kodi

I decided I wanted to go to Trader Joe's and the nearest one is in Detroit. We we turned it into a weekend away.
I had not been to Detroit since I was a kid ( many years ago). I lived in Windsor and used to cross the border on a regular basis.

If anyone is thinking of going to Detroit and is having second thoughts... DON'T ! The downtown area is beautiful.
The whole waterfront has been turned into a beautiful 3.5 mile waterfront park. Beautiful gardens, and walkways all along the water. We stayed at the Marriott Renanissance and were very very happy. It is part of the huge , spectacular GM Renaissance Center http://www.gmrencen.com/Happening/De...5/Default.aspx
We were given a room on the 66th floor with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water. The view was amazing.

This past weekend was the River Days Festival, and there were lots of activities all along the water. We loved it all, and missed going out for dinner. We were having such a good time at the festival, we had hot dogs for dinner!

On Sat, we wandered the full length of the RiverWalk, and then took the People Mover , elevated train around the entire route. It takes approx 15 minutes, and was a great way to see the surrounding area. It passes by Joe Louis Arena, the baseball field, and the football stadium. (Sorry,I'm not a sports fan) But the website I posted, names them.

After a rest back in the room, we took the People Mover again, and got off at Greektown, where we wandered around .. There is a fabulous bakery there called Astoria. It is to die for!!
We ate dinner at Fishbones. I had a T bone steak, my friend had fish. Both meals were delicious. I loved the stone, brick, wooden beams and total look of this restaurant.

Back in the room, we watched boats, all lit up for the festival, cruising by the parks.. It was really pretty, and great to see so many involved in making River Days a success.

Sunday morning ( this morning) we had our car brought around , the first time we'd used it since arriving Friday night. We headed up Jefferson towards Grosse Pointe to stop at Trader Joe's. .. We were thrilled with Grosse Pointe. It is a beautiful town, and the main street was perfect for shopping. ..and eating.. We shopped for a couple of hours, then went into a really great bakery, called Panara. The stawberry and cream scones were delicious.
We carried on up past the stunning homes on the waterfront, and really enjoyed our drive.

Finally we had to hop on the highway and head for Port Huron, and across the border to head for home.

The weekend was really a huge success, filled with many pleasant surprises , the best being how great the waterfront area is in Detroit.
If you ever stay at the Marriott, be sure to ask for a water view!

starrs

It sounds like a great weekend, kodi! You make Detroit sound...marvelous!

What did you get at Trader Joe's?

matnikstym

Glad you had a good time. I'd love to go to Detroit someday. Welcome home!

irishgirl71

Thank you, Thank you Thank you!!!!. I live in Michigan about 20 miles from Detroit. We go to Greektown frequently, we go to Peagus's restaurant for lamb chops, awesome!!!! The Astoria bakery is awesome as well, plus they are open really late. I have lived in Michigan my whole life and Detroit has always had a bad reputation. I have never encountered any problems. I have been to every sport teams venue downtown as well, always a good time. So again, Thank you for a good post and I am glad you enjoyed yourself!!

Cali

I enjoyed your report. We get back to Michigan often and also enjoy the Riverfront, Greektown and Grosse Point. Most of all we love the great people in Michigan. It is a beautiful state.

Pat_in_Mich

Thanks for the positive comments about my all too frequently maligned city!

cmcfong

Great report, Kodi. It sounds so much nicer than it was on my last visit. Happy birthday!!!!!!!

kodi

Thanks so much everyone. I'm still feeling 'up' from my wonderful weekend.
I used to swim in the Detroit River every day in the summer, when I lived in Windsor. Returning to make more happy memories was just great.

Starrs, I bought vitamins, omega 3 oils, organic dog cookies.. and of course, ginger cookies. ...little ones I can nibble on.

AnnMarie_C

What a beautiful Riverwalk! I love that you planned a weekend around Trader Joe's--I'll bet they would love to know that, too! Happy you enjoyed a great weekend and had the opportunity to relive happy memories as well as make some new ones.

SharonG

So glad to hear a positive report about Detroit. I lived there briefly one summer about 20 years ago and it was awful but my friends tell me that it has really improved. Always loved Greektown (Yasoo) and Pegasus. Used to be a great Irish Pub on the edge of Greektown but have no idea if it is still there.

starrs

Well Greektown is definitely on my list when/if Detroit becomes a destination.

christabir

We spend a fair amount of time in Detroit as my sister lives there. We really enjoy the new baseball stadium (Comerica) and the fans are great. We can fly to Detroit and buy decent tix to a game, buy some food and drinks, and spend less than buying decent tix to either local NY team (we have free housing). Sad but true. Detroit also has a couple of casinos in town that aren't seedy. It's a fun time! And there great golf courses all over Michigan that won't put you in the poorhouse. Even a couple of PGA tour courses. Detroit will hopefully make an incredible comeback!

michigandra

kodi,

So glad to hear you had such a great time in Detroit! But you missed the fireworks on the river! You would have had a great view of them from your waterfront room.

Aren't those homes on Lakeshore Drive something? If you caught the movie Gran Torino, that's the last scene in the movie.

starrs

topping

travelbuff

DEtroit has indeed come a long way, and hopefully with the economy getting better will continue growing.

I remember in the 80's being in Texas, Dallas and Houston and seeing bumper stickers;

"Will the last person leaving Michigan please turn out the lights".

It's great to see the changes that have been happening.

kodi

michigandra, I'll have to watch the movie again!
I lived in Windsor when I was a kid and actually used to swim in the Detroit River .. and used to shop downtown Detroit. It's come a long way.

LynnDFW

So glad you had a great time in Detroit! I am a Michigander and have lived in the metropolitan Detroit area my entire life. I love the city and it's people.