57 Reasons To Live in West Michigan

Polar Express
Chris Van Allsburg, the world-renowned author of literary and cinematic blockbusters like The Polar Express and Jumanji, grew up in East Grand Rapids.

His street looked like the street on the cover of The Polar Express and a film
crew actually shot footage of that street for the film.
Until 1985, Chris’ mother owned Jersey Junction, a wildly popular ice cream parlor in East Grand Rapids. Stop in for a rich, sloppy sundae and check out old photos of the Reeds Lake amusement park and the Van Allsburg family.