#traveltuesdays – fish & flowers

Sitting in the Detroit river between Canada and the skyscrapers of downtown Detroit, Belle Isle provides a respite from an urban landscape. Initially designed by famed urban park planner Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1880s, the island features a beachfront, boathouse, acres of open land, beautiful fountains, botanical garden and aquarium. Although only portion of Olmsted’s plans were implemented, Belle Isle is a truly remarkable. A few weeks ago a friend of mine and Maggie decided to visit the aquarium and botanical garden to take some photos and explore. The aquarium has recently been restored along with other portions of the park. For years this island was abused, neglected and even housed the lawn furniture of the former mayor. And although Detroit has a long way to go, the bankruptcy has brought some positive change and has transferred ownership of the park from the city to the state park system. For now, it will be protected as a place for people to enjoy and will be invested in as a gem of Detroit. On a sunny Sunday morning, I got to see how Detroit is being brought back to a new life, one fish and flower at a time.

Let’s Fly Away

On a recent trip for business, I let my iphone capture the journey. Hope you enjoy!

Detroit Foodie: Dangerously Delicious Pies

12. Jan
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Weekend Aways
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2 Comments

We love making the most of our weekends and exploring new places in Detroit. I read about this place on the Detroit Foodie blog (which I love – and check every week for new places to explore). So we yelped and braved the melting snow to try out Dangerously Delicious Pies (located in the Third Street Bar in Midtown Detroit). This place is legit (both the bar and the pies). We loved the laid back vibe – good beer, friendly people and vintage games. We went for lunch – which is the best time for us to explore Detroit places with a toddler. We tried the Steak and Cheese savory pie and the Vegetable Quiche (which had a much better name but I can’t seem to remember it). The pastry was light and flaky and the flavors were spot on. I had a sweet hot sauce on the side that was pure gold awesome-sauce. We love places like this – authentic and real people – working to make a place they love. We felt the heart in this food. Weekends are made for Detroit adventures!

End of Summer

07. Nov
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Weekend Aways
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2 Comments

A family day in Detroit:
Midtown: Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company
Eastern Market (and food trucks!)
Back to Midtown for a tour of Shinola
Traffic Jam and Snug for a late lunch (A Detroit classic but not one of my favorites. Wish they would focus the menu more)
We went on a driving tour during nap time and ended up in the historic Corktown.
We watched a pick up game of baseball and then headed over to the train station to admire some architecture.
Two James was a fantastic experience. Great design and even better cocktails. Mag’s and I enjoyed checking out all the barrels in the wall.
We had to stop in at Slows – a Corktown classic but as always there was over a two hour wait… so onto –
The Mercury Bar – fantastic burgers and a great patio. All the talk about the Detroit Tigers inspired us to…
Catch a game at Comerica Park. We snagged some tickets from a scalper and even a ride on the carousel for Mags.
We cheered our Tigers to win in the 14th inning.

Simply said, we said good bye to summer in the shadow of Detroit.

cold creative days #traveltuesdays

So technically this post would be a staycation – but when you have such an outstanding art museum within an hour drive – there really is no excuse. I love to visit the museum on cold winter days. On days when my creativity is feeling a little grey the work inside always inspires me to think beyond my mind’s capabilities. My first real connection with art was at the Dayton Institute of Arts when I was in high school. Most Januarys I would spend almost every day after school walking through the galleries. It was there that I first understood the meaning of modern and post modern art. As I get older, I struggle to appreciate this art even more. Perhaps it is because I have embraced logic too much or that simplicity feels like a luxury in life. Either way – I can’t wait to start seeing art through the eyes of Maggie. We have a treasure in Detroit with the DIA and I think an afternoon off and a creative session at the DIA is in my near future.