Detroit and The Henry Ford, Michigan, USA
Being in a rental home and in a new country means there’s not too much to do on the weekends. We don’t have any house projects, and there are few friends to visit or parties to attend…
So we decided on a whim to go to Michigan. Why not? It’s close, and (more importantly to me) it checks off another state in my 50-state goal!
We rolled into town around dinner time on Friday, and of course the children loved the hotel. They are 8, 7 and 4 and have stayed at several hotels at this point in their young lives, but every time we open a hotel room, they explode with wonder and enthusiasm: “Look at the beds! Look at the little fridge! Mom, there’s a coffee maker for you! Ohhh! Look out the window!” They pick up the phone and listen to the dial tone, check out the door lock, open all the cabinets and drawers, check out the booklets and notepads, touch the mini shampoos, and all of it is just soooo wonderful!
Saturday we toured around Detroit. We stopped in the Guardian Building, which unfortunately was closed for a wedding. The little bit that we could see was stunning, and I would have loved to see more of it.
We walked down towards the Detroit River and then … the highlight of the day … the People Mover. Yes, the highlight of the day for the children was public transportation. Ok, in fairness, it’s a monorail, which ups the cool factor, but we really need to get these kids out more :) At 75 cents a ride, it was also the bargain of the weekend.
The Eastern Market was next on the list. It was huuuuuge and had so many vendors. It’s a true farmer’s market, filled with vegetables, fruit, plants and locally made goods and we had a good time strolling despite the crowds.
Our last stop for the day was The Rogue Factory Tour. You aren’t allowed to take any photos inside the actual assembly line, so I don’t have any to share, but it was fascinating. Everyone was interested in the assembly, the tools, and the precision timing. It was impressive to see Jack and Maria put the pieces together and understand just how much technology, thought and timing went into making the assembly line run smoothly. The robot workers captured Jack’s and Danny’s interest (and mine!). The assembly plant was easily the highlight of the trip for me, not only because it was just so fascinating, but also because it was cool to see our children’s minds spinning with curiosity, questions and answers.
Detroit pizza finished off the day. Jack (8) is becoming quite the pizza connoisseur, and decided he liked the pepperoni under the cheese.
The lobby of the Rogue Factory tour had some pretty neat cars on display.
We spent the entire day on Sunday at The Henry Ford and didn’t even get to the museum. We spent the whole day at Greenfield Village. It was so much more fun than I thought it would be! We rode in real Model Ts, horse drawn busses, and one of the first motorized busses. Danny loved the steam train, so we rode on that, too. We walked through many old fashioned houses, stores, and workshops. There’s a replica of Thomas Edison’s lab, which inspired some experiments at home (which prompted a serious talk about not mixing electricity and water). There’s a working farm and so many buildings… it’s really well done and well laid out, with a good mix of history and fun.
If you ever get a chance to visit Detroit, I would recommend The Henry Ford. We had a great weekend getaway, and of course it’s so fun to show our children something different and new.
