Detroit, MI Part 1

Lynn had been getting concerned about planning for our living arrangements once we completed our journey and moved back to a Miami.  So, first thing on Tuesday, Sept. 4 we had a conference call with our realtor to discuss the best way of finding a short term rental in Miami.  Our thought was to get a furnished rental while we took our time finding a more permanent place to live.  We resolved that issue by postponing our search until later in October which would be closer to the time we would need a place.  With that resolved, we proceeded on our voyage to Detroit.  We had a five hour journey on a sunny day with calm waters.  We spent the time planning what we would do with the several days we would be docked in Detroit.  Jonny had to fly to an MTOA board meeting for a few days and our friend Cathy was flying in from Kansas City to keep Lynn company while Jonny was away.  We passed some huge freighters on our way and also began seeing some attractive churches and homes as we cruised the St. Clair River approaching Detroit.

We arrived at the Detroit Yacht Club at 3:45 and tied up at this venerable old yacht club that was founded in 1868!  Its clubhouse is a restored 1920’s era Mediterranean-style villa and it is reported to be the the largest yacht club in the U.S.   The building was beautiful but quite old-fashioned and in some places in need of significant updating.  The docks were great though, and it was fun having the experience of staying there. It also was a rather long Uber ride into the city.

The yacht club is located on the beautiful Belle Isle and it is the only commercial property on the island.  We took our bikes for a seven mile ride around what is now a big state park with lovely beaches, fountains, and historic buildings. We were pleased to see a lot of local people using the park and enjoying the beautiful end of summer weather.

That evening we ate on board and enjoyed having good TV reception for the first time in a while by watching  a Ken Burns special on Mark Twain.

The next day we set out to explore Detroit since neither one of us had been there before.   We visited the Renaissance Center, an incredible complex where General Motors is headquartered along with other companies.

We followed a do-it-yourself walking tour and saw some of Detroit’s  architectural masterpieces such as the Guardian and Penobscot buildings.

That afternoon we did a tour at the Motown Hit City Museum which was a lot of fun.  It was amazing to learn how many of the greatest groups including Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Tempatations, the Jackson Five and the great Stevie Wonder had their start in such a modest studio!

On the way back we stopped at the Detroit Museum of History which had a particularly interesting exhibit on the Underground Railroad and the main library where we saw some amazing sculptures and murals.

That evening we went to a local jazz club called Cliff Bell’s where we sat at the bar and had dinner and watched an excellent jazz combo play non-stop for two hours with local musicians walking in to jam with the band.  It was a real treat for us since we have missed all the great jazz we used to hear in Miami.  

Our plan for the next day was to move Zendo to the W.G. Milliken State Harbor Marina closer to downtown Detroit where we would dock for the next few days.