Yes, Grand Rapids does have a French restaurant! Only it is not called Le Food and does not have a waiter named Pepe who answers crank phone calls. In September, Karen and Mike went to the New Hotel Mertens restaurant on Oakes Street downtown to celebrate Mike's birthday. The French/European themed restaurant is less than two years old. The birthday boy had delicious mussels and a dirty martini. As Dad would say, "I wonder what the poor people are eating?" As Jerry would say, "Emma Roids? Emma Roids? I'm sorry, monsieur, no Emma Roids. Bye-bye!"

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DATELINE: RETIREMENT ROAD TRIP

Margaret and Kelly took their first retirement road trip together, with hopefully many more to come. The couple left the Metro compound for Nashville. They made the drive in 10 hours and stayed with Larry and Gina in Mt. Juliet for 3 days. While there, they all did lots of stuff, including a redneck comedy tour of Nashville, lunches and dinners around the city, a visit with Amanda, Sara, Rob, Bobby, and Charlie, and my favorite... floating in the pool on a sunny 90+ degree day. From there, they drove down to Estero, which took 2 days. On the drive, they stopped in Chattanooga to visit the famous Ruby Falls, and for a nice dinner in the city. In Florida, they stayed at Steve & Kristen's place which was wonderful. Hot tub every morning, followed by a swim. In the afternoons and evenings, they went a lot of places around the sunshine state, including a murder mystery dinner train in Fr. Myers, trivia night with friends in Sarasota, the Florida Everglades, the Bok Garden Tower in Lake Wales, Disney World, along with doing some recon for retirement places around the state. When heading back to Michigan, the first stop was in Deland, Florida where they had a wonderful visit with Aunt Margaret and Judy Lipinski. Aunt Margaret will be turning 95, and she looks wonderful. They got to talk about family and catching everyone up. Judy also took them over to her store, The Spice Of Life. It is a beautiful store. After leaving there, it was a 2 day drive to get back home. In all, Kelly & Margaret traveled over 3600 miles and through 8 states. They are looking forward to their next adventure.

ED NOTE: We played the license plate game on the trip (only on the road... not counting the Disney World parking lot) and we saw 42 of the 50 states and 2 provinces of Canada.

The Bierhouse - The Redneck Comedy Tour Bus - A Home Cooked Dinner with Larry, Gina, Rob, Sara, Bobby and Charlie

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Just floating!!!!

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Thank you for hosting us Gina and Larry - Ruby Falls and Look out Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee

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The Everglades were wonderful. We saw the smallest post office in the US, baby alligators (the momma was below) and got a chance to enjoy the scenery

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One evening we went on a murder mystery dinner train. Had a good time trying to figure out the killer while enjoying a nice dinner.

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After running around the state, it was nice to come back for a soak in the hot tub, and a swim in the pool. But watch out for the panthers...

Metro readers Elias and Nancy Chapa took a trip out to California to visit their daughter Emma in the San Francisco area. Here are some photos from their visit..

Golden Gate Bridge - Stayed at Indian Springs one night - Emma and Nancy

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2 nights at the Fairmont - Elias and Nancy at Ghiradelli - Ferry ride by Alcatraz with Nancy, Emma, and Billy - At the Pacific Ocean

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Here are some of the recent travel destinations from our faithful readers.
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Larry & Gina traveled to Michigan to view several castles for their anniversary week
Elias and Nancy took a trip out to California to visit their daughter Emma
Larry had little luck on a short recon visit to Vegas in preparation for the January trip
Frank & Cathy had a wonderful time in beautiful Italy

Kelly & Margaret did a 3600 mile road trip through 8 states, including extended stops in Tennessee and Florida 

Dear Editor: Recently I had a screening of a film I just finished and it had me thinking about Jerry. Jerry was the sort of friend who invested time in his buddies. He came to nearly every screening I had in the past 10 years or so. He came to hear my goofy band more then once. As you know of course he was a great guy and he is missed but still in the thoughts of us lucky enough to have called him friend or family! He was on my mind and I just wanted to share that with you. -Your original best friend, Dennis

ED NOTE: Thanks Dennis. Jerry was a class act. He is still always on my mind as well and missing him. Hoping you and yours' are well.

Dear Editor: My wife is making a Halloween costume (Little Red Riding Hood) for her granddaughter. What do you consider to be the coolest costumes for Halloween 2019, and is Little Red among them? — Just Chillin' Till Devil's Night, Hudsonville

ED NOTE: Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs couldn't even make Little Red Riding Hood a hit back in the 60's! What makes you think it will play today? Why don't she just make them candy corn costumes. Nobody likes that either. Maybe, you could dress the kids as almonds. Everyone already knows their grandfather is nuts! Or, if you want to dress them up as something really scary, make a costume as a phone battery at 2%. Whatever they dress up as, I hope they have a wonderful Halloween!

We appreciate our McCarty Metro readers and always want to hear your questions, comments, rants, or editorials.
Just submit them anytime during the month to to mccartymetro@gmail.com for inclusion in the next issue.
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For those that do not speak the language, Le' Food is French for "The Food"! I would like to encourage our readers to submit their favorite recipes to the McCarty Metro at mccartymetro@gmail.com for inclusion in upcoming issues. This month we have a great treat.

HALLOWEEN RATLOAF
Submitted by Deborah

What's better than gooey warm rat guts on Halloween? A quick and easy meatloaf that the youngsters can eat on the run! I've included a basic recipe, but feel free to use your family's favorite. Use pearl onions in place of the olives for a different look. The layer of crushed French-fried onions will resemble burnt fur! When you slice it, the 'guts' should ooze out and make quite an impression.

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Valerie Harper, 80, actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Valerie), Emmy Award winner (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975), leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. Franco Columbu, 78, bodybuilder and actor (Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator), Mr. Olympia winner (1976, 1981), heart attack. Rod Coneybeare, 89, puppeteer and voice actor (The Friendly Giant). Fred McLeod, 67, sportscaster (WDIV Detroit, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons). Eddie Money, 70, musician ("Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Take Me Home Tonight"), complications from heart surgery. Alex Grammas, 93, baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and coach (Detroit Tigers). Ric Ocasek, 75, Hall of Fame musician (The Cars), singer-songwriter ("My Best Friend's Girl", "You Might Think") and record producer, cardiovascular disease. Suzanne Whang, 56, actress (Las Vegas, From Here on OUT) and television host (House Hunters), breast cancer. Cokie Roberts, 75, journalist (ABC News, NPR), political commentator and author, complications from breast cancer. Howard (Hopalong) Cassady, 85, Hall of Fame football player (Ohio State, Detroit Lions), Heisman Trophy winner (1955). Nick Polano, 78, hockey player (Philadelphia Blazers) and coach (Detroit Red Wings), complications from Alzheimer’s disease.