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Detroit, Michigan |
| The Motor City.
Dee-troit. Hockeytown. The
Renaissance City.
Founded in 1701 by Cadillac
(Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac for the purists),
Detroit stems from the French le détroit,
or "the strait." It's been
both the symbol of corporate might and the
symbol of urban decay. It's known
union battles and riots, and its industrial
might is challenged by its soup kitchens.
Detroit's a big, tough town, whose dedication
to the automobile causes it to favor freeway
over subway. It boasts one of the
busiest international bridges in America
(the Ambassador Bridge,
built in 1929 and at that time the longest
bridge in the world), as well as a tunnel
under the Detroit River linking it with
the City of Roses--Windsor, Canada.
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Detroit was known as
the
Arsenal of Democracy in World War II, and
the Murder Capital of the World in subsequent
years. It's the setting for Joyce
Carol Oates's landmark novel, them,
and countless other books. Ms. Oates
taught across the water at the University
of Windsor.
The fastest boats in
the world run hydroplane races in the summer;
the Detroit Symphony Orchestra plays under
the stars at Meadowbrook or in cold months
at Orchestra Hall. The International
Auto Show at Cobo Hall is a one-of-a-kind
display of all the automotive industry has
to offer. Detroit offers the Free Press
Marathon, the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival, and
the International
Freedom Festival (shared with Windsor).
The Freedom Festival attracts a million
people, and is the world's most extensive
international festival.
Detroit boasts some
of the oldest sports teams in the professions.
The Red
Wings are one of the original six NHL
teams; the Tigers
have been playing AL baseball here since
1901; the Lions
have been playing football since 1934; and
the Pistons,
basketball since 1957.
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Detroit's
RenCen on a clear day
from Hart Plaza
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Santa In Detroit
Our half-elfin CEO doesn't
spend a whole lot of time in Detroit, just
enough to make a very unusual purchase involving
more cash than ordinary people would drop
in a deal. Not to be coy, but to give away
more details would be to give away too much
of the story.
Things to Do in Detroit
Oh, there's plenty.
Besides the attractions listed above,
or any of the sports events (assuming you
can get tickets!), try the Eastern
Market (the largest open-air market
of its kind in America), one of two Imax
theaters (either the surround-screen one
at the Detroit
Science Center or the 6-story tall one
at world-famous The
Henry Ford (formerly Greenfield Village
and the Henry Ford Museum). Or check
out the events at Cobo
Hall. For up-to-the-minute happenings,
try either of Detroit's newspapers (The
Free Press or The
Detroit News), or check out WWJ,
Detroit's news voice and the first commercial radio
station in America, first broadcasting in
1920.
Follow That Sleigh!
Here are some links of interest if
you're visiting Detroit:
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© 2004 David Soubly |
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