We're in the same boat. It's still nice to get a break from cooking every now and then but it's not worth the prices restaurants charge. I can even make better coffee at home than I get elsewhere.

My only experience with Michigan is visiting my great Aunt in Detroit when I was a small boy so I don't know much at all about the state. My wife used to snowmobile in the UP so she's been there way more than I have. That definitely looked more like an ocean beach to me. Very impressive! Lake Superior beaches on the North Shore of Minnesota are mainly rugged/rocky but still beautiful in their own rite.