Hello from Detroit – First Impressions,
a Driving Tour and Dinner at Sinbad's at the Waterfront
After my explorations
of 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.
Windsor provides a fabulous view of Downtown Detroit's skyline
One of the buildings making up Detroit’s skyline that has
always captured my imagination is the Michigan Central Depot, an
imposing 18-story former Beaux-Arts railway terminal that dates
back to 1913. Somehow railway terminals have always held this aura
of excitement and mobility, connecting people with far-away places.
Although now long out of use, sadly run down and fenced off, I wanted
to see the beauty of this magnificent building first-hand. I located
it right away on my map and drove there to see it up close. This
imposing and gorgeous building has been empty since 1988 when the
last Amtrak train departed from here, and the ravages of time and
human vandalism have taken their toll. Neverthess, The Michigan
Central Depot remains a gorgeous component of Detroit’s skyline
and is a must-see for any architecture fan. Even in its current
condition, it is easy to imagine the former glory this now defunct
transportation hub.
The faded beauty of the Michigan Central Depot
After my first exposure to Detroit’s magnificent architecture,
I drove across town to Belle Isle, a 982 acre (4 km2) island park
in the Detroit River, east of downtown. It features a variety of
attractions: the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, the beautiful
James Scott Memorial Fountain with three levels of water displays
and numerous sculptures designed by famous architect Cass Gilbert.
The island is also home to the Dossin Great Lakes Musum which highlights
maritime history; and every year the Detroit Indy Grand Prix is
held on Belle Isle.
Looking at Downtown Detroit from Belle Isle
I drove back downtown for my meeting with Jeanette Pierce, co-founder
of Inside
Detroit, a non-profit organization that runs the Detroit Welcome
Centre and provides numerous thematic tours of Detroit and sells
various products created by local Detroit artists. Jeanette is one
of the most vocal proponents of Detroit and started to show me several
destinations along Detroit’s eastern waterfront.
Jeannete Pierce, my local expert
Along the way Jeanette told me a bit more about herself: together
with her friend Maureen Kearns, Jeanette founded Inside Detroit
in 2005 with the intention of introducing locals and out-of-towners
to the city from an insider’s perspective. Maureen and Jeanette
offer various custom tours and outings to get to know the city which
connect participants not just with the city’s history and
architecture, but also with pubs, bars, theatres, art galleries
and other cool city hotspots. Some of the tours are targeted to
locals to show them how to get the most of living, working and playing
in the Motor City. These two entrepreneurs have even come up with
a concept for a Detroit Scavenger Hunt that leads participants all
throughout Downtown Detroit in search of information.
A sampling of Detroit skyscrapers
Obviously I could not have found a better local expert and urban
enthusiast than Jeanette Pierce, so off we went on our driving tour
of “the D”, one of Detroit’s nicknames. Heading
east from the downtown business district, we made stops at Stroh
River Place, a 25 acre mixed use campus development that brings
together business amenities and upscale housing. All along Jeanette
gave me an overview of Detroit’s history and background. Further
east we made a stop on Belle Isle, Detroit’s urban island
park.
The gorgeous James Scott Memorial Fountain
Located as an island in the Detroit River, Belle Isle is connected
with the mainland through the MacArthur Bridge. One of the highlights
is the stunning marble James Scott Memorial Fountain which was designed
by renowned architect Cass Gilbert in 1925. James Scott was a controversial
entrepreneur who left $200,000 to the City of Detroit to create
a fountain in his name. From here we embarked on a slow drive past
the major sights on the island, including the Belle Isle Casino
and the Nancy Peace Brown Carillon Clock. On the north side of the
island we stopped to have a look at the Detroit Yacht Club which
began in the late 1870s. The imposing present-day clubhouse had
cost more than one million dollars when it was opened in 1923.
View of the multi-level pools of the James Scott Memorial Fountain
After our brief introduction to Belle Isle we started a slow drive
through Indian Village, a historic neighbourhood that features beautiful
mansions from the early 20th century. Many of the mansions were
designed by prominent architects such as Albert Kahn or Louis Kamper
for wealthy Detroit citizens. Immediately adjacent is the West Village
Historic District which features many Victorian homes, apartment
buildings and row houses.
