Greetings from day 2 of our long weekend in Detroit, Michigan. Day 1, we worked from the stunning David Whitney Hotel and ate our weight in French food at Le Supreme. The night ended on the rooftop bar above the famous Book Tower Building. Day number 2 started out with coffee at Madcap (again) and a walk along The Belt. Named for its location in the former garment district, The Belt is an alley decorated with murals and other forms of modern art from various artists. Access to the Detroit based art gallery, Liberty Collective, is available through the alley as well as other establishments such as bars and restaurants.
Saturday is for brunch and we opted for a meal in a greenhouse, at the visually stunning restaurant, Townhouse. The bar area is light and bright, the main dining room is filled with mood lighting (in the form of neon lights), and even the office building lobby attached is a masterpiece. But the star of the show is the oversize greenhouse filled with (fake) plants, and sunshine, and pink couches, and checkerboard floors. I took a million photos because every corner was Insta-worthy and I didn't want to forget any details. Even the bathroom was fabulous with it's scalloped marble counters and turquoise backsplash. I dined on a beautiful beet salad and Matt had a massive breakfast sandwich. Perfect fuel for our next stop to Belle Island.
Before heading to our afternoon activity, we decided to walk along the downtown riverfront park, home of General Motors headquarters, historic sculptures, and a clear view of Canada. Along the way, we passed incredible architecture and colorful murals, both which are in abundance throughout the city.
Our afternoon took us to Belle Isle, an island in the middle of the Detroit River, halfway between Michigan and Canada. There are multiple vistas points, picnic areas, ball fields and historic sites on the island but our main destination was the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory and Gardens. I took way too many photos so you can see our afternoon on the Isle in a separate post dedicated to all things Belle Isle.
Once back in the city, we were starving and ready for my most anticipated meal of the trip, Ash Bar, in the quirky and frivolous Siren Hotel. The hotel lobby is a dream. It's like being in Miss Havisham's house, in the most wonderful way. The check-in area and lobby bar are perfect jewel boxes but I wasn't able to photograph everything this trip due to the crowds and the ambient lighting. See more of this weird and wonderful hotel on their website or Instagram. I snapped as many photos as possible of the lounge and the coffee shop, and then took more photographs in the lovely restaurant upstairs.
Seated in an open space with an old school vibe, we ordered as much as could fit on our tiny table for two, and everything we sampled was divine. We started with the popcorn of the day and the daily bread, followed by one of the best Ceasar salads we've ever had (little gem lettuce, orange zest, crouton, parmesan, fried parsley, yum!). In the home of the coney dog, we had to sample Detroit's famous version. For our main dishes, I opted for the Miso Glazed Atlantic Salmon with black sesame, green onion, broccolini and roasted potatoes. Matt chose the pappardelle con Funghi. Definitely one of our most fun meals of the trip.
The Siren Hotel is located in the Wurlitzer Building, which was once "the world's largest music house". The music house included a music store, repair shop, recording studio and a concert space. The jukebox in the Ash Bar is a restored 1957 Wurlitzer jukebox that plays old 45s. The host at the front desk gave us a welcome, yet unprompted, history lesson of the building. The key parts of the story included the history of the jukebox and he made sure to point out the chipped ceiling of the lobby, tiles that are front the original construction of the building in the early 1900s. I'm in awe of all that Detroit has restored in their downtown, taking what was old and obsolete and making it beautiful and functional again.
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