Directly from New York, I made my way to Detroit to stay with Amanda and Andrew for a week. I had been admittedly disappointed years ago when they changed their wedding plans and didn't hold the event in Detroit, thinking when else would I have a reason to go there? (Don't worry, as you may know the wedding happened instead in Costa Rica and was unparalleled.) A city with its own history and reputation, I was excited to learn about and experience Detroit for myself.
Many of my best interactions in the area were with my ride share drivers. My first jolt of midwestern friendliness came as soon as I was picked up from the airport and the driver asked excitedly, "First time to Michigan?" and then not five minutes later, "So what do you think?" As we got closer to A&A's neighborhood, his eyes wide, he tentatively advised that I should really make it downtown since it's a much nicer area. I told him that sometimes neighborhoods can surprise you and you never know when a gem is just around the corner. Soon, after crossing a few more dicey blocks, we made it to their tree-lined, brick-housed district, my driver gaping at how beautiful it is.
And how lovely to finally see where they live and the life they are creating in Detroit. They're sprucing up and personalizing the house, while painstakingly maintaining as many original details as possible.
My welcoming committee, Milo
NYC cookie delivery
So much street art to marvel at
In my Lyft to the Detroit Institute of Arts, I got in with a young, maskless man who wasn't even driving the car registered in the app (total no-no, I know) but seemed harmless enough. We spent the whole ride somehow animatedly discussing sports, with him showing pride about the city and the new arena and stadium that had been built downtown. The best line he said was after he botched the pronunciation of the word "architecture": "I can say all kinds of words but not that one." So forthright, Jerome.
"Detroit Style" exhibit at the DIA
This exhibit was the coolest, taking you from sketch drawings of cars to the real deal. (The magic of having a dozen cars on the upper floor of a museum.) I learned so much about the design process, from sketching to tape drawing to full size clay models.
“Detroit Industry Murals” by Diego Rivera at the Detroit Institute of Arts
They'll completely gobsmack a person
On my way home from the DIA, I had another entertaining Lyft. It started off very quiet, until the driver took a phone call on speaker. With no pretense, the female caller exploded into her rendition of Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday. He let her continue, uninterrupted, for the full chorus, before he politely thanked her and said he'd have to call back because he was with a customer. I giggled in the back seat over her unnecessary embarrassment, and on my way out of the car I called, "Happy birthday, Gary!"
Another day I visited the Piquette Plant, one of Henry Ford's original factories, before they relocated for the assembly lines. In this building each crew would put together an entire car in one day.
The winged logo (above the main one) in gold signifies
it was made in this Piquet Plant and is very rare
A few interesting facts I learned:
- There were no car keys for the original Model T, so anyone could take any car if they wished
- There were 2500 car companies in the first half of the century that made one car at least, but only 18 made it through the Great Depression
- Henry Ford moved the steering wheel from the right (where it was originally placed to see and keep from falling in ditches before roads were built) to the left side of the car, in order to protect his wife from mud and poop and traffic in the middle of road, of course influenced by Clara Ford. It was a ten year battle to finally get the other car companies on board with his vision, and Ford won by 1919.
Model B: only seven exist to this day,
and this is serial number one
Also got out and about with Amanda - she picked up her search for great pancakes from North Carolina. She'll have to keep searching.
#menlie
Have you seen a better neon sign hanging in a bar?
And yes, this is where we had breakfast
Eastern Market stroll with Amanda
Not long before my Detroit trip, I received a bonus at work for my contributions to the COVID response team. When in Detroit, I bought a Shinola watch that is meant to be a symbol of resiliency. Their ad upon releasing the watch read, "To those who've written off Detroit, we give you the Birdy." It's my "I survived COVID/quarantine and am resilient as f***" daily reminder.
One of my favorite mornings was spent receiving an inside tour of Detroit with Andrew, who grew up there. He provided a more nuanced view, explaining his community's experience, the socio-political struggles, and so many ways in which Detroit shines, like through its 20th century art deco architecture.
He showed me his "favorite building in the world," the Guardian Building, which was truly breathtaking upon entering (you know I love me some tile) and tamped my skepticism of his calling of favorites.
We also stopped by his favorite donut shop, Dutch Girl, I got excited to see an "8 Mile" road sign, and he drove me through several stunning neighborhoods with historic mansions that I could shockingly almost afford.
Our last stop was at Pewabic Pottery, a ceramic studio and school founded in 1903. Andrew and I both wanted to buy the whole store, but managed to narrow it down to just a couple items.
FaceTime from North Carolina while walking Milo!
Delicious evening out at Flowers of Vietnam
All the fur babies (two cats and one dog) and I got very close over the week. They got away with a lot with me that they wouldn't otherwise (like sleeping in my bed, but not all at the same time!). Karl the cat got very intimate with me at one point; I'm talking intense purring, arm kneading, and the longest eye contact I've ever held with another sentient being - he looked into my very soul. Apparently this kind of closeness is very unusual for Karl. Compliment taken!
My sidekick for the week
Our best meal was at Shewolf, an Italian restaurant with a delightful prix fixe menu, unpretentious chef, and array of desserts that included pistachio gelato (homemade in-house soft serve) that tasted so much like Sorbetteria Castiglione in Bologna that I was close to tears.
Be still, my taste buds
Wine pairing
Over the weekend, we went to a family party at a water park, helped Amanda and Andrew find appropriate attire for an upcoming Indian wedding, went to the Belle Isle Aquarium, and checked out the Dream Cruise, which happened to be that weekend.
It's a casual, anyone-can-join parade down historic Woodward, the first road a car ever drove down. We saw some incredible vehicles, ranging from classics to hot rods, from bedazzled SUVs to Ghostbusters-themed hearses. My favorite part was that there were also terribly embarrassing cars driving by that no one should be bragging about in a car parade, like PT Cruisers and minivans. Maybe they just needed to get down the street, but could they at least have driven the inside lane so we could check out the stunners? I'm telling you though, people showed up and showed out.
All in all, it was a wonderful week with the Bashis. I appreciated the inside look at Detroit, and most importantly a full week of quality time together. Until next time, Motor City!
