Detroit, Michigan

Over the years I’ve been to the Detroit airport probably more than a dozen times. It seemed only fair to finally leave the airport and experience a little of the city.

My adventure started Saturday morning as I headed to the airport in NYC with just a small backpack. Everything went smoothly on my flight and getting my rental car.

Driving for the first time after being back from Ireland was the first bump in the road. If truth be told, I was a menace!! I wanted to drive on the left, including taking my first left hand turn tight instead of wide. Luckily there were no cars on that road (although, if there had been, I think I would have realized I should be on the other side!)

The first stop I made was to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. The museum is HUGE and very cool. I had no idea that Henry Ford was so involved in railroads or in the airplane business. Now I want to read a biography about him! There were so many cars, and trains, and planes, and farm machines, and energy producing machines, and furniture, and dollhouses. I told you it was huge. I think I could have spent my whole day there and not run out of things to see and learn about.

This was the second car to be driven from coast to coast (before there were roads, impressive!)

A Model T Ford separated out to show all it's parts

Beautiful car - very expensive and very rare
(I think they only made 8)

The caption said this was likely the first school bus that used a motor

Early car seats

This section of the museum made me wish I could jump in an
RV/ camper and drive all over the country

Airplane built by Henry Ford - he said he'd rather make a large airplane and fail
trying than to build a small one and learn nothing from the experience.

Clear topped car - allowed the President to be seen and to see, even in the rain

Very cool wood rocking chair, owned by someone famous

Bed that folds into a trunk - so cool!
Used by George Washington

After prying myself away from the museum several hours after arriving, I went to The Red Olive, recommended by one of the museum employees, and got a “Coney” which apparently Detroit is famous for. It is a hotdog smothered in chili and onions. You can also add cheese and other toppings, but I stuck with the classic.

With a full tummy, I headed to the Motown Museum in Detroit. Unfortunately, the best I could do was to take pictures outside and spend a little time in the gift shop because they had sold out the last tour of the day by the time I arrived. Bummer. But, at least I got to be there, and hear some of the music playing in the gift shop!

Next I went to the Fisher Building, which is just down the street from the Motown Museum and is a beautiful building. The building was finished in the late 1920s and millions of dollars were poured into it in order to make it not just a great architectural building, but also a work of art in and of itself. The mosaics were incredible.

After asking the security guard at the Fisher Building for parking tips, I headed down to the Detroit Riverwalk. There were some really cool statues down in that part of town:

A monument to Labor

A family escaping to Canada on the Underground Railroad

This maritime church was moved 800 get on steel rails and
blocked traffic on Jefferson ave for 21 days.

There was a neat boat doing a river cruise, which increased my desire to ride a steam/ paddleboat on the Mississippi River someday!

Realizing I’d have to choose between dinner at the Lebanese place I had looked up and the performance at the Detroit Reparatory Theater, I decided to risk being able to find something fast in that neighborhood and head to the theater. Turns out it was a risk. There were no restaurants to speak of in the neighborhood. I looked up a grocery store (and then passed a Popeye’s on the way to the grocery store) and went to grab something. It was not the best neighborhood. Cars and homes and people all looked like they’d seen better days. When I paid for my groceries with a credit card, the cashier had to take the card and receipt to get managers approval for my $12 purchase. Without really meaning to, I disregarded the advice the car rental shuttle driver had given me – not to drive into the neighborhoods that are falling apart.

But, I am glad I decided to see White Ash Falling. It was a play about 9/11 that is an example of art imitating life imitating art. It made me think a lot about life and tragedy and how humans respond to situations they find themselves in and how we process things.

Going to the show put me back at the hotel very late (and overshooting the car rental return didn’t help :) so I quickly brushed my teeth and settled into bed for about 4 hours of sleep before heading to the airport for my 6:15am flight back to NYC.

Ironically, that wasn’t the end of my trip. It was the middle. Delay after delay led to being told that they never booked the staff for the flight. That eventually gave way to a cancellation. Before 9am I was standing in a line with all the other passengers from my flight waiting to see what would happen. 45 minutes later the first two people were still talking to the agents about re-booking. Five hours later, I had made several new best friends and was near that front of the line. I had also listened to one man call at least three different people at least twice each to explain how he “had three heart attacks” and he “didn’t buy insurance for nothing” and he was owed “$500 per meal, that’s $500 for lunch, $500 for dinner. TGI Friday’s” and “you owe me for my medication, that’s $8,000!” his children were “starving standing in line” (followed by “I’m not starving!” from his daughter).

Between 5-6 hours after joining the line, I was able to be re-booked; for the following morning. Thankfully, they did provide a hotel voucher.

It was a long day. I stayed pretty strong until I called the number I was given for the hotel I was being put up in for the night and it was disconnected. When I went back to the office to get the correct number, a new customer service agent was there. She looked up from wiping down her desk and said, “Yes ma’am, how can I help you?” so I told her that the number I had for the hotel didn’t work. “You got to give me a minute, I just got here! Hold on!” she yelled at me. That was my straw, but I tried to cling onto my politeness and give her a little context, “Yeah, I’ve been here for 12 hours, and haven’t seen you yet so I know you just got here,” I replied with a smile. “That’s why I’m wiping down my desk – don’t know who’s been here!” she growled back. I wanted to point out that I had just been patiently waiting for someone to help me and only spoke to her because she asked how she could help me, but knew it wouldn’t help anyone. So I waited till she got me the correct number, and then walked away grumbling under my breathe about the collective level of incompetence the day had held.

It's like Detroit was crying for us and the insane level of collective
 incompetence we experienced from the Spirit Airlines employees

Thankfully, the hotel staff was far more professional. After a nap, a quick call to my family (forgot my phone charger, sigh), and some dinner, I went to bed ready to get up for another early morning flight.

Delicious fried cheese curds (made locally)

What I saw of actual Detroit/ Michigan I’m grateful I saw. I just wish I hadn’t spent half of my time there in the airport :)