Visiting Detroit (Warren, Livonia, Dearborn: mover, hotel, purchase)

[sdurbanite]

As part of my road trip around Lake Erie, I'm starting in Detroit and will spend 3 days there. Just wanted to get some opinions from locals on my loose itinerary. I've only driven through your city, but this time I'm stopping to smell the roses.

- Go to Tigers game
- Eastern Market
- Ride the people mover downtown and check out Greektown
- Motown Museum
- The Henry Ford Museum
- Heidelberg Project

Am I leaving something out? Can anyone suggest some restaurants I shouldn't miss? I'm coming from San Diego and will be staying at the Westin Hotel in Southfield.

Looking forward to your responses!

[Timm]

If you can time your trip downtown to allow you to have lunch or dinner at Slow's, you won't regret it. BBQ. DELICIOUS.
Or, you can't go wrong grabbing a coney dog at Lafayette Coney Island.

Oh, and if you're a baseball fan it might not be a bad idea to visit the corner of Michigan and Trumbull to see where Tiger Stadium used to be.

By the way, the people mover goes in a loop. Takes about fifteen minutes and gives you a quick peek at just about everything - not a bad way to take in the city if you're pressed for time.

And allow yourself way more time than you think you'll need for the Henry Ford Museum. It's hard to leave that place. And the Michigan Cafe that they have that serves Michigan foods is a cool place to have lunch while your there.

[us66]

Have a passport? Go to Windsor. It's our Tijuana of sorts. Then again, Detroit is like Windsor's Tijuana, too. I second Lafayette. American Coney Island next door is nearly identical. The Ford Museum is good, too, along with Greenfield Village next door. There are four casinos here too (including Caesars Windsor), and they're neat places to people watch. Go check out the intersection of Mack and Alter (the intersection of the First and Third Worlds is a block east). The Detroit Institute of Arts is okay, the Detroit Zoo is okay (but not actually in Detroit), pick up copies of the Metro Times and Real Detroit for ideas (nightlife, bars, etc) if my ideas seem lame.

[sdurbanite]

^^^Thanks for the suggestions!

Who doesn't like good BBQ, so Slow's sounds like a must. Will be travelling solo and it being casual is always good. Is a Coney dog a Detroit thing? If so, I'm there.

Yes, I was planning on doing the loop on the People Mover to check things out. I've seen pics of Detroits skyline and am impressed by it's ornate architecture. I've been told that it resembles a ghost town, which is even more fascinating to me.

I've read the highlight at the Ford Museum is watching the a truck/car being assembled. Sounds cool. Planning on checking out Royal Oak and Hamtramck, as well.

Without sounding paranoid (because I'm not), is there a general area that I should avoid? I'm kinda intrigued by urban decay, which Detroit is known for, so I wanna get off the beaten path, but want to live to tell about it.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by us66

Have a passport? Go to Windsor. It's our Tijuana of sorts.

I totally get what you are saying....LOL Actually ending my trip in Toronto so I will have a passport. Will they really check when I'm coming in? I recall being waved thru but that was pre- 911.

[us66]

1. Hamtramck is iffy safetywise nowadays. It's not what it was even a few years ago.
2. Customs is iffy too. Be prepared for stupid questions, like "Where do you work?" The line varies widely from day to day. It will be more involved than it used to be, but that depends on the agent. Some are vicious, some not. Don't be shocked if they want to search the car, especially if you have a van or SUV; they seem more diligent with those. Best case scenario (pretty common) is they ask you stupid questions and then wave you through after about two minutes of questioning. Once in Canada, get your hot little hands on a candy bar called Coffee Crisp. Petrol is about 95c a litre at the moment, so fill up in America. Costcos here have gas if you have the Costco membership...Madison Heights and Shelby Township are usually excellently priced for their areas, Roseville and Livonia Middlebelt are okay.
3. Downtown Detroit is a ghost town for as large and as supposedly important as it is, unless there is a sporting event or the Auto Show, then it will be chock full of people who otherwise wouldn't care if Detroit crashed into the ocean. I tell you, the Tigers and Red Wings really are cultural ambassadors for the area. If it weren't for those, the average suburbanite really wouldn't care one whit about the city.
4. A Coney dog (or chili dog anywhere else) is simply a hot dog with runny chili, mustard, and onions on it. It's fairly similar to the Cincinnati chili dog. The gold standard Coney dog is the American or the Lafayette. They're basically the same-ACH is bigger and more modern inside and LCI is simply timeless, a Hopper painting brought to life if you see it at the right time. As for which one to go to, pick the one with police eating inside it (in my experience it's nearly always Lafayette)...less likelihood of beggars. A Coney dog can be had in the suburbs for half the price and one-tenth the hassle, but it's just not the same.
5. I haven't been to Slim's yet. Always meant to, but I just love Famous Dave's too much.
6. Areas to avoid? A lot of people on here will say avoid anything in the 313 area code, but the reality is much too nuanced. Half of Detroit is not really fit for man or beast, but you can drive through even the worst of ghettos without too much hassle. Watch out for pedestrians in Detroit and Hamtramck, the Detroit ones jaywalk across seven lane roads after dark and the Hamtramck ones are often drunk (old stereotype owing to the number of old Poles walking around and the number of bars).

