Missing the Pointe

Owner of the newest burger joint in town, Jennifer Bierkle, joins Tom, Roger and Jim to talk about the hottest thing since the fire that burned down Arnold's on Happy Days!

Hear from the entrepreneur's own mouth what went into a brand new business in Grosse Pointe that will be feeding the happy mouths of Grosse Pointers everywhere — High Pointe Burger Joint!

Jim and Roger regale Tom (and you!) with stories and hot takes from their recent return-trips home to Grosse Pointe. What did they miss? What's changed? What stays the same forever?

If you've moved away from Grosse Pointe, what do you miss most? Jim and Roger share with Tom the things they never knew they'd miss when they ventured away from the Pointes...but now that they're gone, they just can't live without!

What foods did you live on growing up but can't stomach now? If you could bring back any food or restaurant from your youth, what would it be? Why does Wilford Brimley pronounce it "diabeetus?"

All of these questions — and more! — asked and answered by Roger, Jim and Tom this week on Missing the Pointe!

The Missing the Pointe crew take on the task of making a summer playlist ideally suited to those who miss the Pointes from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today!

It's a mixtape with a twist: Jim, Tom and Roger each present the others with a pairing of two songs, and the other two get to fight it out to see which song survives! Three rounds to decide a playlist that could fit onto one two-sided 60-minute Maxell XLII cassette tape to take with you in your Walkman this summer!

Tom, Jim and Roger welcome Steve Harwood (GPN '89) to the show to take a pub crawl back in time. Follow along as they go everywhere from the Park, Village and Mack Avenue...down to St. Clair Shores...and even across the river to Windsor.

Curtiss returns, for a look back at what he misses the most about the Pointes in the 70s! With so much talk about the 1980s recently, Jim, Roger and Tom thought they'd move further back in the Grosse Pointe's timeline to hear about dances, music, products, school spirit and the television that the classes before ours miss from their youths.

Will Curtiss share another one of his radio personalities with the audience? Tune in to find out!

What are the products you miss growing up? Toys? Games? First aid products? Action figures with edible filling?

Jim, Roger and Tom have their favorites that they miss while missing the Pointe. Don't worry, good lookin'...we'll be back to pick ya up later!

Fellow missing-the-Pointe-er Kris Kubalak joins the podcast to reminisce about Grosse Pointe Little League growing up as kids in the 80s. What were the traditions? What were the post-game rituals? What was the on-field fare? And...we somehow can all draw the Matterhorn operator like it's a police sketch?!

Join Roger, Tom and Jim in welcoming Kris to the podcast, as this one goes into extra innings!

"Where in Grosse Pointe can a man go to get a really good belt?" That phrase, uttered famously by local Grosse Pointe superhero Money Man, was never more prescient than today. Roger, Jim and Tom explore the state of men's fashions in the year 2024, as it relates to growing up in Grosse Pointe in the 80s. Things haven't changed a bit!

Girl talk, slumber parties, and party lines...it's all part of a double-episode extravaganza in which Jim, Roger and Tom welcome a clique from GPN's Class of 1989 to give us the girls' take on growing up in Grosse Pointe.

Let's call them, "Lynn," "Julie," "Missy," and "Kristin." If you want to know their true identities, tune in now! (Or use your certified cootie catcher to find out.)

Tom, Jim and Roger are still missing the point as we continue our two-part season premiere of Season 2 of Missing the Pointe. It's more fun and games, as we recall what we all miss most about growing up in the Pointes....but what is this game, exactly, and how is it fun?

Tune in to find out who's going to win...you just might be surprised! (We knew we were.)

We’re back! In more ways than one…

Tom, Jim and Roger are back for Season 2 of Missing the Pointe. And Jim and Roger kick off the season regaling us with their impressions of recent returns to the Pointes. 

What’s changed? What’s still the same? What do they miss about the Pointe they remember before they left?

Tune in to find out, and let’s all miss the point together!

We couldn't let the holiday season come and go without doing a Christmas special! Let's look back at yules of yesteryear, growing up in Grosse Pointe and coming of age while celebrating the most wonderful time of the year!

