| The Detroit Metro Area has a lot of really neat things | | | | really pass the "looks test," and the surrounding |
| for people to do and see. | | | | neighborhoods are uninviting, to say the least. Once |
| I grew up in the Chicago Area. I lived in the | | | | you get to Mexicantown, you will see a cluster of |
| Cleveland-Akron Area, the | | | | Mexican restaurants plus some shops. The food is |
| Winston-Salem-Greensboro Area, Kalamazoo, and | | | | big-time good, and it's fantastically economical. It's |
| Grand Rapids, Michigan. So I have not lived | | | | different than any other area I have ever seen. |
| everywhere, but I have seen enough places to speak | | | | 10. Close Proximity to Canada: Before the days of 9/11, |
| intelligently, and I know that Detroit has things to offer. | | | | this really was a benefit. Just on the other side of the |
| Detroit has some things to offer, despite what you | | | | river, the city of Windsor awaits. You can go there by |
| hear in the news and from people with negative | | | | an underground tunnel or a bridge. It is neat to see a |
| attitudes. | | | | culture that is not very different from the United |
| These are the things I would miss the most if I no | | | | States, yet you know that you are in a different |
| longer lived here: | | | | country. The shops look different. They post speed |
| 1. Professional Sports Teams: You have the Red | | | | limits in kilometers, not miles, per hour. They use |
| Wings (Hockey), the Tigers (Major League Baseball), | | | | different currency; so their money looks different. They |
| the Lions who are now winners in football once again, | | | | have different candies. Windsor is not nearly as large |
| the Pistons (Men's Basketball), and the Shock | | | | as Detroit, but it is every bit a city. From my |
| (Women's Basketball). There are also several Minor | | | | perspective, I feel like I am making a time warp to a |
| League Baseball teams within a short drive, too. | | | | simpler time when I cross the river. |
| 2. Proximity to Universities (within 2 hours): University of | | | | 11. Greenfield Village: This is an outdoor museum. While |
| Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan State University in | | | | that is unique, the real flavor comes from the setup. It |
| Lansing, Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Wayne | | | | is created as a historical village, waiting for you to |
| State University in Detroit, University of Detroit Mercy | | | | discover it and learn history within it. There was even |
| in Detroit, Adrian College in Adrian, Albion College in | | | | someone who kept riding around the village on a |
| Albion, Alma College in Alma, Olivet College in Olivet, | | | | unicycle. Bands roam the village, playing old-time tunes. |
| and the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. Plus, there | | | | You will get your exercise walking around it. It is a large |
| are several other smaller colleges throughout the city | | | | facility. |
| and the surrounding area. | | | | 12. Specialty Fruit Markets: There are many fruit |
| 3. Coney Island Restaurants: These are your basic | | | | markets, specializing in carefully picked fruits and |
| greasy spoon Greek restaurants, but you can always | | | | vegetables. Oddly, in my part of town in Waterford, |
| find Chicken Lemon Soup and mouth watering, | | | | there are not any, but in most other areas within the |
| heart-killing Coney Dogs waiting for you to devour. For | | | | Detroit Area, there are. Some of my favorites include |
| those who do not know what a Coney Dog is, it is a | | | | Westborn Market, Papa Joe's, and Nino Salvagio's. |
| hot dog in a bun topped with a special Coney Chili, | | | | Bring your money, because these places are not |
| onions, and mustard. It sounds disgusting and is, but it | | | | cheap, but you will get the best. |
| sure tastes good! | | | | 13. Eastern Market: I lived in the Detroit Area for years |
| 4. Arabic/Middle Eastern Restaurants & Culture: | | | | before I knew about this. It is an outdoor farmer's |
| Detroit Metro Area has the largest Arabic population | | | | market that is open every Saturday. In the |
| outside of Middle East. This is a pretty amazing fact. It | | | | summertime, during the mid-morning, you will hear |
| is nothing more than a mere fact, unless you count all | | | | music playing throughout. Eastern Market is a huge |
| of the places that serve wonderful baklava, an | | | | market, and I mean huge. Not only do you have the |
| intensely sweet bakery desert that is almost like | | | | market, you have actual storefronts that border |
| candy. There is good humus and bad humus. When | | | | outside the covered market area. There are meat, |
| you go to the right places, there are few things as | | | | fruit, and other warehouses. If you go late enough (say |
| tasty as a piece of warm, soft pita bread dipped into | | | | one or two o'clock), you can get really good deals, as |
| property flavored humus. Then you have your | | | | the vendors are looking to leave with as many sales |
| supremely spiced meats: gyros, kababs, schawarmas, | | | | as they can. Plus, there is a grill station (actually several |
| and more. You will not find a dollar menu at these | | | | beside each other) that cannot be any shorter than |
