Local Tourist: Mannheim Steamroller at the Fox Theater

Last night, the Local Tourist and his Mrs. went to Detroit to see Mannheim Steamroller at the Fox Theater.  First, we enjoyed a supper at the Detroit Beer Company.  We both enjoyed a Detroit Dwarf beer.  After that, we took a chilly walk to the Fox Theater.  We had a bit of a fiasco with our tickets, as the email which was sent with the electronic tickets had disappeared.  After a ticket agent fixed that problem, we got into the warmth of the theater.

Mannheim Steamroller sounds great.  Their performance is almost identical to the studio recordings of their songs.  The only flaw was that the lighting from the back of the stage tended to blind the audience (at least it did where we sat).  It was nice to enjoy something "Christmas-y" with my date who is also my favorite person.

Local Tourist -- Belle Isle

On Thursday, the Local Tourist and his Mrs. found themselves on the east side of Detroit.  We had attempted to visit the War Memorial on Lake St. Clair, but there was a funeral being conducted there.  I took one photo of the building (first photo), but we did not pass through to the memorial structure on the lake front.

We continued to drive down Jefferson Avenue until we got to Belle Isle.  We drove to the James Scott Fountain and took a few photos in that area.  It was a pretty windy day, so you can see the water being blown to one side.  A prettier day would produce prettier photos -- except the photo of the Mrs.  She always looks good.

Windsor, Ontario on the left; Detroit, Michigan on the right.  

If you expand the photo, you can see the Ambassador Bridge connecting the two.

Best photo of the day!

Local Tourist: NFL Draft in Detroit

On Friday, April 26, the Local Tourist went with Nathanael and his high school classmate Chad to Detroit to check out the festivities for the NFL Draft.  Estimations were that there were 230,000 people in attendance.  But since the footprint of the whole NFL Draft experience was so huge, it never felt too crowded.  The whole event was very well organized.  Getting in and out was pretty easy.  There were long lines for various activities, so we were selective in what we wanted to do.

We stuck around for the actual draft until the Packers made their first pick in the 2nd round.  The wind was picking up a bit, and it was getting chilly, so it was the right time to go.

Detroit put on a fantastic show.  The city was great.  The fans were fun.  Lions' fans booed the Packers enthusiastically.  Good times!

Here are some pre-draft photos, taken about a week before the NFL Draft.   Lots of construction was still going on, and access was limited in most places. On the upside, there was no waiting for photo ops.

Photos from Draft Day, Day #2.

Admiring the other fans is fun.  Here are some zealous Packers' fans,

I have always entertained myself with jersey watching.  Jerseys of players from 25+ years ago are great.  Twice, I had people ask about my #54 Larry McCarron jersey--Packers' center (1973-1984).

Fake Troy Polamalu.  We saw him while watching the Pat McAfee show.

That's me under the arrow!

Next step: Get this guy noticed by the NFL.

Things that make me go HMMMMMMM

I saw this in the parking lot of Mi Pueblo restaurant in Mexicantown, Detroit.  And I wondered, "Why?"  

I don't hate it.  It just raises questions.

No, there is not a bowling alley here.

Local Tourist: A Day in the D

The Local Tourist and his lovely wife spent the day bumming around downtown Detroit.  After a stop at the RenCen, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll on the award-winning Detroit Riverwalk.  We went as far as Milliken State Park and Harbor and then returned to the RenCen.  From there, we walked to Campus Martius Park.  On the way, we saw Mariner's Church (made famous by Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"), the Joe Louis Fist, and the Spirit of Detroit statue.  At Campus Martius Park, we expected to see the countdown clock for the NFL Draft in Detroit.  Despite online articles saying it was there, we never found it.

We returned to our car and drove down to Mexicantown for lunch/supper at Mi Pueblo, and enjoyed some fancy margaritas with our chimichanga dinners.

It was a great day in the D, even though Laura's foot flared up and needed to be iced.

Mariner's Church

The Spirit of Detroit

Wayne County Courthouse

The Renaissance Center, home of GM Headquarters; ironically, built by the Fords.

The Book Tower in Detroit

It is great to see continued improvements to Detroit.  

For example, the Detroit Riverwalk has been voted the best riverfront in America (again!).  Yes, Detroit.  People from other communities are actually coming to Detroit to see what they've done to produce such an amazing riverfront.  You read that correctly: they are coming to Detroit to see how they can duplicate it.  Yes, Detroit.

Now, a new release is talking about the soon-to-be reopened Book Tower in downtown Detroit.  Like so many buildings in Detroit, this was a gem that fell into disrepair for a long time.  Conventional wisdom would have suggested to knock it down because it was a monument to urban blight.  Developer, Dan Gilbert, saw it differently--or, rather, correctly.  He invested about $300 million to renovate and restore it to its former glory.  It will be opening again this year.

Check out the article and the embedded video to show what this place will be: Book Tower’s $300M+ historic renovation in Detroit nears completion (wxyz.com)

I doubt I will be able to afford the rate to enjoy a room there, and I have no need to lease an apartment there, but I sure hope I will find an opportunity to walk in.  It looks amazing.

Local Tourist -- Eastern Market

On Saturday, May 1, the Local Tourist and a small part of his family went to Eastern Market in Detroit.  It would have been nice to buy flowers, but we went more to look around than to buy.  Now that we have seen it in action, a future visit will demand our collapsible wagon for transporting purchases.  We enjoyed a saxophone player wailing away just outside one of the sheds.  We also got Polish sausage and pierogis.  Laura prefers the jalapeno poppers; I prefer the corned beef and swiss.  Later, I saw a place that was selling shawarma and had buyer's remorse.  Well, not entirely; the Polish sausage was very good.  Food, however, did not dominate the air.  The place was abundantly fragrant with many, many flowers.  

Here are some photos.