My friend Martin, from Alabama, came into town for a visit and he has never seen the Metro Detroit area before. I was excited to show him around to all the places I was proud of, like Ann Arbor, Plymouth and Royal Oak but I was a bit hesitant to show off ... (heavy sigh) Detroit. I've lived in this area almost 40 years and Detroit has not been the shining star of the area when you compare it to cities like Chicago, Boston or Atlanta.
However, I took him to Detroit on Labor Day and I was so proud! Detroit never looked better. We started at the Fox Theater and were pleasantly surprised to find that not only was a parade just about to start but the Tiger's were playing at Comerica Park! There was lots of energy around the Fox Theater that day. We watched the Labor Day Parade from inside Hockeytown while I sipped on ice tea.
The parade was nice but it featured all the different labor unions marching and they didn't even toss candy to the crowd or feature a cute float or a big balloon or something else festive. I suppose there isn't much festive about the labor unions. They all seemed to be in "protest mode." Maybe the parade is really one big strike line or preparation for a strike. (I'm being a little goofy about all this but they really could stand to add something exciting to the next Labor Day parade.) It was no wonder that the only people watching the parade were the poor souls that couldn't cross the street to get to Comerica Park for the Tiger game because the parade blocked their path. Anyways, my friend is pro-union so I think, at the very least, he liked it.
Comerica Park looked lovely and stationed so close to the glorious Fox Theater and the historic State Theater it made the whole block look nice. We walked down Woodward and I discovered Campus Martius Park. I've heard so much about this park and was pleasantly surprised when we accidentally came upon it. Very nice fountain in the center of this park and they had a stage set up for the Jazz Festival. I was very proud of this lovely park. Detroit surely needed this but I have to say, whoever came up with the name Campus Martius Park could have done a better job! When I first heard the name I thought they were talking about a park for Martians near Wayne State University. (My only reference for "campus" was at a University so I thought for sure it was located there. I was dead wrong, it is no where near WSU and I found no Martians in the park during my visit.) Why they couldn't have found a simple name for this park I will never know.
We went further down Woodward and we were surrounded by artist’s booths, politicians and the smell of BBQ meat. What a delightful mix! It appears the Labor Day Parade ends in the middle of the Jazz Festival area and there is a stage where the politicians are talking away and the artist’s booths surround the stage and line down the street and the food booths were really close by too. Of course the food booths were calling to me so we crossed Jefferson and went into Hart Plaza and saw the unique fountain there.
I enjoyed smelling all the food but I just didn't feel like buying tickets to eat. I like using money. There is something about exact change that I like, it is no fun to be left with 2 tickets and nothing that costs 2 tickets. What a waste!
We saw the Detroit River and the Ren Cen and all the people were out and about. To me that makes a city great, when people are out enjoying the city parks, fountains, food and music that makes a city a great place to be.
We walked over to Greektown which is now just one big casino with a few Greek restaurants that all seem to take casino vouchers (or whatever they are). YECK! I remember the days of Trapper's Alley shops in Greektown and I liked that much better.
We took a ride on the People Mover and got back into the car to visit the Heidelberg Project. I've always wanted to see this place and it was my favorite stop in Detroit that day.
http://www.heidelberg.org/ Check out the artwork on this site. It is amazing to see this art in a neighborhood surrounded by neglect and decay.
We ended our tour on a car trip around Belle Isle, a lovely recreation area for the citizens of Detroit. I was so very proud of the diversity Detroit had to offer us that day. I think I want to go back again soon.
I enjoyed smelling all the food but I just didn't feel like buying tickets to eat. I like using money. There is something about exact change that I like, it is no fun to be left with 2 tickets and nothing that costs 2 tickets. What a waste!