In a head-to-head rivalry, each boasting shopping, restaurants, hotels, Boyne Resorts and scenery, how does Petoskey and Harbor Springs compare?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Arnold Weinfeld, a native New Yorker living in\u00a0<\/span>Lansing<\/span>, says, \u201cHarbor Springs reminds me of a\u00a0<\/span>New England<\/span>\u00a0village.\u201d Amy Ray, a sailor from\u00a0<\/span>Rochester<\/span>, agrees. \u201cHarbor Springs has more of a \u2018nautical feel\u2019 to it with an established sailing culture. It has more charm, in my opinion.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The downtown marina is very accessible to boaters and gawkers alike, who can stroll down the docks of the sheltered bay and dine outside at\u00a0<\/span>Stafford<\/span>\u2019s Pier Restaurant. Gary Hutnik, a dentist and writer from Okemos insists, \u201cHarbor Springs is more picturesque with better restaurants, better eye candy, and more of an artist\u2019s sensibility.\u201d Indeed the small commercial district is made up entirely of art galleries and independent mom and pop shops such as Tom\u2019s Mom\u2019s Cookies, Velvet\u2026a Candy Store, Yummies Ice Cream Shop, and Rocking Horse Toy Company.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A scenic bluff overlooks the town and its tiny public beach and harbor. Harbor Sprints has a population of 1,194 some of which live in stately Victorian mansions directly across from the water. A drive to the north along Highway 119 hugs\u00a0<\/span>Lake Michigan<\/span>\u00a0and takes motorists through the famed Tunnel of Trees, which is especially scenic during the fall colors period.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Sherri Carter Merritt, from\u00a0<\/span>Charlotte<\/span>, explains Harbor Springs is \u201ctoo stuffy for her\u201d and so she prefers Petoskey, with a population of 5,670. \u201cI always visit Sturgeon River Pottery and love walking the pier, which my nieces and nephews have all dived off of,\u201d she says. \u201cI like to grab a sandwich from the Flat Iron Grill, which is said to be haunted and was frequented by Ernest Hemingway, and eat it in the park.\u201d Hemingway grew up on nearby\u00a0<\/span>Walloon<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Lake<\/span>,\u00a0and his first short story was titled \u201cUp in <\/span>Michigan<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Debby Mangopoulos, of Mason, says, \u201cI have fun shopping in Petoskey and love the\u00a0<\/span>Perry <\/span>Hotel<\/span>. The Perry, built in 1899, is in the center of the very walk-able, shop-able downtown on the National Register of Historic Sites.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Lisa Duncanson Fata, of\u00a0<\/span>Lansing<\/span>, says, \u201cHarbor Springs is not as commercialized, but Petoskey is gorgeous, too.\u201d Cary Campbell, of\u00a0<\/span>East Lansing<\/span>, agrees. \u201cPetoskey has parks on the water and more year-round residents, plus more expansive shopping.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Your best bet is to visit both, with the better sunset over\u00a0<\/span>Lake Michigan<\/span>\u00a0to the west visible from Petoskey.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Michael Patrick Shiels may be contacted at\u00a0<\/span><\/i>InviteYourself@aol.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or via TravelTattler.com\u00a0His talk show can be heard weekday mornings in\u00a0<\/span>Lansing<\/span>\u00a0on 92.1 FM and Fox 47 TV.<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"