| places, but you can eat a wonderful meal without | | | | fifty feet. Oh, does it smell good, too. |
| spending a truckload of money. | | | | 14. Woodward Dream Cruise: For those non-Detroiters, |
| 5. Pizza Papalis: Buddy's and Shield's pizza are | | | | Woodward Avenue is a main throughway that runs |
| Detroit's cornerstones for pizza. They both have a | | | | from Downtown Detroit to Pontiac, an urban-suburb |
| good pan pizza. However, as a non-native Detroiter, | | | | north of Detroit, about 30 to 40 miles. This route runs |
| these do not compare with Pizza Papalis. Chicago is | | | | through some charming suburban towns, anyway, but |
| known for their pizza. There are many places outside | | | | each year on one August Saturday, this road |
| of the Chicago Area that will claim to have | | | | becomes a automotive showcase. Drivers will cruise |
| Chicago-style pizza only to disappoint. Pizza Papalis | | | | down Woodward for miles at a slow speed. People |
| bakes a Chicago Style Pizza that favorably compares | | | | are situated on the side of the road for miles and miles |
| to Giordono's in Chicago. Amongst my personal | | | | to see these old cars. Plus, there are many side Old |
| favorites, their spinach and three cheese pizza with | | | | Car Shows on the side. Here is where you can talk to |
| sausage and mushroom pizza is a thick, cheesy pizza | | | | the car owners, and so many of them are all too |
| that melts in your mouth and makes a tremendous | | | | happy to tell you about their pride and joy. It is really a |
| mess on your plate. | | | | silly thing, but it is also really neat and a whole lot of fun. |
| 6. Cooke's Dairy Farm: There are other dairy farms, | | | | 15. Close Proximity to Beautiful Parts of Michigan: This |
| but there are two (2) things that separate this from the | | | | includes beaches and parks. Michigan is surrounded by |
| pack. Their ice cream is the creamiest ice cream ever. | | | | the Great Lakes, and so many other rivers go through |
| It's expensive and tremendously fattening but | | | | it. Smaller lakes make their home inside the state. |
| wonderfully worthwhile. Also, they let people approach | | | | Finding beaches requires no skill here. You want to fish, |
| many of their animals, which are caged but are still | | | | swim, camp, or just walk around really scenic areas, |
| extremely accessible. This makes a fun date or a | | | | you are never far from it here. People mention "going |
| family outing. The ice cream is really wonderful, though. | | | | north," and they mean that scenic areas with a simple |
| 7. Casinos: There are three (3) casinos within Detroit | | | | lifestyle is found by driving north on I-75. You can say |
| city limits: Greektown, MGM Grand, and MotorCity. You | | | | this about many places, but it is true in Michigan more |
| can stay at their hotels (which I have not done), but | | | | than most. |
| they all offer some adult fun. Plus, there are many | | | | 16. Near Many Orchards: Depending upon what is "in |
| others throughout Michigan. Often, there is | | | | season," you can pick strawberries, apples, peaches, |
| entertainment playing in the background. Winning is so | | | | blueberries, and more with only a short drive from |
| fun, too. We will not mention those other visits when | | | | Detroit. Plus, many orchards offer hayrides and places |
| we are not winning. | | | | for your kids to play. It really becomes an event. |
| 8. Greektown: Besides the casino, this is a section of | | | | 17. Frankenmuth: This town is less than two (2) hours |
| Detroit that offers a taste of city living in older days. It | | | | from most parts of the Detroit Metro Area. This is a |
| also has several Greek restaurants. There is a Pizza | | | | town that is an obvious tourist trap, but it is still worth |
| Papalis restaurant there. After you eat and gamble, | | | | seeing. It is an old-time German town, placing a large |
| there are a couple of bakeries. My favorite is Astoria, | | | | emphasis on Christmas. In fact, on the town's outskirt, |
| which has gigantic portions. The only thing larger than | | | | there is a store called Bronner's, which sells Christmas |
| the portions is the goodie selection. When you are all | | | | themed things nearly every day, except, well |
| done, you can take a quick tour of Detroit by paying | | | | Christmas. The town's most celebrated restaurants |
| fifty cents per person to ride the People Mover, a train | | | | are Zehnders and Bavarian Inn. You can order many |
| that circles downtown Detroit and surrounding | | | | things, but I recommend the Family Style Chicken |
| mini-neighborhoods. The neatest part of this trip is | | | | Dinner. There are small shops within the downtown |
| when you look across the river to see Canada and its | | | | area, and it sits beside a scenic river. |
| Windsor, Ontario skyline. It looks really neat at night. Oh! | | | | I might have missed some other things, which is good. |
| Did I mention the free parking if you park in the casino | | | | That means that the Detroit Area offers even more |
| parking lot? | | | | than I am promising. Enjoy Detroit! |
| 9. Mexicantown: This is a part of Detroit that does not | | | | |