It's Thanksgiving season in the Pointes! Come celebrate with Jim, Roger and Tom as they reminisce about Thanksgivings past and present.

The guys are joined by Abigail Turnbull, Membership and Events Coordinator at the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce, to get a behind-the-scenes education about the annual parade in downtown GP.

Plus! - Listener Dennis returns to the podcast to represent the famous Big Heads and give us an inside(-the-head) scoop on one of the parade's favorite features!

Tom thought we were talking about playing hookey. Jim was practicing the Hokey Pokey. Roger lined up a guest to tell us what it's all about. And eventually, the guys welcome Bobby Alcott — GPN, class of '86 — to the podcast to talk about the rise of hockey in Grosse Pointe. Tune in to hear where you may have seen and heard Bobby before, and learn where he's missing the Pointe from today!

It's Halloween season! Tune in, as Roger, Jim and Tom recall what they miss about Halloweens growing up in Grosse Pointe. From television specials to candies good and bad...and even an inside look at their ingenious trick-or-treat strategies, the guys have a lot to miss about Halloweens of yesteryear!

It's Part 2 of our Back to School episode! This week's installment features school supplies, school lunches, school traditions, and some, er...interesting(?) commercials from back-to-school seasons of yesteryear.

Only Jim, Tom and Roger could spend a whole "Back to School" episode talking only about TV. But with the bad of going back to school, you got the good of a fresh fall TV season. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have....a new episode of Missing the Pointe, just in time for back-to-school season!

Thanks to our sponsor: The Grosse Pointe Alumni and Friends Association. "Look back, come back, and give back to Grosse Pointe Public Schools. Learn more at .

Wrapping up their summer series, Jim, Roger and Tom welcome Katie and Kristin back from the Grosse Pointe Alumni and Friends Association to recall our-end-of-summer rituals and to provide their own perspectives on growing up frequenting the south-side parks.

Summer had to end some time, but why does it have to be NOW?!

Thanks to our sponsor: The Grosse Pointe Alumni and Friends Association. "Look back, come back, and give back to Grosse Pointe Public Schools. Learn more at .

Jim, Roger and Tom pick up where they left off last week, talking about the various ways we wiled away the dog days of summer as kids growing up in Grosse Pointe. It's the latest in our 2023 summer series! Dive in before the sun sets!



Thanks to our sponsor: The Grosse Pointe Alumni and Friends Association. "Look back, come back, and give back to Grosse Pointe Public Schools. Learn more at .

Continuing our summer series, Jim, Roger and Tom talk about the various ways we wiled away the dog days of summer as kids growing up in Grosse Pointe. From summer treats we enjoyed as children to hunting down parties as teens, what do you remember about summers in GP?

Thanks to our sponsor: The Grosse Pointe Alumni and Friends Association. "Look back, come back, and give back to Grosse Pointe Public Schools. Learn more at .

Continuing our summer series, Jim, Roger and Tom invite Curtiss back onto the podcast to take a trip down memory lane, recalling the venues, concerts and experiences of enjoying concerts outside in Michigan.

Holly Smith (Grosse Pointe North, class of 1986) returns to the podcast to kick off Missing the Pointe's summer series: a trip to the park. While Grosse Pointe has numerous beautiful parks to enjoy, we start with the Lakefront Park, known to us as kids as "the Woods park." We'll splash around all of the parks this summer, so stay tuned! And message us if you want to give us your own personal tour of one of the other splendid Grosses Pointe parks!

We're going to spend this summer recalling everything we miss about the Pointes during the summers of yesteryear!

Jim, Roger and Tom go back in time to the local carnival! Recalling fond memories of the annual St. Joan of Arc Fair, the guys welcome in two guests with close ties to the fair, both SJA students themselves — Diane Ryda (Rauen), Grosse Pointe North class of '78, and long-time Grosse Pointer Dennis Loughlin, who attended St. Joan in the early 80s.

Let's ride the rides, play the games, win the prizes, and eat the food at the fair!

Third-generation owner/operator of Grosse Pointe's Da Edoardo Ed Barbieri joins Tom, Roger and Jim to discuss the history of one of GP's longest-standing fixtures of fine dining. Learn how to pronounce the name...hear why they had to kick out Mike Illitch...recall "the casual side and the fancy side"...and come back in time with us as Ed takes us through the history from the beginning.

