At the end of 2019, Billy and I planned an amazing anniversary trip* to Detroit, like so much in 2020, it got cancelled. So, we revamped our plans, and this is what we actually did in Detroit. = )
Our hotel room was ready, despite arriving a little early, so we were able to unpack the essentials, and then headed out to explore with the People Mover. I was so taken with the People Mover that it is getting its own post!
Many people know recommended Greektown, so when we got there, we hopped off to find lunch! First off was this amazing arcade, connected to the platform. Turns out it's called "Trapper's Alley."
We picked out the Pegasus Taverna, and were not disappointed! The food was really good.
We loved our flaming cheese appetizer: Saganaki Opa!
Greektown was appropriately named for sure!
They retrofitted some planks into what must have been parking spots, so that restaurants could have patios on what used to be sidewalks. It looked so beach-y though, I really liked it!
We had to stop at the Three Legged Goat!
The first of three bird pictures, though we saw a lot of birds!
When 'exploring' Greektown in Google maps, only the casino and church popped up, and since we had seen the casino in Trapper's Alley, we went looking for the Greek church!
First, we found the German Catholic Church.
We found one more church nearby, before heading back to the People Mover.
On our way back, we found corporate art at the BCBS building, which I thought totally looked like a wreck!
A big building to hold all of their "NO!" stamps.
This bar was right across the street, I thought it was hilarious.
Second of three bird pictures. This guy popped out when Billy called for him!
Stonework was prevalent!
More Greek flags!
I thought it was a clever name: Green Beat (like beet.) lol.
We found an Irish Bar that was off the beaten path, it was in an old building too.
We were going to walk by the Firebird, but I could smell the wood polish, and just had to see what it looked like inside.
Billy wasn't going to eat his olive, and since my Greek salad only had a single olive =- ( I told him I would eat it. Sadly, it was not a black olive, but rather a black cherry that had soaked in syrup! ::gag::
Another church! Billy thought it looked Methodist, so we went to see it!
There were lots of electric scooters around, maybe the tubing protects some heads?
The jazz club wasn't quite open yet, so we stopped in at a nifty bar just around the corner. My drink wasn't very good, but the bartenders were really nice.
The jazz club entrance was super retro and set the vibe before we even walked in the door.
Billy and I were both impressed! The band was so good. We had dinner, so we were there for about an hour and a half, and they only played 4 songs! (Because the songs were so long, and full of improv, not because they didn't want to play.) This was not dinner and a concert, it was more a concert that served dinner. It was pretty loud, so next time I think we'd rather sit a little further back, or at least off to the side. = )
It was still light when we left, so I took a few more pictures. The tubes were actually just maintenance stairs, with (presumably looked) doors, so nothing fun at all. = (
Fountain at Grand Circus.
Corporate Art?
From the People Mover we finally got a clear shot of the Canadian border, across the Detroit River.
The view from our room.
I forgot to take a picture before we messed up the room, so this one was as we were leaving. The bed was in an odd position from the air conditioner vent, so it was hot in the room, and it was a very poor sleep for me. Despite that, we were up the next morning early, to see more of Detriot before the game!
During my People Mover Project, we found the GM world headquarters building. I had zero expectations, but we entered to find an entire city within, all in public areas! There were cafes and restaurants, a tailor and optometrist & glasses shop, clothing, a workout studio, museum, and even an hotel! We didn't even get to see most of it, because there was so much, and no time!
We spotted a library from one of the platforms!
From the train, we saw a very cool alley. When we went to investigate, it was a whole world!
The lights in the picture were an optical illusion. I thought they were a reflection of something behind me, but it turns out they were coming from inside. We were at the same height as the lights of the pool in the YMCA! The pool must bee basement level.
On our way to the stadium, we saw some corporate art, but the only place to get a good picture was in the middle of an approaching street, so I snapped this as I walked. If we had approached it from the park side, roads and buildings would have filled the background. I didn't think that was nearly as pretty as the park!
Time for some baseball!! We were so concerned that the game would be cancelled due to rain, because for two weeks(!) they've been calling for rain on July 6th. But, somehow, it missed us and the weather was great!
We bought some super cheap tickets, and made reservations for a buffet lunch at the Tiger Club!
The front desk had a neat installation.
The view from our seats! Our table was right up against the glass.
I took pictures to send to the kids, but since I have them, I'll include them here as well.
They had an entire jar of olives, so I finally got my fill! lol.
Little Caeser's world headquarters. Not nearly as impressive from the outside as GM, but we didn't go in, so it might be cooler.
I really enjoyed exploring the stadium, they had so many fun things to do, aside from the game. Now, I really want to bring the kids!
This door was so cool! The eye is actually a window!
I put on my game face in the giant helmet!
High-five!
