Fashion meets Food

Coming to DTE Energy Music Theatre: Jurassic Quest

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Erica

313 Presents is excited to bring entertainment back to families who have been patiently waiting since early March. Dinosaurs are ready and raring to return from extinction, and following sold-out weekends in San Antonio, Dallas and Oklahoma City, Jurassic Quest will be migrating to the parking area of DTE Energy Music Theatre on Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 16 with the first-ever JURASSIC QUEST DRIVE-THRU!

What is Jurassic Quest?

The nation’s best touring dinosaur exhibit has been transformed into an interactive drive-thru experience, featuring over 70 moving and life-like dinosaurs, as well as the 50 foot-long Megalodon! Although the drive-thru experience means guests will stay safe inside their vehicle, they will still need to watch out for the swinging tail of the 80 foot-long Spinosaurus!

The Jurassic Quest Drive-Thru is the only place to encounter some of the largest dinosaurs to ever roam the earth, and some of the eeriest marine creatures to ever lurk the ocean’s depths, from the safety of your family vehicle. Guests will be among the first in the nation to go on a quest with an online audio tour that will lead them throughout the thrilling dinosaur safari. Your dino crew can time-travel and enjoy about an hour-long ride back in time. Guests are texted a link before their time slot, which will open on their cellular device upon arrival. The audio tour can play through phone speakers and through car speakers if your device connects in that way. The online audio tour link is also available at http://www.jurassicquest.com.

Jurassic Quest worked in collaboration with leading paleontologists to ensure each dinosaur was painstakingly replicated in every detail. Guests will have the chance to drive through realistic scenes, without leaving their own vehicles, depicting how dinosaurs looked and moved.

In addition to the life-like dinosaur exhibits, there will be opportunities to visit with a one-of-a-kind baby dinosaur and Jurassic Quest‘s team of dino trainers as well as the chance to capture the moment with a safari-style photo of your vehicle and family transported back in time via a Jurassic setting complete with a dinosaur backdrop. All attendees will leave with the same bragging rights, “We Survived Jurassic Quest 2020!” One photo per family is FREE and included in ticket purchase.

Jurassic Quest Safety Measures:

Jurassic Quest will continue to take extra precautionary measures to provide a clean and safe event. Food or beverage will not be available for purchase onsite, so guests are encouraged to bring their own snacks to enjoy during the ride. Merchandise will be available for purchase at the Dino Store, and all transactions are cashless and touchless, as staff will deliver items to vehicles. Guests are to remain in vehicles and wear masks in the event they exit the vehicle in allowed areas to use the restroom prior to or after the ride. Social distancing rules will be requested of all guests and maintained by Jurassic Quest crew, who will be sanitizing equipment, dinosaurs and workstations more frequently and thoroughly throughout the entirety of the event. Employees will be applying hand sanitizer and washing their hands regularly throughout each day, in addition to wearing masks. Guest safety and enjoyment is Jurassic Quest‘s top priority.

Guests must travel through the drive-thru in the comfort of their own vehicle – no rentals or golf carts will be provided and walkers are not allowed. To ensure participant safety, all guests must ride inside their vehicles (yes, pets inside vehicles are allowed), no riders in truck beds, however. Trailers are also not allowed – as they might tempt the hungry dinos too much. Oversized vehicles and vehicles with more than nine riders are allowed (at $80 per vehicle plus fees), but vehicles must be under 10 feet tall and under 25 feet long. A full list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found online at www.jurassicquest.com/drive-thru-faqs. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit www.JurassicQuest.com.

Whether they are big or small, young or old, guests of Jurassic Quest have a dino-mite time!

Jurassic Quest Performance Schedule:

August 7 – 11:00 AM

August 8 – 9:00 AM

August 9 – 9:00 AM

August 12 – 9:00 AM

August 13 – 9:00 AM

August 14 – 9:00 AM

Purchase passes here: https://313pres.co/3g9CMTW

JURASSIC QUEST SPECIAL OFFER:

Save 10% on passes with code DINO10

Movie Review: The Secret: Dare to Dream

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Erica

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The Secret: Dare to Dream is a classic romantic movie based on the bestselling self-help book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. The book explored the law of attraction, a belief that thoughts positive or negative can impact your life. As someone who has read the book, I went into this movie with big hopes and let me tell you from the moment I started it, I didn\’t want it to end.

