Detroit Travel Guide

Hi All

This holiday I spent a ton of time in Detroit. I was born and raised in Detroit, but I really hadn’t “toured” it.  I had gone away to Purdue for college and moved to Chicago.  Also, I had this negative perception of Detroit that there was nothing to do! This time, I was surprised at all the fun things I did over the weekends!  Here’s my Detroit travel guide for general and holiday (for next year) to dos:

Museums:

• The Henry Ford Museum and Mansion is a must to do on my list. If you’re here you must visit. You’re in the big three auto state, so why not?

• Greenfield Village is next to the Henry Ford Museum and it is these set of historic houses, and such that are fun and interactive. I went there both as a child and adult, and I loved it both times. It is especially fun when decorated for the holidays.

• The Detroit Institute of Arts: The DIA is regarded as of the top 6 museums in the US and the Egyptian artwork is amazing.

Cool Architecture

• Guardian Building: I don’t want to give too much away, but this old financial building has some beautiful orange and yellow decor. I decided this is going to be an engagement shoot area for me.

• Fox Theater: This old movie theater has been restored and it is just stunning. If you can’t go inside, at least take a picture at the stunning sign! My sister got married here!

• Masonic Temple: One of a kind place for music and concerts!

• Fisher Building: This is another stunner that is made almost exclusively of granite and marble!

Things to Do:

• Eastern Market: This market has everything from flowers to groceries, to fresh foods. It is massive and very cool.

• Rainbow City Rink: If you want to go back to your child hood, go to the Rainbow City Rink in downtown Detroit  and have some roller skating fun!

• Detroit Riverfront: Capture an image and walk along the riverfront. Wave hello to Canada on the other side, literally!

Holiday Exclusive Activities:

Here are some holiday activities that you can do next year!

• Campus Martius: Check out the tallest Christmas tree in the city all lit up and surrounding Detroit.  Then ice skate at Campus Martius and go grab some local hot chocolate after that

• Holiday Markets at Cadillac Square and Shain Park: These are cute little greenhouse glass huts, each filled with a different store that you can walk to and shop at. I was absolutely in love with this market. At the end of the market in Cadillac Square there is a room you can go to play games and have drinks that is so beautifully decorated. It kind of reminds me of Chriskindlemarket in Chicago, but WAY better.

• Park Bar: This bar is all decked out for the holidays. Enjoy a drink there and bask your self in holiday decor.

Dinner and Drink Spots

• Bakersfield Detroit: This place has delicious tacos and small plates, and my family is addicted!

• Takoi: This is a thai experimental cuisine place that has an over 2 hour wait on the weekends. My advice is to get there early and get your name down

• Bad Luck Bar: This is an experimental cocktail place, and they have two bar tenders who will make you anything you want or you can try some of their amazing cocktails yourself! I had a lavender drink non-alcoholic and it was amazing! I can’t imagine how good the alcoholic one is!

• Buddy’s Pizza: Grab Detroit style pizza here! Did you even know that Detroit has it’s own type of pizza? It’s know for the crispy crust!

That’s all for now! I’ll be adding more as I discover more of Detroit.

PS: Thank you for going to so many places with me mom, dad and BF!

To Speaking My Truth: Opening Up & Learning an Old Hobby

Hi All, 

Last post, I spoke about authenticity, vulnerability and being yourself in a poem. Today, I want to tell you about something that impacted me as a child and adult.  I was really very scared to post this, because I thought people might find it insignificant or unreal, and that people would look down on me.  Anyway, enough with the preamble, I decided to anyway, because words truly help me express myself and are therpeautic to me.

A little background: As a child, piano was my passion, because well, I grew up with a strong musical influence and this instrument gave me a voice, without speaking, just like writing.  I played piano by taking lessons at a studio, and I competed and did pretty darn well.

For progressing quickly and being an awesome piano student, I never really wanted to miss my lessons. One day, in the 8th grade, I decided to ask my mom if I could have our piano teacher over for a lesson. I was 13; I could be home alone, and I was old enough to be home alone. The teacher, he was like a grand father and role model all in one,  and I was always excited to learn from him.

Anyway, I fought with my mom to have him come over. She was hesitant leaving me alone. The piano teacher came over. I can remember that day as clear as today. I was wearing a blue shirt and jeans, and a little bit of water had dripped on my shirt, because I had just showered. Details, right?

I think you know where this is going, but it’s important for me to share this. Anyway, he came over around 1:30 pm in afternoon (not sure the exact time), and he first was looking at me uncomfortably, maybe cause my shirt was a little wet. The lesson went on and he sat next to me.

We played different tunes, like the ice cream man song (The Entertainer) , Fur Elise and some other Beethoven songs. The lesson went fine, but the story changed after the lesson. 

After the lesson, he approached me, and he told me that I was an awesome student, who had improved so much. He asked me to sit on the couch next to him, and this elderly man started cuddling with me. I felt extremely uncomfortable. He entangled his hands in mine, as some sort of romantic approach. I didn’t know what was going on. All I knew was, it was wrong, and in my mind I was thinking I wouldn’t do that with my grandpa. My heart was racing. 

After he was done cuddling with me on the couch, he then wanted to head out. I was feeling even more heightened anxiety. I didn’t even watch him leave, and I was heading upstairs to my room. I got half way up the stairs and he said:  “It’s best not to tell anybody this happened.” He kissed my hand and he left.

Thank God those actions raised a red flag in me. I immediately told my parents what happened. My dad was furious. My mom blamed her self. It’s NOT her fault or mine. Needless to say, I never learned piano from him again. In fact, I stopped playing completely. Though this wasn’t a crazy sexual abuse or rape. This small experience, left an imprint on my 13 year old self that carried with me through life.  I didn’t play the piano again after that.

Idon’t know why I never played again. Maybe  because at 13, I didn’t feel confident with my bushy eyebrows, my lanky arms, my body that I felt fat in, and that boys never liked me. Maybe it was because this was my outlet and  my happiness and in some small way it was taken away from me. 

I had made peace with the situation, but years later he tried to reach out to me via Facebook when I was in college. I blocked him. His picture though, ignited all these emotions. 

Anyway, cheers to sharing something about myself that none of you may know. Also, cheers to writing this out for myself. Also, I wrote this post to set the intention that I will play again next year and move past an experience that bought so much doubt and insecurity in a vulnerable age in my life.