[Jwo85]

See the Hulburt Memorial Gate on Jefferson Ave & Cadillac Blvd.
Go to Belle Isle Park. A hidden Detroit Jewell is there and that is the water fountain.
Also check out "cadieux cafe" on Cadieux Rd between Mack and Warren and try Featherbowling. I think it's the only one in the U.S. to have this Belgium game.
If you want to see something cool outside the city, there is another great place and it's a huge mosque in Dearborn
Islamic Center of America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Northsider 248]

I'm not very good with tourism in Detroit, but I know for a fact that alot of times, people eat alot of pizza while on vacation. There are alot of good pizza places in Metro Detroit, but there are a few really good ones:

- Nick's Pizza - 9 and John R. in Hazel Park. Take 10 to Rosewood (effectively avoiding 9 Mile through Oak Park) and take Rosewood down to 9 Mile. It's in a big shopping center across from what's now a demolished hotel.

- Lacio's Pizza - 696 and Hoover. It's a longer drive and it's not as good as Nicks, but it's a very unique recipe that they use and it's worth trying while you're in Detroit. Just take 696 to the Hoover exit (just after an overpass with a street sign named Richard-Campbell Ave.) and it's in a shopping center by a warehouse.

- Buddy's Pizza. There's alot of locations around Detroit, and I'm not sure if they are in California, but if they're not, it's definitely worth a try. It's more expensive, but it's a restarant-style pizzeria as opposed to carry-out.

[sdurbanite]

Too much good info to ignore, so I'm printing out this thread and using it as my guide sheet. Screw Frommer's! Thanks again, all.

[MICoastieMom]

There is a Buddy's pizza in Dearborn on Michigan Ave, about six or eight blocks from The Henry Ford. I think their homemade baked mac and cheese is way better then their pizza. It is made using five or six cheeses, delicious! Also, at the corner of Michigan and Oakwood (the street The Henry Ford is on) is Cheli's Chili, owned by Chris Chelios, former Blackhawk and Red Wing. Have you ever had authentic Hungarian cuisine? The is a restaurant in Southgate (you will go through Southgate if you come north up I-75 from Toledo), The Rhapsody. It is my favorite restaurant, period. There are also a couple of Hungarian restaurants in Windsor, but beware, I think most of them are closed on Mondays. Somehow I always manage to go to Windsor on a Monday so I have never eaten at any of them.

BTW, if you are coming through Toledo, you should stop at another Hungarian restaurant. Remember Klinger talking about Tony Pacos in M*A*S*H? Well, there really is a Tony Pacos, go to the original one, it has the most atmosphere. The autographed hot dog buns are a hoot!

I think you are talking about the Rouge tour, if you are talking about seeing a vehicle built before your eyes. That isn't actually at The Henry Ford, but at the Rouge plant. You will purchase a ticket at the Henry Ford and a charter museum bus will take you to the plant. They used to run the busses non-stop, but now I think there are fewer tours going over so plan you time accordingly. If you truely want to see everything you need to plan a full day for the museum and a full day for the village. When will you be coming? There might be special events going on, or a game of historic baseball you could take in at the Village.