Why was I excited to watch The Secret: Dare to Dream?
The Secret: Dare to Dream is directed by Andy Tennant, who is best known for some of my favorite romance movies, Hitch, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, and of course my all-time favorite movie Sweet Home Alabama.

Who are the main characters in the film?
Miranda a struggling widowed mom of three and played by Katie Holmes.
Bray a traveling gentleman is in town visiting and spouts New Age wisdom and is played by Josh Lucas (who is one of my favorite romantic film actors).

The storyline of The Secret: Dare to Dream
The movie begins with Miranda calling the bank to get put on a payment plan, which is something I am sure a lot of people are familiar with. Struggling to make ends meet, this single mom of three works at a busy seafood restaurant in New Orleans.

To make matters worse, Miranda finds out that she is in need of a root canal, which will cost her even more money – and unfortunately she does not have health insurance. And, just when you think things cannot get worse for Miranda they do when you learn a storm is brewing.

Miranda leaves works and heads for the school top pick up her kids, but before she can even make it home she encounters yet another obstacle when she crashes into the back of a stranger\’s truck. The crash causes her bumper to fall off

What Miranda does not realize is that stranger is Bray who has come to town looking for her earlier in the movie and was carrying a large yellow envelope. At this point, you assume the envelope is just another bill Miranda has to pay as she has been getting herself into quite a bit of debt.

Mystery man Bray offers to fix her van, and Miranda invites him back to her place so he can fix it there. Sure a single mom of three kids should not be inviting a stranger that she drove her car into back to her home. However, this part right her teaches us a lesson of allowing others to help us when we need it. Remember, positive thoughts negative or positive can impact your life.

The storm arrives in the middle of the night, and Miranda finds herself moving her children into the bathroom for shelter. In the morning, Miranda and the children wake to find a tree in their kitchen and a huge hole in the roof.

Miranda and the children both make remarks about why do bad things always happen to them, and honestly at this point you really want something good to happen for once. Take note that things tend to seem to go well for Miranda when Bray is around.

Bray comes back the next day with a coffee in hand and to check on the family, he even offers to fix the hole in the roof for only the cost of supplies.

Where things get complicated in The Secret: Dare to Dream
You start to fall in love with Bray and wish that he and Miranda would be together. Then you learn that Miranda has a wealthy boyfriend, who is also her boss at the restaurant and Bray seems to have a wife at home awaiting his return. The plot thickens when Miranda\’s boyfriend becomes her fiance.

Meanwhile, the three children are growing attached to Bray, who is helping their family. The eldest daughter is during 16 and another girl is having a party that will have food trucks. Bray asks her if she would rather have 200 Instagram followers or a few close friends, and the girl replies a few close friends. That right there, was so powerful, and something that as a society we could really learn from. Another powerful saying Bray says to her is \”what do you want?\” and the girl responds that she does not know. Bray then says \”if you don\’t know what you want, how can you ask for it?\” Have you ever heard anything truer before?

Later, the secret that ties Miranda and Bray together is revealed. The discovery infuriates Miranda and she sends Bray away from her home. The viewer is left to answer their own questions as to what happens to Bray and Miranda next – and I can\’t wait for you to discover the secret and what happens next.

Final thoughts about The Secret: Dare to Dream
As someone who is a huge Nicholas Sparks romantic film buff, anything that is not by him I always set to an extremely high standard, and The Secret: Dare to Dream delivered. While Byrne\’s book The Secret had worldwide success when it was released and was extremely impactful – I don\’t think the movie led to that impact. However, I absolutely loved the movie and the lessons that came along with it.

We are going through a year like never before, and while some of us are doing great, others like myself are struggling. I lost my job back in April and have applied to over 150 positions with no luck getting a job. Due to my unfortunate situation, I have found myself in the mindset of why do bad things keep happening to me. The movie was a good reminder that positive or negative thoughts can impact your life, and it really resonated with me.

The Secret: Dare to Dream is the perfect summer 2020 release and as someone who loves romantic movies, this one is definitely worth watching over and over again. From the time to start the movie you do not want it to end.

