Shawn Smith’s web ninja life

My boss, colleague and I visited seven Michigan newspapers in four days to talk about the future of online journalism in the state. I took a few videos in the later sessions to show you what it’s like to live the life of a newspaper rock star. (see all pics and videos from Michigan Newspaper Tour)

Here’s a quick look at what one of our meetings looks like:

Not so scary, right? I took plenty of videos of several newsrooms and here they are in no particular order: Grand Rapids Press (more Grand Rapids Press videos)

Muskegon Chronicle (more Muskegon Chronicle videos)

Saginaw News (more Saginaw News videos)

Bay City Times

Hope you enjoyed going on the tour with me.

Does Old Town Tavern, a pub on the west side of Main on Liberty, have the best burger in Ann Arbor? I wouldn’t go that far.

But if you ask many Ann Arborites, Old Town is a safe bet for those looking for one.

Old Town’s warm, homey appeal sets it apart from many of the restaurant bars in town. You won’t find any pretentiousness here, but you will find good beers and friendly company.

Take a look:

The burger meat comes from Knights, a local meat market known for high quality foods.

Old Town does not feature a whole list of concocted burgers. Rather, the menu sports some simple suggestions and you basically build your burger to your liking. It’s kind nice to choose exactly what you want on it.

My one suggestion, which comes from an Old Town server, put some of Ann Arbor’s own Clancy’s Fancy hot sauce on the sandwich. It’s hard to beat that sauce!

Here’s the burger:

I dined on a burger with cheese and banana peppers, french fries and a cup of clam chowder (with some Clancy’s) for about $14, including tip. The meal did not include a beer, which run about $4-6.

My last tip about Old Town, get a bowl of peanuts for a buck, it’s a great deal!

We just had the largest snow of the new winter season in Ann Arbor. The storm system hammered much of the Midwest region.

Luckily, we are borrowing an SUV and I was able to get to work. The roads outside my house are deep with white stuff, so much that I can’t get my Dodge Neon out of the snowbank.

Here’s a look at Liberty Street in Ann Arbor around noon after the brunt of the snow had already hit.

Talk about a burger that doesn’t quit! The station burger of Grand Rapids Wealthy Street Station pumps a new, juicy flavor into your mouth with each bite.

Make sure you’ve been fasting for a week before you eat this, or at least plan to fast for a week after this burger, because the amount of goodness in it is so tasty it’s got to be bad for you.

During my recent tour of Michigan newspapers, my co-workers and I stopped off at the Station on the recommendation of a Grand Rapids Press newspaper writer – and we weren’t disappointed. Take a look at this burger:

That’s it. I’ll running for about a week to burn off the calories from this sandwich. Check it out if you visit Grand Rapids, Michigan

During my recent tour of Michigan newspapers, my co-workers and I stopped off at Frankenmuth’s Bavarian Inn Restaurant for some tasty German cuisine. (see all pics and videos from Frankenmuth’s Bavarian Inn Restaurant)

Frankenmuth is one of Michigan’s most-heralded tourist attractions. The town casts itself as a Germanic throwback village that comes complete with costumed workers and an overwhelming affection for Christmas cheer. If you’re visiting Michigan during the holidays, you really shouldn’t skip this right of passage destination.

Despite it being the holidays, we visited Frankenmuth for a different reason: To stuff ourselves full of delicious German dishes.

Justin Rogers ordered the family platter for us, which came with four different salads (think navy bean salad, chicken salad, coleslaw and a cranberry relish salad), a platter of five meats and a few sides. The dinner is followed by desert, an ice cream and cookie.

Take a look at the dinner:

I definitely enjoyed the food, but the ambiance and staff is really what makes this place an enjoyable experience. All of the staff dons some sort of old world dress and they are all very friendly. Our server even let me take a photo with her and the food!

The dinner costs about $22 per person, not including a drink. The Bavarian Inn Restaurant’s menu includes many German beers to choose from and each costs in the $4-6 range. I think we each skated out of there spending about $35 including tip.

