Moving out of Michigan -- What I Will Miss

What I will miss about Novi 

A number of years ago, I attended the farewell dinner for a pastor who was leaving the area.  I had asked him, “What will you miss about your city?  And you can’t say ‘the people.’’  That’s too easy and too obvious.  It is for me, too.

So, what will I miss about living in Novi and in Michigan in general?

I will miss Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford.  We had a membership there for years, including the all-you-can-ride package.  So, in addition, I will miss the Model-T rides we took as often as we could.

I will miss going to Frankenmuth, walking through Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, and having a large German meal at the Bavarian Inn.  Sauerbraten was my meal of choice, along with a mandatory side order of Bavarian red cabbage.  Those meals did not happen often, but they were always glorious!

Honorable mention on the German meal was Metzger’s in Ann Arbor.  Also very good.

I will miss going into downtown Detroit to enjoy some world-class architecture.  The Guardian Building and the Fisher Building are amazing.  I will miss the Detroit Institute of Arts.  I wish I could have gotten downtown more often to enjoy more of it.  We never did get to the restored train station or to the Book Tower.  We got to the Riverwalk a few times.  There were also many restaurants and pubs that would have been nice to get to, but time and money stood in the way.

I will miss attending concerts by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and productions at the Fisher and Fox Theaters. 

I will miss Mexican meals at Border Cantina (although, they closed a few months before we left).  I will miss Saturday morning breakfast at the Early Bird restaurant in Northville, only recently discovered by us.  I will miss Tim Hortons and Guernsey’s ice cream.

I will miss Meijer being only two miles down the road.  I will miss the dedication of the people at Firestone on Haggerty Road in Northville.  (When they know you by name when you walk in, is that bad or good?  At least they did not have my phone number memorized.)

I will miss the Michigan state parks.  I will miss Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the Mackinac Bridge.  I will miss Laura’s and my recent end-of-summer trips to Port Huron where we watched Great Lakes freighters float under the Blue Water Bridge.

Although I will miss many things about Michigan, I am looking forward to discovering many things to love about Lake City and Minnesota.  Of course, it will be the people that I will learn to love the most.  And that is easy and obvious to say.

Local Tourist -- Guardian Building, Detroit

On Sunday afternoon, February 9, the Local Tourist and his lovely wife got to downtown Detroit to tour an architectural gem, the Guardian Building.  The tour was hosted by Pure Detroit, and it is FREE.  You do need to register with Pure Detroit, which is easy enough because they have a gift shop right in the main atrium of the Guardian Building.

The Guardian Building is a structure which is pretty unique to any sky line, and the décor on the inside is phenomenal.  The ceiling is one giant canvass painting which features pre-Columbian designs.  There are also two Tiffany clocks (they are back to back, one facing the main entrance and the other in the atrium), which are also very rare.  While the entire atrium is striking, the main feature is the state of Michigan mural which pays homage to various aspects of industry and commerce in Michigan.

While various owners over the decades sought to make "improvements" to the building over the years, their attempts at modernization have mercifully been stripped back to show the building in its (mostly) original state.  This gem has been polished, and it has been restored to its amazing original design.  It makes me wonder who thought it needed improvements because it looks great in its original context.

If you are downtown, go tour the Guardian Building--Saturdays and Sundays at 12 Noon or 2:00 PM.  Here are some photos to entice you.

These tiles and the stained glass image adorn the entryway to the elevators.

Originally built to house a institution, this mosaic greets you in the lobby.

The photo below looks above this mosaic and gives you an idea what the ceiling above

in the main entryway looks like.  Vibrant colors!

This is the main atrium in the Guardian Building.  All the artwork on the ceiling is painted on canvass.

This mural of Michigan is reason enough to visit the Guardian Building.  It is four stories tall.

Local Tourist -- Detroit (Guardian Building, etc...)

What else is there to do on a cold, snowy, January day in Detroit except walk around the downtown?

With Laura and Peter having off of school for Martin Luther King Day, we made use of the day to see more of Detroit that we had not seen before.  That included stops at the Renaissance Center (we had toured the Ren Cen before), the Guardian Building, riding the People Mover, and eating at Greektown. 

While summer would have made the walk a warmer, I can't say it was not enjoyable.  Walking back to the Ren Cen in the wind got a bit chilly, but it's January.  What else should we expect?

Here are some photos.

Wintergarten in the Ren Cen.  Palm trees in the atrium; snow on the rooftop.

The Spirit of Detroit.

One of four Tiffany clocks  in the world

Relaxing at the shoe shine stand.

Lunch at the New Parthenon restaurant.

Digital aquarium at the GM Center in the Ren Cen.