The Detroit Yacht Club
From upscale Indian Village we drove into a more working class area
that featured many run-down houses. Since the 1950s the City of
Detroit has experienced an extensive decline in population, as the
advent of an extensive highway system led many urban residents to
move into the outlying suburbs. As a result, large numbers of residential
houses and apartment buildings were abandoned and demolished in
order to curb crime. What is left behind is a phenomenon called
“urban prairies”, large stretches of empty grassland
in the middle of the city that often remain unused.
The community garden next to the Gleaner Food Bank
Jeanette wanted to introduce me to an innovative use of some of
this vacant urban land. Next to the Gleaner Community Food Bank
is a community garden that uses empty green spaces for urban agriculture.
The Gleaner Community Food Bank helps to feed hungry citizens, and
some of the fresh vegetables and fruits come from the community
garden that is located right across from the warehouse.
Our next stop focused on a really unusual space: the Heidelberg
project, an outdoor art installation in an African-American neighbourhood
on Detroit’s east side.
Artist Tyree Guyton (right) with Jeanette and an out-of-town visitor
This extraordinary environment includes an entire city block as
well as several houses and integrates bright paint colours and a
large collection of found discarded objects. Creator Tyreee Guyton
grew up on Heidelberg Street and was displeased with the deterioration
in his neighbourhood. As a form of social protest he painted his
grandfather’s house with bright polka dots and created the
now famous “Dotty-Wotty House” in 1986.
The famous "Dotty-Wotty House"
Together with his grandfather and his former wife, Tyree Guyton
began to clean up the neighbourhood and transformed the refuse they
collected into massive art installations. Since the beginnings many
other houses and outdoor creations have followed. Even city-ordered
demolitions in 1991 and 1999 could not stop the success of the Heidelberg
Project. Creator Tyree Guyton has been featured on various television
programs (including Oprah) and won numerous awards for his work.
Noah's Ark
During our brief stroll on Heidelberg Street we saw a group of
joggers come through as well as various international visitors from
Toronto and Boston. Another example of creative use of space in
Detroit, the Heidelberg Project today attracts around 275,000 visitors
a year, and creator Tyree Guyton travels all over the world giving
presentations about this project. We even ran into the artist himself
who graciously talked to us and told us about the significance of
this project which has transformed vacant lots into colourful and
meaningful urban art.
More outdoor art on Heidelberg Street
After unsuccessfully trying to reach some friends of Jeanette’s,
artists who live in a local loft, we briefly stopped at Detroit’s
Eastern Market which truly comes to life on Saturday mornings. We
stopped into the R. Hirt Jr. store which features cheeses and delicacies
from all over the world. Market activities have been taking place
here since the mid 1800s and the sales sheds seen today date back
to 1891. Detroit’s Eastern Market is the largest historic
public market district in the United States.
Buildings surrounding the Eastern Market
From here we drove north through Midtown Detroit, also referred
to as Detroit’s Cultural Centre which is anchored by Wayne
State University, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Public
Library, the Detroit Science Center, the Detroit Historical Museum,
the Museum of African American History as well as the Max M. Fisher
Music Centre. We stopped in at the Bureau of Urban Living, a hip
local urban general store. Right next door are the Motor City Brewing
Works, a microbrewery with a bar and an upstairs deck. Jeanette
successfully demonstrated that Detroit is a hotbed of young urban
entrepreneurs who are taking opportunity by the horns.
Jeanette in the Bureau of Urban Living
Further north we visited the area of New Centre whose main highlight
is the historic Fisher building, an ornate 1928 skyscraper and Art
Deco jewel designed by renowned Detroit architect Albert Kahn. The
structure was originally designed for the Fisher Body Company which
had become General Motors’ in-house coachbuilding division
in 1926. Forty different kinds of marble decorate the lavish three-story
barrel vaulted lobby which today holds a shopping concourse with
various cool stores and cafes. The Fisher Theatre, with its lavish
Aztec-style interior, is a popular destination among theatre lovers.
The stunning Art Deco lobby of the Fisher Building
Then Jeanette took me across the street to Cadillac Place, another
stunning example of 1920s architecture. Designed by Albert Kahn
in 1923, it was the second largest office building in the world.
It was the headquarters of General Motors from 1923 to 1996 when
GM moved to the Renaissance Centre downtown. This ornate high-rise
office building features 31 elevators and has been a designated
National Historic Landmark since 1978.
