By: Lori T. Williams, Owner/Managing Attorney of Your Legal Resource, PLLC & Member of The Collaborative Group
I had the privilege of taking another Bus Tour of Detroit recently, with some friends from The Collaborative Group. Our tour guide was native Detroiter and life-long resident, Jeanette Pierce, of Inside Detroit. Jeanette and her staff all live, work, and play in Detroit and their passion for the City is unmistakable. “I love living in Detroit, because it offers the big City amenities, with the small town warmth,”says Pierce.
Jeanette Pierce, our tour guide from Inside Detroit. Photo taken at The Heidleberg Project by Lori Williams
Last year’s tour with Scott Hocking showed us the City from an artist’s perspective. We saw the “grittier” side which reflected Detroit’s beauty through nostalgia and the neighborhood community spirit. This year’s 44 points of interest tour reflected the “polished” side of Detroit’s Downtown, and its optimism and energy.
One interesting fact we learned, was that Detroit is 310 years old and has rebuilt itself many times. The first rebuild occurred after the city burned to the ground in 1805. Pierce jokes that The Great Chicago fire of 1871 was merely a knockoff of Detroit.
The bus tour started at Campus Martius Park, which offers free concerts in the summer and outdoor ice skating in the winter. In civil war days, this space was used as a military training ground; its name means “Fields of Mars” or Fields of War.
We moved on to the Guardian Building, which is internationally recognized for its architecture. Click here for a photo collage of the beautiful building, inside and out. People come to see it from around the world, yet many Metro Detroiters and city residents have never been inside. The Guardian Building was designed as a “Cathedral to Finance”, and has been occupied by various banks since it was built in 1929. It was always considered state of the art and incorporated the finest marble and tile and mosaics of its day. The ceilings were made from a painted canvas with gold accents and horse hair. The 40 story brick building used 2 million bricks, and took 7 months and $12 million to build. An historic Michigan Mural adorns an exit wall which opens onto Larned Street. Modern conveniences of the Guardian Building include plasma TV’s in the elevators, a gift shop featuring books, pottery and Detroit Memorabilia, and 3 coffee shops.
We also saw signs of things to come, such as the Globe Building, located near Milliken State Park, across from the Riverwalk. This area will become an indoor adventure center featuring zip lining, rock wall climbing, etc.
We enjoyed a stroll and a photo opportunity at Belle Isle, which comprises 983 acres. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect who also designed Central Park in New York. Most people remember Belle Isle from their childhood days, but there is still a lot going on there today. The Grand Prix will return to Belle Isle in 2012. Standard attractions include beautiful landscapes, a museum which houses Great Lakes memorabilia, a beach with a water slide, a driving range, picnic/event space, a playscape, a sports complex, an aquarium, a greenhouse, and the neighboring Detroit Boat Club and Detroit Yacht Club.
Collaborative Group bus tour members at Belle Isle. PhotoCredit: John Richardson
View of Detroit From Belle Isle. Photo by Lori Williams
As we headed towards the 3 block Historic Indian Village, to view some beautiful homes, Pierce noted that the Detroit River is not actually a river. It’s a 32 mile straight, which connects Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
Pierce also relayed these other fun facts:
- Detroit comprises 139 square miles of land, which ranks it as the 55th largest city in the United States.
- Metro Detroit is made up of 131 cities and 3 counties.
- There are over 125 bars and restaurants within the one square mile of downtown Detroit.
- Detroit has the 2nd largest theater district in the Country, with over 13,000 theater seats in just a 2 block radius.
- The New York Times named Detroit one of their 53 Places to Go in the World.
- There is currently 40 square miles of vacant land available for use in Detroit. Revitalization is already taking place, including land designated for Urban Farming and agriculture and community gardens.
Since it was snack time, we popped into r. Hirt jr.co. in Eastern Market to sample some cheese, out of their 300 varieties. I couldn’t resist buying a block of goat cheese made in France, and 2 cheeses from the United Kingdom: Double Gloucester with minced onion and chive, and White Stilton with mango and ginger. Pierce told us about some of her other favorite spots in Eastern Market.
From there, we headed to MidTown. Pierce noted that those interested in a “Stay-Cation”, or a fun weekend in Detroit, might enjoy a stay at the Inn on Ferry Street, followed by a visit to the DIA, and a bite to eat at Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes. I seized the opportunity to split a crepe with my friend, Chris Winans, at Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes. They have 50 varieties of handmade crepes ranging from sweet to savory, and the savory ones are HUGE! We ordered the “Jeanette” in honor of our tour guide and enjoyed our handmade crepe filled with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs. Pierce was touched that we chose her favorite crepe on the menu.
After several more stops on the tour, we concluded our day with lunch at Vincente’s Cuban Cuisine, and enjoyed a wide variety of Tapas served family style to our entire group. It was a great way to end the day. After enjoying our meal, each of us shared what we enjoyed or remembered most about the tour. Some of the comments are reflected below:
Doyle Mosher, founder of The Collaborative Group and Challenge Detroit, commented that he: “discovered more hidden gems on this tour. Looking from the outside, we see so little of what the City has to offer, but when you walk inside the buildings, the true gems are revealed. I was really impressed by the coffee shop known as 14 East Cafe. It had a European feel and presentation with interesting coffees and pastries prominently displayed, and was very intimate and inviting inside.”
Chris Winans, a realtor with Prudential HWWB Realtors, was raised in the city and still does business in the city of Detroit. Her grandparents lived in Indian Village and her grandmother managed the Whittier Hotel in the 80’s, which was a senior center at the time. Chris remembered that people from the Grosse Points retired to The Whittier, and it reminded her of a little city in and of itself. Chris felt she knew quite a bit about downtown after living in Metro Detroit all her life and frequenting the City regularly, yet the tour gave her lots of fun facts she didn’t know before. “It is great to see Detroit’s revitalization,” said Winans.
Cindy Mosher’s favorite part of the tour was the Guardian Building. “I loved the tile work and my favorite part was the Tiffany Clock. It was also interesting to learn that there were 111 full service grocery stores in the City of Detroit. You often hear that people can’t shop for groceries anywhere in the City.”
Several members of our tour commented that they enjoyed our stop on the 29th Floor of the Sky Club Apartment Building, because “it gave a totally different view of the city than you get walking or riding on the tour bus.”
View of Detroit from 29th Floor of the Sky Club Apartments. Photo Credit: John Richardson
Stephen Ragan works for a New Orleans company, yet recently moved back to Metro Detroit. He enjoyed seeing the Heidelberg Project display, which is celebrating its 25th year anniversary. “The Heidelberg Project was in danger of being torn down the last time I was in Michigan, and I’m glad to see it is alive and well today”, said Ragan. Click here to see images of the art displayed.