I started a project inside the stadium as well, trying to find all the different materials I could with their team logo. So as not to congest this post, I'm making a separate post here.
We left our seats sometime in the sixth inning, but it was probably nearing the end of the game when we actually left the stadium. The Tigers were winning pretty handily, and when we checked the score later they won 9-0 against the Oakland As!
Once outside, we found that there were bicycle rickshaw rides available Since neither of us had ever done it, we said: "sure!"
Our drivers name was Brian, and he delivered us right to the doorstep of our station! I told him he was also going in my blog! He is the one that owns the business, so I've included the barcode, in case you need a rickshaw ride in Detroit some time!
At The Detroit Club, we saw this cool 'add on' that they made into rooms, And the stonework on the original building was awesome. They have rooms available to the public, with a purchase of a nominal membership fee, so maybe next time we can stay there!
So much art! This was in the Huntington Place building.
One more view of the GM headquarters, from the monorail.
Once I had finished my project, we claimed our luggage, claimed our car, and headed north! Sadly, we hit rush hour traffic. = / We were trying to find the email confirmation from our next hotel, and yeah, it wasn't anywhere to be found in Billy's texts or emails or even our bank account! I ended up calling, because we were a little concerned, and thankfully we were on their books!
It was the cutest little motel ever! (I was concerned, because Billy found and made the reservation, and motels are really not my jam...)
It for sure got me in the mood for camping!
It had a tiny kitchen, but a full-sized refrigerator, so we were able to cool down all of the waters that the Marriott in Detroit had given us!
There was a covered patio all along the backside of the room, which overlooked a finger of one of the small lakes in the area. I didn't have much time to settle in before it was time to head to the concert!
The venue was easy enough to find, and parking was easier than expected. They have the same standard as all of the venues now, so I had 2 tiny clear bags with money and IDs on a lanyard, and my cross-body grocery bag that rolls up into a case smaller than my hand that clips onto the lanyard as well. So, once we get inside the gates, I can be comfortable once more and dump all the small things into one big one!
We were so surprised by the interior! It was a tiny little village, with $5.25 waters. boo.
First up was Metric.
Then, Garbage, a band from our youth, and the reason we had tickets.
The headliner was Noel Gallagher's High-Flying birds. They were enjoyable, but we left early to beat the crowds.
The Treehouse was packed when we arrived, but the rain that had missed the baseball game came down hard midway through the concerts and cleared it out. I was excited to get some post-rain pictures!
We were going to go get a pizza from a place nearby our lodgings, but they had already closed for the night. We ended up grabbing some Hungry Howie's, and sat out on the deck to eat it. I didn't want to be too loud, and the air conditioning units kept kicking on, so we didn't get to chat, and both felt tired and turned in for the night, expecting a good sleep, after the poor one the previous night and a very busy day.
Sadly for me, the room was either too cold or too hot, and the noises were new, so after another poor night we woke up and walked to the coffee shop next door. (Along with many of our Neighbours, as we would see throughout the morning.)
Spoon and Fork set bigger than the ones in our kitchen!!!
They had a wing mural!! It was not the best day for a picture, since my clothes were two days wrinkled, but that's what filters are for, right?
We brought our coffee and bagel back to the porch, and enjoyed a quiet morning, until we were joined by almost all of our neighbors. Luckily, there are plenty of seating options, and so no one felt like they had to move along for the next person! = )
The third and final bird picture of the trip. We saw innumerable ducks and geese on this lake when we took out the paddle boat! (We were going to take out the kayaks, but the rain had made the seats all wet, and the paddle boat was the only one in the sun with dry spots for our tushies!)
Someone puts so much effort into this place, and it shows!
Our room!
After we checked out to head West, we saw some sights, but one of my favorites was "Franks-a-lot" (lol) Coney dogs.
When we were finally ready for lunch, it was easy to find a restaurant on a lake, since the area is littered with lakes!
They weren't particularly busy, and we had no trouble claiming a table out on the deck.
My fun tiki pineapple drink!
My very pretty sautéed Walleye lunch!
They had so many murals, this one was under a black light!
Well, I always wondered who bought the statues that were carved from wood, but saw dozens on the second leg of our trip, so I guess now I know: Eastern Michiganders!
We stared to slowly meander home via backroads, and came home to a very warm welcome! I'm glad the kids missed us as much as I missed them! = ) Next time, we will have to bring them along to Detroit, I think they'd have so much fun! And, now that I know the lay of the land, it wouldn't be nearly so daunting.
later days
*We had a two night hotel booked in downtown Detroit. We had Redwings tickets and concert tickets to see the Big Bad Voodoo Daddies. We'd also booked an escape room, researched restaurants and planned a lunch outing "south" to Canada. So, it will now go down as a trip that wasn't.
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