Detroit Institute of Arts

The new DIA in Detroit is wonderful! I advise visitors to get there early — they open at 10 a.m.  — to find ample parking and beat the crowds anxious to see the newly expanded art museum. My favorite gallery is the Diego Rivera mural Garden Court, but check out the exhibits in the new wings and the “virtual dining” experience on the third floor. 

My brother Bill at the abandoned Michigan Central Station

Our Corktown stroll includes an up-close view of Detroit’s abandoned train station. It’s beautiful and sad, a bit like a Roman ruin.

Spectacular strolls make a great date

Walking through Corktown or on the Riverwalk in Detroit is a fun way to get to know someone. You are outside in the fresh air, you’ve got the walking tour card to show you what you are walking past and the treasure hunt question to give you a shared sense of purpose. Plus, you are walking past bars and restaurants. What could be more romantic?

Me, my husband and grandson at Campus Martius

This is me, my husband Randy and our grandson Will on the Woodward Avenue walk in Detroit between Campus Martius and Hart Plaza. Will lives in Seattle with his mom, dad and brother Hugh. He had a spectacular stroller ride.

Riverwalk

Went to the opening of the Asian Marketplace on the Detroit International Riverwalk last night. The new Fusia restaurant is beautiful and a great addition to downtown. The RiverWalk is so pretty at night, down by the carousel there are these amazing art-maps. One of the maps is embedded in the concrete and shows Detroit and Windsor, all the major highways and the suburb cities. Next to it, a fabulous glass sculpture map illustrates all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean. A third sculpture map [I made up this name] is near the Ren Cen. It’s also embedded in the concrete and is a map of the world featuring lights on major cities.