My hometown's hidden gems

Although we are not far from Metro Detroit and a major border town with Ontario, Port Huron is experiencing a major identity crisis. Long tied to the auto industry like most of Michigan, our manufacturing base has dried up and died in a little more than a decade.

So, as a ways to make this blog less boring and because I'm a nice gal in spite of myself, Sunday posts will now be dedicated to the cools parts of this pretty little town.

And to kick it off, I give you The Raven Cafe: http://www.ravencafeph.com/home.html

* The Raven (opened December 2nd, 2002) is the end product of an 8-year restoration of an
   authentic Civil War era building.
* They serve four varieties of specialty grade Arabica drip coffees as well as regular and
   decaf espresso drinks.
* Their coffees are 100% specialty grade, sourced from around the world.
* Their teas and herbal drinks are provided by California-based Numi Teas, made from whole
   leaf teas and all natural herbs.
* Their Yerba Maté is sourced from the Guayakí rainforest cooperative preserve in Paraguay
   and is of the highest quality.
* Their eclectic array of recorded music is delivered to you over a custom sound system
   utilizing high speed internet and accessing millions of recordings.
* Live music with musicians from all over Michigan and other states is provided Thursday
  through Sunday. The current schedule with biographies can be viewed on their site. On
  Wednesdays, they have "Bowlwiioke" (Wii bowling and karaoke) in the balcony.
* Browse through over 8000 select antique and contemporary books on the Raven’s bookshelves.
* Free high speed DSL wireless internet access for laptop users.

This place was started by an old family friend and Civic Theatre colleague of mine, Gerald Edson, a Harvard-trained lawyer. The place is comfy and eclectic, the food is very good (especially their soups), and they serve the prettiest damn Margarita I've ever seen! It tastes fabulous, too!

Stay tuned every Sunday for more oh my hometown gems!