Lobby of Cadillac Place
After this extensive insider’s overview of Detroit our tour
had come to an end I thanked Jeanette and dropped her off at the
Detroit Welcome Centre. By now it was late afternoon and I had not
had anything to eat since breakfast, so it was seriously time for
an early dinner. I had wanted a waterfront dining experience and
back home had already done some research into riverside dining options
in Detroit. One place called “Sindbad’s
at the River” had caught my attention since it was located
right by the river and has been a family owned business for almost
60 years.
Getting ready to dine at Sinbad's
So I headed off east again to locate Sindbad’s restaurant
for a waterfront dining experience. Owned since 1949 by the Blancke
family, the second generation of Blanckes, Marc, Denise, Linda and
Brian, run this river-front restaurant as a team. I settled down
at a cozy table and was waiting for a chance to talk to the owners
and find out about this culinary landmark in Detroit.
The four Blancke sibilings: Brian, Denise, Linda and Marc
Denise and Marc sat down with me and started telling me about this
venerable institution. In 1949, the siblings' father, “Buster”
Blancke together with his brother-in-law “Van” VanHollebecke
opened Sindbad’s in a ramshackle building at the Detroit River.
(In true Belgian tradition, the gentlemen’s real names were
Prudent Octave Blancke and Hilaire VanHollebecke, but the shorter
nicknames were much easier to pronounce). “Van” had
worked for Hiram Walker and looked after the Detroit sales of the
distillery. Grandpa Boudewyn Blancke had owned a meat market and
lent the young gentlemen some money to set up their new business.
Main floor dining room at Sindbad's
In the early years the restaurant served mostly hamburgers, sandwiches
and steaks, but over time the restaurant developed a specialization
in seafood. Marc added that he only buys the best ingredients and
explained to me that the scallops come all the way from George’s
Bank, a hundred miles off Cape Code. He added that they are full
of nutrients and always perfectly fresh. His menu even carries a
fiercely named creature called “wolf of the sea” (loup
de mer). Sunday brunch is also very popular and offers a variety
of eggs, made to order, as well as smoked salmon, fish, pasta and
chicken dishes.
Marc points out some local celebrities
Sindbad’s customers mostly come from Detroit and the surrounding
counties, and due to its riverside location and the fact that Sindbad’s
also functions as a marina, many of the restaurant guests arrive
by boat. Sindbad’s is particularly popular during special
events such as the Detroit Grand Prix and the Red Bull Air Race,
an exhilarating high-speed obstacle course for lightweight racing
planes. Hundreds of weddings and special events are held at Sindbad’s
every year.
The upstairs Sohar Room at Sindbad's
Eldest brother Marc gave me a brief tour of the restaurant downstairs
and the Sohar Room upstairs, a large space with a long curved bar
which features a great outdoor river-front patio. The wooden bars
at Sindbad's have a nautical design; marine hardware was used on
the cabinetry and over 3,000 feet of mahogany inlay were installed.
The Sohar Room upstairs is a great spot for private gatherings,
weddings and other events. Outside the Sohar Room is a large river-front
terrace that offers great views of the Detroit River and Belle Isle.
A rivefront sunset as viewed from the Sohar Room
One of Sindbad’s key success factors is the loyalty of its
employees: Don has been working in the kitchen for 42 years, and
Cookie, the head waitress, has been with Sindbad’s for 40
years. Denise Blancke herself has been working at this restaurant
for more than 30 years. Everyone, even guests, feel like family
around here. Quite frequently Marc picks up a bunch of sports fans
from the Canadian side and takes them to watch a Detroit Lions football
game.
My seafood medley is waiting for me
To give me a feel for Sindbad’s expertise in seafood, Marc
put together a seafood platter for me that consisted of local fish
such as perch and pickerel as well as of the famous scallops which
simply melted in my mouth. Campeche shrimp and coconut shrimp rounded
out the seafood platter. Accompanied by deliciously spicy Jalapeno
Poppers I had a very satisfying evening meal and could start to
relax a little after a full day with a hugely packed schedule.
Brand-new urban elegance at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
After a very filling seafood medley and a nice chat with Marc I
headed off for a good night’s sleep at the just reopened luxurious
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, my abode for the next two days. After
being shuttered for about 24 years, this stunning 1924 Art Deco
jewel has just undergone a complete renovation at a cost of about
$200 million. I was already looking forward to seeing more of this
historic hotel in the next few days.
