There are a lot of good places for tourists to visit here in Michigan. Sometimes, I forget that I live in one.
I was reminded of that yesterday when my sister came to visit me, in Detroit. I imagine that no matter what big city you live in, or even if you live in a place like Traverse City, Grand Rapids or Saugatuck, for that matter, you’ve done all the “tourist spots” long ago, within the first year or so of you moving to that area. You’ve gone cherry picking, visited the Detroit Institute of Arts and the presidential museum, etc. But when people come to visit you for more than an hour, they want to see all the things that make the area a good draw. After all, you moved there, didn’t you?
Anyway, back to my sister’s visit. She doesn’t live far away, but a best friend of hers from college was visiting, so they both came to see me. We drove them around downtown, New Center, Midtown and Corktown for a bit (while I pointed out landmarks such as the library, the Fisher Building, Wayne State’s campus), and went over to the old Tiger Stadium. Well, the gate was open, and there wasn’t a “no trespassing” sign, so we jumped in to take some pictures of us running the bases and pretending to play. (Don’t worry, we didn’t do any damage — just took some pictures.)
Then we headed over to Slow’s Bar BQ for my sister’s first (!) visit. Of course, it’s been super busy since it was featured on the Travel Channel, but we lucked out on a Sunday night and only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. Between the four of us, we had a chicken sandwich, two kinds of ribs, pulled chicken, pulled pork, brisket, fries with cheese, mac and cheese, and a few other veggies (mostly for me). My sister ran out of adjectives: “Incredible, amazing, delicious,” etc. etc. etc.
While we were digesting, my sister and her friend, who are huge hockey fans, wanted to drive by Joe Louis Arena. It’s not far, so we did a slow drive-by so they could get pictures. Comerica Park is kind of on the way home, so we swung by there, and my sis and her friend again got out of the car to take a few pictures with the giant Tiger out front, and of the Fox Theater. Then, we headed back to my place.
I’ve lived in Detroit for more than six years now, so it’s not a big deal for me to see a Tigers game. Heck, I drive by the Fox Theater every time I go to the gym. But sometimes, it takes a fresh pair 0f eyes to remind you how great your city really is.
What do you think? Do you feel this way when you have out-of-town visitors, too?
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