I've lived outside of Detroit ever since I can remember, and ever since slightly after I can remember, the city has had this draw for me. Before I drove around Belle Isle or attended a Red Wings game or found out that the DIA is free sometimes, I'd ask to go to Detroit. At the time, I had no idea what Detroit was other than the closest big city, but as I've gotten the chance to explore more, I've come to find that 8-year-old Allie's hunch that there was something really, really cool out there was spot on. Here are some of my favorites.
Belle Isle | Belle Isle State Park sits in the middle of the Detroit River, right between the U.S. and Canada. It's home to an aquarium, a zoo, that monument down there, lots of woods, and a coast guard station. The monument is pretty huge, and even though the fountain doesn't run anymore, it's pretty striking as you drive across the bridge to the island.
The Heidelberg Project | This may be my favorite Detroit thing, ever. It's a block or two of houses in what I consider to be one of the sketchier areas of Detroit that's been designated as a place for artists to cover with art however they please. The houses are painted with polka dots or covered with old records or stuffed animals and the vacant lots in between hold sculptures and cardboard cut outs. Anyone can create whatever they want, and the result is eclectic and interesting and as diverse as Detroit's people.
John K. King Used and Rare Books | Old, hardcover, wall-to-wall books fill five stories of the building, which dates to the first half of the 20th century. It sits right off of the freeway - in fact, John K. King was actually moved 600 ft to make room for road construction in 1949. I could easily spend all day and my entire bank account forever and ever there.
Joe Louis Memorial and The Spirit of Detroit | Downtown Detroit is decked out in some cool art - a tribute to Joe Lewis (and, it's speculated, the Black Power movement) and the Spirit of Detroit, who gets dressed up when Detroit sports teams are winning.
The Whitney | Old Detroit mansion turned fancy-shmancy restaurant. Your meals comes with a tour of the house - pretty grounds, balcony views of the surrounding city, and old, ornate decorations. (P.S., the food is also really good.)
Joe Louis Arena | It's where you go to watch hockey, mostly, but when the Wings are elsewhere the arena hosts concerts and speakers. (Also: special guest appearance by my lovely cohost + the brains behind this linkup, Allison!)
Riverfront | I'd never been to the Riverfront area of Detroit until a couple of months ago, and I've been missing out! Maybe it's just me - I've been kind of fascinated with bodies of water since I freaked out over the waterfalls at Yosemite when I was 2. There are cruise boats docked every so often and a walkway for exploring - my kind of place.
Speaking of Detroit, today's March 13th, aka 3.13, aka 313 Day, aka Detroit Day because 313 starts just about every phone number in Detroit. To celebrate, Allison and I are hosting a link up for our fellow Detroit area bloggers so that we can virtually explore the city and everything it has to offer! We're excited to have some talented writers linking up with us - check them out!
An InLinkz Link-up
Did I miss anything? What do you love about Detroit? If you've never been, what about your own city?
Allie
Did I miss anything? What do you love about Detroit? If you've never been, what about your own city?
Allie
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