Not only did we not have to talk our relatives in suburban Detroit into exploring downtown, they suggested it! Detroit gets better with our every annual visit. We dropped by what is now an old favorite must see, the stunningly ornate Guardian Building and then followed a comfortable-sized crowd to a thriving pocket park – campus martius – with cafes (Parc looked particularly good), outdoor tables, sculpture and a sandy beach (minus the waterfront — the Detroit river is a few blocks south). Kids played in the sand, small groups (black and white, although not mixed) sipped drinks at outdoor tables, two bands played an stages near muscle cars on display (a fraction of the vintage cars participating in the annual Dream Cruise further north on Woodward Avenue). Barbara forgot her purse at our table, walked back to it after a few minutes and there it was waiting for her, all items accounted for. Gives you hope for Detroit’s continued renaissance.

We also wandered into Moosejaws, a Detroit outdoors store, among several inviting cafes and shops nearby and more to come — a big Shopping Center is rising soon on the site of the famous old Hudson’s Department Store that I used to go to with my mom in the 1960s and 70s. We also dropped in at a famous old auction house across from RenCen and by far the best piece for sale was a piece by Glen Michaels, father of a high school friend.

We began the morning with the world’s best bagels (sorry NYC)…Detroit bagels, which are smaller and chewier than New York’s,and the onion bagel has the onion bits baked mixed into the batter, not burnt bits on the outside. The egg bagels are superb too.  But irony of  ironies, the bagel store on Woodward Near Ferndale has the unfortunate name, New York Bagels.

We took Noah for his first viewing of the famous Diego Rivera mural at the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), which was even better than I remembered from years ago. A knowledgeable docent was conveniently stationed in the courtyard and provided all kinds of interesting information, including where to find Diego himself among the workers and the comic book character Dick Tracy. We also saw a really fun photography show on American Road trips.

Dinner was at Chartreuse, a charming place on Woodward near the DIA, with a rustic earthy decor (and lots of chartreuse) and inventive food, using fresh produce and local products. We had delicious ribs (with” togarashi, soy mirin glaze, raw potato and seaweed salad”) and pork (Niman ranch tenderloin, clover fed pork shoulder, salsa verde, cheddar jalapeño grits, black beans, radish), good appetizers and dessert. And I bumped into my high school choral director who I hadn’t seen in years. Another treat!