Weekend Getaway - Detroit

Since I recently just graduated from grad school, I’ve been on the hunt for a full time job in and outside of Indy. Even though my heart has recently been telling me to stay put, I still occasionally go to interviews that are intriguing to me or could be a high possibility. This past week (it was a Thursday and Friday but my brain kept thinking it was the weekend), I had an interview at the Henry Ford Museum up in Dearborn, Michigan. Having never even traveled to Michigan before, I was very unfamiliar with the area and had heard some differing things about Detroit as a city. However, I booked a cute Airbnb downtown in the East Market area and got some restaurant recommendations from friends and I was off!

I arrived at my interview early and got to explore the museum which was built by Henry Ford himself in 1929 to exhibit Americana, especially in regards to cars (because, well, Ford). I know that Alie Ward from the Ologies podcast is featured on the Henry Ford’s TV show, Innovation Nation, and this was actually playing in the museum which was very cool. There was so much to see in just the museum that I would’ve had to come back for another day, and after my interview was over I got to explore Greenfield Village for a bit and see all the fall decor they were preparing for Halloween.

I will be honest, I was a bit nervous to go to Detroit by myself, but now that I’ve been I can say I felt the same way as I do being in downtown Indy and there were so many things to see there! I tried to capture all the murals and city-scapes that I could but honestly there was so much. One of the places I visited for dinner was called Maru, a sushi restaurant that had amazing cocktails. I got the crunchy crab roll (I was way too hungry to let Instagram eat before me) along with the jugaku juice cocktail and it was so so good. I also made my way down to the City Market to grab some local beer since this is something I always try to do when in a new city or state. A nice couple pointed me to the Pumpkin Ale made by New Holland Brewing and it’s safe to say I’m in love, it’s the perfect fall drink!! The city at dusk was gorgeous and I saw so many more restaurants I wish I’d had time to try.

Per my boss’s recommendation, in the morning I made my way back downtown to visit the Roasting Plant to try some local coffee. I got the latte with coconut flavoring and enjoyed seeing all the beans they have that you can purchase in bulk. There were also some food trucks outside and if you know me, I cannot pass up a good and inexpensive street taco! I spent some more time walking around downtown and found the most instagrammable spot in Detroit - the Guardian Building. The outside of the building is beautiful but what you see inside is breathtaking! I had no idea that this kind of thing could be inside the lobby of a random building downtown but I could spend hours taking pictures in there. Be sure to check it out if you ever visit!!

Since I was so close to Canada, I decided to really step out of my comfort zone and drive across the river so I could be able to say I drove to an entirely different country on a weekday. Being at the border was a very intimidating experience and I don’t think the guy at the booth fully believed me when I said I wanted to go to Canada so I could try Tim Horton’s donuts. But that’s exactly what I did and spent some time reading a book along the riverwalk and seeing Detroit from a different perspective. I may have only been there for 45 minutes but it was so fun to get my passport stamped and see a new country.

Overall, my trip to Detroit was a lot better than I anticipated and it is definitely a city that I see myself visiting again! I think Detroit is on the up and up, it was so cool to be in a city that felt like Indy but at the same time was new and there was so much to explore. Where should I go next??