After having learned so much about architecture during my morning walking tour of downtown Detroit, we embarked on another urban discovery: a walking tour through Brush Park, one of Detroits historic residential areas with a location very close to downtown. Bob Goldsmith, our local expert from Detroit Tour Connections, met us at 97 Winder Street, location of a recently restored bed and breakfast, and started explaining the history of the area to...more
After my explorations in Windsor, I had about an hour and a half to explore Detroit on my own before my scheduled driving tour of the city. With its impressive 20th century architectural heritage, Detroit had long fascinated me and I was going to take the next four days to explore this city up close.One of the buildings making up Detroits skyline that has always captured my imagination is the Michigan Central Depot, an imposing 18-story former...more
My abode for my last two days in Detroit was the Inn on Ferry Street, a beautifully renovated complex of six historic buildings in the Midtown area of Detroit. It encompasses four mansions as well as two carriage houses that were each built for prominent Detroit families. After many years of languishing, these buildings have been re-functioned into 42 stunning guest rooms.The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a historic area in Midtown Detroit, which is also referred to as Detroits Cultural Centre. Well-preserved elegant mansions from the 1880s and 1890s line the streets and recall an era when these villas were owned by some of Detroits wealthiest citizens. This historic district represents one of the largest and least altered collections of Detroits leading architects of the late nineteenth century.Midtown, the surrounding area, is also referred to as the Cultural Center Historic District because of its large concentration of museums, including the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Science Centre and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Wayne State...more
One of the main reasons I had come to Detroit was the fantastic architecture that this city has to offer. Detroit celebrated its heyday in the early 20th century when the automobile industry took off, and car ownership became available to everyday people. Witnesses to this boom are the many stunning historic skyscrapers in Detroit, particularly...more
Finally it was time for another excursion. As a true architecture buff, Detroit had been on my radar for a long time, and I definitely wanted to explore this unique city in detail. So for the last few weeks I had been working with Visitdetroit, the city's visitor and convention office, to map out a detailed itinerary of the city that would expose...more
It was barely mid-day by now and we had already seen so much. Our ride on the Number 11 bus had introduced us to some of the citys main sights from the comfort of the upper level of a double-decker bus. And our subsequent walking tour had taken us past Buckingham Palace, Whitehall and the Houses of Parliament where we listened to Big Ben ringing in the noon hour.But our whirlwind London sightseeing adventure was to continue. To get an even better feel for the city we were planning to go on a sightseeing tour with Thames River Cruises that departed from Westminster Pier. To me a sightseeing trip on the Thames River was just an absolute must for a stay in London. Soon the voice of our tour guide came on the speaker system, and he entertained us with bits of knowledge about London and with his dry humour.From the boat we got a brilliant view of the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, and we kept chugging eastwards past the Royal Festival Hall and the National Theatre. The modern office development above Charing Cross station came into view, and further along on the north bank we saw Somerset House, an impressive Neoclassical building from the late 1700s that used to house...more
After a busy morning exploring Smithfield Market, two historic train stations (St. Pancras and Kings Cross), an enjoyable stroll through the world-famous Portobello Market, an interview with one of the organizers of the Notting Hill Carnival which we...more
Our last day in London had arrived, far too quickly I might add. My travel partner Andrea and I had already spent two action-packed days in this cosmopolitan metropolis which included explorations of Portobello Market and Notting Hill, a ride on the...more
Our last day in London had arrived. After our serene and peaceful early-morning kayak tour on Regents Canal we freshened up quickly, grabbed a bite to eat and got ready for our final adventure in London: a guided tour of Southall, one of Londons many...more
Our second day in London greeted us with brilliant sunshine, and even though it was still early May, temperatures in the mid twenties (Celsius, of course) were in store for us. Andrea and I started our day with a nice breakfast at the Zetter Hotel, a...more
Its amazing what you can pack into a day: our sightseeing tour on the Number 11 bus had introduced us to some of Londons most important sights. During our walking tour we explored Buckingham Palace, the Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, arriving...more
Kaput is a common term these days that Europe's summer backpackers use which in layman's terms mean finished. Do not dread the day your daughter runs off to Europe with just a backpack. Backpacker travel insurance is available. This concept is not...more