A day around town!

Hello!

Up about 6:30 am to a beautiful blue sky and the promise of hot weather.  Thank goodness for air conditioning in the hotel!  We went down for breakfast around 8:30 am and it was really excellent!  We both had waffles and syrup and bacon and sausage along with a plate of fruit.  Excellent breakfast, which will probably take us most of the way through lunch!  Back upstairs around 9 am and just in time for the start of the French Open men’s finals, Rafael Nadal vs. Stan Wawrinka.  The first tennis we have really seen since we left home on Day 2 of the tournament!

The Detroit Club, across from the PeopleMover entrance

Running for the PeopleMover!

And had an entire car to ourselves!

The long-awaited QLine tram!

Robert was working on the computer, and I was stretched out on our comfy couch in the living room, and before I knew it, the first set was over and I had basically slept through it!  Felt so good, as a matter of fact, that I decided it was time for my morning nap, and went back to bed!  Definitely slept through the second set, but woke up during the third set in time to see Rafa Nadal win the championship.  Very happy for him!  Just hoping to see Roger Federer back at Wimbledon!

Lovely Opera House at Grand Circus Park

PeopleMover departing from a station

Close-up of the Tram on the Line

Very odd early contraption -- combo 2 & 4 wheeled vehicle

Think it probably had a problem remaining upright!

It now being somewhere around 11:30 am, we thought we should probably do something useful for the day.  So, texted Sandy to see if she wanted to visit the Detroit Historical Museum, and headed out.  Back to the PeopleMover and the short three stop ride to Grand Circus Park.  Back down to ground level, and over to the QLine station, heading up Woodward Avenue.  (One nice thing about the QLine is that for the entire month of June, while they are getting the system checked out, there is no fee to ride!  Great deal!)  The only problem we had was that the tram didn’t show up – I think we must have waited 20 minutes or more!  In fact, it took so long to arrive that Sandy had had time to change her clothes and drive her car from her home in St. Clair Shores downtown, park, and meet us inside the museum by the time we got there!  Sheesh!  Fun ride though, once the tram arrived.  Crowded but not impossibly so, and we were able to find seats.  We got off at Ferry Street, which was about a block past the Historical Museum, but in no time, we were there – and fortunately, it was well air conditioned!

Me in Model T

Assembly line "dropping" car body onto the frame

Beautiful hand-made clock!

Old Streets of Detroit

More streets...

Really interesting museum, with some wonderful exhibits about Detroit’s past.  We started with a wonderful time line going around in a circle from the 1940’s to the present time.  Lots of memories about the 50’s and 60’s – Milky the Clown, and PoopDeck Paul, Vernors Ginger Ale and Faygo pop.  We saw the old Boblo Boat in photographs, and scale model, as well as various sports teams and recording artists and their memorabilia.  Moving further into the museum, there was an entire history of Detroit’s automaking, with examples of some very interesting makes and models, including part of a real assembly line.  We had no idea that at its height, there were 125 automobile companies in the Detroit area!  Wow!  And now there are three?    There was a further excellent exhibit about the part Detroit played in the industrialization and manufacture of WWII armaments – tanks, planes, trucks.  Detroit by itself turned out more than a third of all the wartime manufactured goods produced during those years.  In the section on the Underground Railroad (if slaves could reach Canada, they were actually free!) with many stories about slaves, former slaves, as well as the people who helped them escape along the way.  I had no idea that southern Ontario had been such a prime spot for relocation and settlement.

Sandy and me looking at the street made of wood!

Just a small part of Wayne State campus

Definitely some stunning houses here!

Main Detroit Public Library!

Then we went downstairs, which was always my favorite as a child.  This was the Streets of Old Detroit section.  Strolled through an old Kresge’s (started in Detroit), and a Sanders, an old drug store as well as a “fancy goods” emporium.  The street was actually made of slices of trees filled in by dirt, making for difficult walking.  All in all, a lovely afternoon and lots of fond memories recalled.

Sandy needed to get home and, as it was already after 3 pm, we decided we would head back downtown and see if we could find something to eat.  So … the first Qline train coming along was continuing alomg Woodward Avenue (away from downtown), so we thought we would ride to the end of the line and come back.  Nice ride – I had no idea that Wayne State University went on for three Qline stops!  Changed at the end of the line, and rode back down Woodward all the way to Congress, at the Jefferson/Detroit River end.

Now for food … well … the gal at Wright & Company last night had told us that Sunday and Monday are difficult times to find places that are open – and boy, was that the truth!  We did find several places where we could have gotten a hamburger and fries – or the ubiquitous Coney Island hotdog, but we wanted something a bit better than that.  Found one place, at Campus Martius, and while they were open and serving drinks, they wouldn’t start serving dinner until 5 pm!  And it was only 4:30!!  Bummer!  Finally, we decided to head back to the hotel and see what we could find here.  Took us a few minutes to walk the 4-5 blocks over from Woodward – and it is very hot and sticky outside!  But finally got back to the incredibly well air-conditioned hotel and the Round Bar, which thankfully was open!

Huge statue in front of City Hall

They've made a real beach at Campus Martius!

We split the Caesar salad

R's rubbed salmon

My short ribs over spinach and Mac and cheese!

I started with a glass of Prosecco, and R with sauvignon blanc.  Then, we split a Caesar salad, which was good.  For mains, R ordered spiced-rubbed salmon that came with a tartar sauce, green beans and rosti potatoes.  I had their short ribs which came on a bed of wonderful mac & cheese and wilted spinach.  We both cleaned our plates!  Then, back upstairs around 6 pm and in for the night!  (Fortunately, I did have a spare cupcake left over from Bay City to help get me through the night…) 

Tomorrow we will head to Belle Isle as well as get a few errands done, then meet Sandy (and hopefully Dave, if he doesn’t have to work!) for dinner!

Lots and lots of love!

m

xxx