The Secret: Dare to Dream will be available to rent for $19.99 through On Demand platforms such as Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, VUDU, and cable providers starting tomorrow Friday, July 31.

Restaurant Review: Mudgie\’s Deli and Bar

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Erica

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While I may still be socially distancing, and avoiding in restaurants – I am still all about takeout. Located in Corktown, Detroit Mudgie\’s Deli and Bar typically serves up a week filled with lobster. This year they took lobster week to the next level, by making it be the entire month of July. You know I can\’t miss any opportunity for a lobster roll.

Last weekend my aunt and I headed to Corktown to grab a lobster roll from Mudgie\’s Deli and Bar. To make a smoother process you can either eat on the patio or order carryout via their website. We ordered our lobster rolls off the website.

The lobster roll is made with fresh Maine lobster meat that is delivered daily, then lightly dressed, and stuffed into a buttery New England-style bun and served with a side of original Better Made potato chips. Hands down Mudgie\’s Deli and Bar has the best lobster roll that I have ever tasted. This was my first Mudgie\’s experience and I cannot wait to go back and try something else from their menu.

Five Things

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Erica

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Week 19 of quarantine is complete. The numbers are still amping up, and I am spending plenty of time away from people. This week I spent some time of the water with Jack, had an amazing Thai crunch salad, spent time on my paddle board, enjoyed the little things like the sunflowers popping up in my parent\’s backyard, and even made some pizza are the barbecue with my mum. With all the stress I have been under, it was nice to just have a laid back week. What did you do this past week?

7 Reasons You Should Try Duck Donuts

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Erica

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I have seen people post about Duck Donuts numerous times on Instagram. The donuts looked absolutely amazing, but unfortunately, we did not have Duck Donuts location in Michigan. That is until this year.

Duck Donuts recently popped up in Troy, Michigan at 2920 W. Maple Road (located in the same plaza as the old Whole Foods before it moved to it’s new Birmingham location). Find a Duck Donuts location near you!

What makes Duck Donuts special?

Duck Donuts is the fastest growing donut shop in the United States and specializes in made-to-order donuts. Essential, Duck Donuts makes plain donuts from scratch and then you get to pick any combination of coatings, toppings, and drizzles that you’d like. Of course, you can also select from their menu of featured donuts.

11 Reasons You Should Try Duck Donuts

1. Duck Donuts are made-to-order

If you want the freshest donuts you have ever tasted then Duck Donuts is the place for you. Duck Donuts are not sitting out on the counter like your typical donut shop. Duck Donuts are made-to-order, to provide you with the freshest donuts possible.

2. Duck Donuts offers endless combinations

From sprinkles and chocolate to bacon and peanut butter drizzle Duckzillion Flavors provides you with endless combinations to try.

Pro Tip: Start with a coating, pick a topping and then choose a drizzle.

3. Pre-set flavor combinations make selection easy

If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to creating your own donut combinations, look at the Duck Donuts menu and select from the signature Duck combinations or limited-time featured assortments.

4. New featured Duck Donuts arrive often

Something that is unique about Duck Donuts is they are always coming up with new innovative donut combinations so you don’t have to. For the Fourth of July Duck Donuts offered a patriotic featured collection. Currently (during the month of July) they have a Campfire feature assortment. The campfire assortment features anything from a s’mores donut to a vanilla icing donut with graham cracker crumbs…yum!

5. Duck Donuts have a cake-like consistency

The consistency of a donut is critical and Duck Donuts does it right with their cake-like consistency. Which in my opinion makes them more filling than other donuts.

6. Duck Donuts are the must-have party essential

Since Duck Donuts are completely customizable it makes them the perfect addition to any party. Think gender reveal parties (I mean how cute would pink and blue donuts be on a table – and you could give each donut a different drizzle), baby showers, birthday parties, and more.

7. You get to watch them make the Duck Donuts

That’s right! Once you order you get to see your donuts being made, dipping into your topping of choice, topped, and then packed to head home with you.

I tried 12 different donuts from Duck Donuts (okay, I shared them with my parents and aunt too) located in Troy, Michigan and let me tell you – I was not disappointed. If you live in the Metro Detroit area or are just passing by, stop in, and give Duck Donuts a try. Make sure to try my number one choice sunrise lemon icing with strawberry drizzle. Yum!