Like a Tourist in Detroit

I have toured major metropolitan centers around the world, but ignored one of the world’s most historically important cities  located in my own back yard…..Detroit. I have visited the city often for business or a single entertainment event, but rarely as a tourist — until recently.

Eastern Market on a sunny Saturday rivals in scope and ambiance any open air market anywhere in the world, but is less frantic than many in foreign lands.  Begun in the 1840’s as “Cadillac Square,” the market has had several different homes; but since 1891, when it was given its current name, the market has been located in its present 43-acre complex of spacious brick and steel “sheds” with surrounding restaurants, shops, warehouses and parking lots.  Many buildings are decorated with colorful murals.

The diverse population of Southeast Michigan — including, for example, the largest Arab population outside the Middle East — provides international flavor to this local excursion.

Fifteen minutes away by car is Belle Isle Park, located in the mile-wide Detroit River which separates Windsor, Canada from Detroit.  This jewel is a nearly 1000-acre complex of  picnic grounds, athletic fields, beaches, lakes, ponds, walks, trails and nature conservancy.  It has several buildings of historic importance, including the oldest aquarium in America (first opened in 1904) and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum which is a must-see for any lover of our gigantic and glorious Great Lakes.

Belle Isle’s broad, winding avenues make it a natural for road races, on foot or with roaring high-powered motors, most of which have been manufactured in the “Motor City.”  The Detroit Grand Prix is an Indy Car series event often held here in early summer….it’s the only time when drivers are allowed to exceed the 25 mph speed limit on the island’s roads.

The region’s fascination with manufacturing, motors and motion, as well as the unique island location, have made Belle Isle a premiere site for viewing powerboat races, including the Gold Cup from 1990 through 2014 and again in 2018.  This event, where the watercraft spend as much time in the air as in the water, is considered  the “Indianapolis 500” of hydroplane boat racing.

But it was a much quieter day on Sunday, July 14 when the cloudless blue sky above Belle Isle was sprayed with colors during the third annual Detroit Kite Festival.   Light breezes lifted the kites, the spirits of the participants and the prospects for a better future in Detroit.

JER