Check out the Fitzpatrick hotel... usually good online rates, right off Michigan Ave. Girlfriend will like the middle of shopping district location (and near Giordano's for pizza, Ditka's for ambiance, and you can't swing a dead cat and not hit a good steakhouse at that location)... lots of Chicago UM alums (check the UM Alum club of Chicago website for viewing locales). You can drink/dinner on friday night, do the museums or aquarium or shopping on Sat morning, drink/dinner/Second City it on Sat night, and drive back on Sunday while stopping for delicious cider and donuts at any one of Michigan's fine cider mills. If you really want to take it easy, hop on the train in Ann Arbor direct to Chicago.

Being a Grand Rapids Resident, I would say Chicago over GR by far. Those two places don't compare. If you want to go to West Mich, go to the lakeshore or something like Grand Haven or Holland. It will be quiet and you have really nice beaches and a little town atmosphere.

Traverse City... great downtown area with big UM support base. Smaller hotels right in downtown put you within walking distance of bar / restaurant scene. Wineries on the Mission Bay peninsula will be in full swing and that can easily take up a Saturday morning that is also g/f friendly. Shopping district in downtown is very much A^2 Main St-esque. You're past the gov't holiday weekends so traffic should be an easy thing up and back. Also you have Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, little town of Glen Arbor (visit the Cherry Republic) and leaf coloring will be in full display on the way up and around TC. If you're a golfer, there's also great golf all around.

I live in Chicago and you definitely can't go wrong here.  I would, however, look into Nashville.  My wife just got back from a trip there and loved it.  You'll get to enjoy some warmer weather as well.

You never really mentioned I mean I'm assuming you are but ya assumptions..

The gf or to get away for you?
<br>
<br>For her:
<br>Traverse city
<br>Frankenmuth (omg shopping)
<br>Chicago (omg expensive shopping!)
<br>
<br>For you:
<br>Chicago (dude bars, wrigley field etc)
<br>Traverse city (dunes, outdoorsy stuff)
<br>Frankenmuth (chicken... Mmmmmmm all you can eat chicken!)
<br>
<br>

Don't go to Duffy's for the game unless you like smelling like pee and being surrounded by the recently graduated fratastic crowd and the DJ (yes, during the game) telling you need to take it easy on the drinks or else you'll end up with a newborn.

A-Train is supposed to be at Rock-It (on Huron) for what it's worth.

Chicago over GR.

Another suggestion though and I am out in Denver is Mackinac Island. If its still open and weather is nice, go up there go for a nice bike ride. She can shop a little you can walk around.

 Plenty to do and have fun and not expensive like Chi town

triple post sorry

Triple post

considerably more expensive downtown on a home football weekend so check schedule!  My wife and I went last year for our anniversary weekend.  We've been there many times and try to hit those "away" weekends.  All of the above is true: great places to eat, drink, museum, etc.

However, the west side of the state is good, too.  Hell, even the Mackinaw area is far less expensive this time of year.  It will be quiet (read NO KIDS)!  A good bar in Mackinaw City is the Dixie Saloon.

Michigan's #1 tourist spot is the German community of Frankenmuth where you can feed your little lady Wiener Schnitzel and the like.  MANY good places to eat: Zehnder’s and/or Bavarian Inn (owned by the same family); the Frankenmuth Brewery or Tiffany's (the recommended football-watching locales) and several good places to stay.  Among the many great places to shop while there, don't miss Bronner's Christmas Wonderland!

I live near here so it's all good.

interesting shops, good food.

Lots of men walking their little dogs as well, not that there is anything wrong with that.

No better weekend trip than that!

Weather is supposed to suck this weekend (low 50's and rain) so I would avoid anywhere near beaches, water, etc. and save that for a warmer fall day.

Having said that, I would go up north.  I was up in Mackinaw City a couple years ago in early October and it's a good time to go.  There are some good bars/restaurants up there and also around Boyne/Petoskey. I would save Chicago for the summer and/or around Christmas time for Christkindlmarkt and Michigan Ave.  The atmsophere is great at that time of year.

As for Grand Rapids, ArtPrize is going on right now and it's a good time to visit.  The city is hopping.

Vegas!

4 hours from AA by car.  Tremendous food.  Nightlife.  Shopping.  Stay at Hyatt on King West and stroll over to Jack Astor's at Front & University for the UM game with as many pints of Sleeman's as you care to enjoy.  You need passports to drive across the border nowadays.

GO BLUE!

Id go watch the Ryder Cup in Ireland I think.  Best golf tournament by far.

Chicago:  The train is great but not if you're on a tight schedule because there are often delays.  I think October is a huge convention month in Chicago.  Then November starts with the pre-holiday shopping, so it can be hard to get a good hotel deal (in my experience)in fall.  However, I have had good luck with Hotwire (which lets you know how well other users liked the hotel, even though they don't show you the name).  I have also seen some good apartments for one or two nights on VRBO.com, so that's worth checking out.  So much stuff to do there, it all depends on your interests.

People are slagging on Grand Rapids (by comparison to Chicago) but I think it makes a nice getaway and it's so easy!  The public museum is pretty interesting, the art museum is nice.  Art Prize is going on through the 10th, too. 

Toledo is even closer.  The zoo is pretty cool; I highly recommend a "behind the scenes tour" if you go.  Art museum is nice as well.  Cabela's on the way home, woo.

I don't know if you could see the Michigan game there, but Point Pelee National Park in Canada is pretty nice if you like nature.  We stayed in Leamington which is a small town without a lot to do unless you feel like canning 20,000 gallons of ketchup.   But the park is worthwhile.

I second the vote for Columbus.  Yes, really.  The old german village area is really charming.

Cleveland is driveable and has a kickass science museum right next door to the R & R Hall of Fame.  I think there is a good bar scene there but you'd have to ask someone younger than me.