Traveler's Club International Restaurant & Tuba Museum

It's true. We're back in Michigan for a week, and decided to take advantage of our proximity to Grand Rapids, and meet up halfway with the newly married Alex and Tabitha Blanski (our cousins).

Halfway is the Lansing area, and Alex suggested a unique little venue in Okemos, Michigan, just east of Lansing: The Travelers Club International Restaurant & Tuba Museum. A little hole-in-the-wall where the "international" menu ranges from gyros to Indonesian dishes to buffalo burgers (which are very low in cholesterol. Who Knew?). The "Travelers Club" part apparently refers to the various world maps hung up around the place, and the impressive international beer selection (though all their drafts were from various Michigan microbrews). And the "Tuba Museum" part was just what it sounds like. All the way around the restaurant were hung up around 50 tubas and tuba-like instruments. The first couple pages of the menu described the significance of some of the more memorable tubas. Perhaps best of all (partly because of it's being so underwhelming) was the world's only "sousaphountain", pictured below.

Every small town should have a place like this. Genuine, kooky, and with some very tasty food and drink. Thanks for suggesting it, Alex.