A fun experience, but a little pricey if you’re looking for a cheap meal in Frankenmuth. My advice, get the most out of your interaction with the staff. The food is good, but it doesn’t stand up to the atmosphere of the town.

Nikki’s office is hosting a cubicle-decorating contest for the holidays, so she and I spent a good portion of our Sunday picking out a design scheme and setting it up.

I’m sure her co-workers will be surprised when they arrive in the office. Here’s what it looks like:

What do you think? Can she win?

I didn’t see any other cubicles decorated, but I think Nikki might have to go a little further to ensure she takes home the prize in this contest.

This year, I’d say you’re extremely lucky if your office had a holiday party … and paid for it! My office canceled its annual party, and so the staff took it upon themselves to gather and have some fun.

We convened on Sticks in Ypsilanti, Michigan, during happy hour Pizzas were half off and there was a deal on beers. I was kind of shocked by how many people showed up, and it made for a good time.

Here’s what the place looks like:

I lost a couple games at pool, and then ended up just taking photos of the event. You can see more pics of the holiday party, but you’ll probably be more interested in the magician who showed up!

That’s right! There was magic in the air. In fact, the magician shows up every Friday night, so we weren’t that special. But it was cool to see him trick us. Here’s a video of one of his tricks:

Magic Man Wows MLivers at Sticks in Yspsilanti from shawn smith on Vimeo.

Yup, another successful year in the corporate life. Hope your holiday party was fun too!

I love a good burger, and Ann Arbor certainly has its share of unique burgers to choose from. Want the classic, go to Old Town. Want the quick and dirty, try Blimpie Burger.

But if you’re interested in a burger that’s delicious in a place you wouldn’t expect to find one, check out Cafe Zola’s Kobe beef burger.

If you haven’t been to Zola, here’s what the dining room looks like:

I admit I was very skeptical before ordering the burger at Zola. I have only eaten breakfast there, but my co-workers say the Zola is able to get the burger right. So I gave it a shot.

Although the dining room was pretty full, we didn’t have much of a wait for getting our food. Here’s what the burger looks like:

The end result? I really enjoyed the burger. It came with a mayonaise sauce and pineapple to put on the burger, which really gave it a nice tangy taste.

I was more than impressed that Zola could pull this off, since I’ve only known them as a breakfast place, and one of my favorites at that.

I also did a quick video on Zola’s menu, but I didn’t want to embed that here. Check it out if you’re interested.

And if you haven’t been to Zola’s, and you like crepes, try this place out for real. The crepes are awesome! And so is the fritatta omelete

My buddy Mark Rapaport recently launched Apollo Studios, a designer clothing brand based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Many of my friends and I gathered in Cincinnati for the launch party and it was the first time since high school we all were in one place at the same time. It was great to see everyone again.

Here’s Mark explaining a little bit about the clothing line:

Good luck to Mark and his business partners. If you’re interested some cool, exclusive clothing, check out the Apollo Brands website and become their friend on Facebook.

See more of my pics from the party, but you won’t find videos. After watching those, I think they’re best left unposted

For the second year in a row, I trekked to Kalamazoo, Michigan for Bell’s Eccentric Day. My co-workers Jonathan and Mike and I headed down after work and braved the snow and cold for one of the best nights of the year in Michigan.

Eccentric Day is a celebration of the beers from Bell’s Brewery, where people from around the country gather in eccentric dress and costume to dance the night away and sip great beer.

I’ve been looking forward to this night since I attended my first Eccentric Day in 2007.

To make things even better, I ran into some friends I haven’t seen in quite a while: Kevin, Liz and Corrine. I surprised them because they didn’t think I was coming.

This year, I came as a Santa pimp, similar to last year’s costume. The vibe wasn’t as wild as the 2007 Eccentric Day, and there seemed to be less food.

Here’s a video introducing Eccentric Day that ends when I run into Kevin and Liz for the first time during the night:

You can also take a look at what the main room looks like in the following video, which also features quick commentary from Mike Itchue:

See more videos and pics from Bell’s Eccentric Day 2008.