On the road again...

I love to travel and I’ve been fortunate enough over the years to be able to visit some very beautiful places like St. Maarten, St. Thomas, the Bahamas, California and Mexico.  I’ll travel whenever I can afford it and when I can find someone else who is willing to go.  Recently, my adventures led me to Detroit, Michigan.

I can say that it was better than I had expected, but I don’t think I will add it to my list of favorite places.  About now, you might be questioning why I would choose to visit Detroit? It’s simple, a few years ago, I took a class at Indiana University South Bend about the Opera.  I had written a lengthy paper on Mozart’s Opera, “The Magic Flute,” and I decided that if there was ever a production within driving distance then I would attend. It was a great opportunity to blend a great weekend getaway with a culture experiences.

I’ve never been to the opera, much less Detroit.  It was a weekend of new experiences, all of which turned out to be positive.

I asked about eight friends from work if they would like to be a part of the weekend adventures and I only got two takers, Tamara and Brett.

We set out for what I believed would be a weekend of witnessing purse snatchings, grand theft auto and mob or thug style shootings.  I’m happy to report that I really didn’t see any of these things, other than a poor guy outside of the pizza place where we were eating dinner who had locked his keys in the car and was trying desperately to fish a hanger through the window to get the door open. It wasn’t quite the grand theft auto experience I had anticipated. 

The long stretch of road between South Bend, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan was rather boring, but the 3 ½ hour drive went by quickly.  The early Saturday morning drive was easy and we managed to stay the course without getting lost.

I wish we could say that between the three of us we managed to have an excellent sense of direction, but I can’t.  Just about every time we went into the hotel we had to ask someone how to get to the Marriott, which was located in the Renaissance Center building.  If you aren’t familiar with the building, picture three large circular building attached to each other.  Needless to say, Brett, Tamara and I walked in several circles that day, repeating the phrase, “I’m lost in the hotel and I can’t get out.”

Our directional challenges didn’t end there.  We meandered around town looking at Ford Field which is the home of the Detroit Lions, Comeristar Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, and Joe Louis stadium, home of the Detroit Redwings.  While it may seem that we are avid sports fans, these were just easy stops on the People Mover.

What’s a People Mover?  It is a small two-car above ground subway that transports people throughout the city and stops at about 8-10 downtown districts.  It’s a great invention and we felt safe riding the People Mover which only cost us fifty cents each per trip.

Anyway, back to our directional challenge.  We took the People Mover to Greektown and I gambled at the casino for a half hour while Tamara and Brett grabbed a drink at the bar. The Greektown Casino spans a block or two with several entrances and we had used the valet parking in the casino when we first arrived.  It took us several trips down the same hallway, a bit of frustration and asking a few people how we could get back to the parking garage before we actually found it.  Again, we muttered the words, “I’m lost in the casino and I can’t get out.” Being lost seemed to become a theme for the weekend.

We walked most of Saturday, with the occasional ride on the People Mover. We saw the “Spirit of Detroit” statue, the Windsor Tunnel, the Riverwalk and several other well known places and buildings.  I never felt unsafe walking around town which surprised me. I had conjured up such an unsafe vision of Detroit in my mind before we got there.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many abandoned buildings and I am sure several unsafe places, but my trip to Detroit was a fun-filled weekend with several new experiences.