Two alumni of Grosse Pointe South join the podcast to walk us through GP in the 90s: Katie Horst and Kristin Mann of the Grosse Pointe Alumni and Friends Association, graduates of GP South in '98 and '99. What will Jim, Roger and Tom learn about growing up near the prestigious M streets in the 1990s? Were the collars still up? The argyle still ubiquitous? The pennies still in the loafers? Tune in to find out what happened on the South side during the glorious 90s era!

It's time to go to the movies! Remember the movie-going experience in Grosse Pointe back in the day? How many of these theaters do you remember going to? And can you remember which theater you went to when you saw each particular movie from your heyday? Pepperidge Farm remembers...and so do Tom, Roger and Jim!

Guest Holly Smith (GPN, '86) rejoins the podcast to discuss fashions of the 80s (and more) that were, in many ways, unique to Grosse Pointe. Did GP have its own brand of preppy style all its very own? Do you remember these brands from our collective pasts? Cuffed pants, popped collars, flattened shoe heels, and layers galore!

Also, Tom could not be a part of this episode, so Jim and Roger experiment with something new this week, an automated-intelligence emulator of Tom called "Chat Grosse Pointe Tom," or "ChatGPT," for short.

Remember staying home sick from Grosse Pointe Public Schools? How did you spend your days? What were your favorite medications and home remedies? Did you dread going to the doctor? And what on Earth was that stuff they sprinkled on the vomit in the hallways (rather than just clean it up)?!?!? Jim, Roger and Tom share some of their (horror) stories, let's hear yours on Facebook!

Missing the Pointe welcomes back return guest Holly Smith (GPN, '86) for a little fun and games. Roger is back from assignment, rejoining Jim, Tom and Holly to reminisce about the games people played as youngsters growing up in Grosse Pointe. Everything from board games to birthday games, and from video games to outdoor activities.

With Roger out on assignment this week, Jim and Tom welcome Holly Smith (Grosse Pointe North, class of 1986) to the podcast as our resident expert on the art of making the ultimate mix tape. We'll talk through the technology, the tips, and the triumphs of overcoming the limits of time and the physical medium to make excellent mix tapes.

Not that attending Grosse Pointe Public Schools wasn't great and all, but sometimes we had more fun AFTER school growing up as kids. After-school TV was a recreational staple of the day, despite the fact we only had five channels to choose from. Jim, Tom and Roger discuss their favorite programs, cartoons and even commercials!

Curtiss Alden joins the podcast to recall the story as a member of the very first class ever to attend what would become Grosse Pointe North High School. Learn how it all went down, from his departure from Grosse Pointe High School to the choosing of school colors, the mascot, and even the name of the yearbook, among so much more! Be sure to stay tuned in until the very end...you won't believe the twist ending!

Why would children be sharing bathing suits with our peers, pandemic or no pandemic?! Jim, Roger and Tom look back at the fond — and sometimes unsettling — memories of their youth: gym class, from elementary through high school. Remember these childhood games and prefabricated athletic activities? Come back and look back with us...

Remember Bob's Drugs and the Notre Dame pharmacy? Jim, Tom and Roger remember the glory years of the neighborhood drug store, which sold just about everything...and as kids, we'd get everything BUT drugs there! Guess we were just missing the Pointe.

What did you like to get at the neighborhood drug store? We're sure it wasn't drugs!

Jim, Tom and Roger hop in a time machine back to the year 1982 to take a tour of Grosse Pointe's "finest" eateries. From Club 500 to the Sveden House, the guys prove once again that they sure know how to miss the Pointe.

But they do manage to hit many a haunt in Grosse Pointe itself. Did they hit your favorite family restaurant in their tour of culinary yesteryear?

Jim, Tom and Roger take us back in time to the glory years of the Eastland Mall. The boys run it back to recall their favorite stores, the best parts about the Hudson's anchor department store, and even a few hidden gems you may recall. It was a fixture in our collective youths growing up in Grosse Pointe. 

However, it was technically located in Harper Woods, so maybe the guys are missing the Pointe yet again?