This past weekend a party of three roadtripped from Chicago -->> Detroit! I'll be honest & say that I never in a thousand years thought I would be ever visit Detroit, but here I am. The major reason for our trip was to go to the
Detroit Institute of Arts for the special
Diego Rivera | Frida Kahlo in Detroit Exhibition. Naturally we did a bit of exploring and tried to see whatever there was to see in Detroit in our quick two day trip. Here's my little travel diary:
Roadtrip fuel : iced coffee @ 8am
Our first stop upon arriving in the city was to stop at the
Eastern Street Market & find some food! We hit construction on the way (& on the way back to Chicago) so our bellies were talking to us. Ended up grabbing burgers, fries, and grilled cheese at a tiny diner -- classic. My grilled cheese and fries with tax ended up being a whopping 5$ -- i was shocked! I guess thats smaller cities for ya.
The next stop was
The Heidelberg Project. This is an artistic community set within a two block radius that uses discarded objects as artistic expression. Wandering through these streets was like looking at something much bigger than yourself. There was so much creativity that surpassed any passerby's ability to conceive. The project itself is confusing yet awe seeking and difficult to not get lost within it.
City night walks include wandering in streets that appeared deserted & stopping at Cafe d'Mongo's Speakeasy (1439 Griswold St, Detroit, MI 48226) for delicious gin cocktails with yummy quesidillas and guac all while enjoying a live band three feet away from us
B R U N C H
the most important meal of the day / life in general. This spot was new and local called
The Dime Store. With only being open from 10-3 on Sundays, we were lucky to walk in at 10:05 and find a table, the place was ALREADY packed to the brim, and rightfully so, the food was delish. Possibly the best smoked salmon benedict ive ever had, not to mention the absolutely divine mimosa ;)
The entrance to the museum was absolutely breathtaking, I was so impressed with how old and well kept the facade was. The ceiling into the main lobby was gorgeous
Rivera Court was the most overwhelmingly perfect thing ive ever seen. I remember seeing postcards of the
Detroit Industry Murals and not being able to grasp their mass and their importance. Seeing the murals in real life was like removing a veil from my eyes and being exposed to an entirely different world. The amount of detail was so impressive and WHAT Diego was saying with this gigantic and radical piece is so important. You could truly spend days, weeks, peering into every portion of these murals and you would find something new that you hadnt noticed the first time. These murals are vital to Detroit and the history of the US.
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The exhibition itself brought about an entire sea of emotion for me. A lot of it had to do with Frida and Diego having work shown together, and especially being in Detroit. They were there for close to a year during which Diego was working on the mural commission. They both went through so much growth and change during their months in Detroit it feels like this exhibition NEEDED to happen to document this moment in their lives. Frida's health issues and eventual miscarriage were so traumatic and the art she made to let herself heal is so so important (ensue my crying at two plus times during this exhibition)
My other favourite artists: Van Gogh and Anselm Kiefer
We stopped in the shop after and stocked up on Frida books and postcards naturally. The DIA had a place to eat downstairs called the Azul Taco Bar, with absolutely delicious and cheap tacos -- the entire exhibition makes me want to travel to Mexico City desperately.
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After leaving the exhibition we drove over to Belle Isle, which is a large park space in the middle of the Detroit River separating the US and Canada. The park was stunning, and it was so refreshing to see so many families having bbqs, fishing, and laying in the grass together. The breeze through the trees and off the water was unlike any other. It was so nice to walk around the island and breathe in freshness that the city itself is lacking. I imagined myself going to Belle Isle on my days off and spending all day there reading and feeling at peace.
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We ended our evening at the
Cadieux Cafe, by way of a stranger I had met at work who had just come from Detroit and gave me a list of places to go see. There was so much on her list we didnt have the time for all of it but I appreciated it so much especially coming from a stranger who just overheard me speaking about my upcoming trip. I feel as if it is my duty now to pass this list along to the next adventurer looking to find the hidden gems of Detroit.
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Our trip was short but sweet, and it was nice to find so many different versions of Detroit both old and new throughout our visit.
- xx, S
