Detroit, a historic city settled by the French on the banks of the Detroit River between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, makes a great weekend getaway.
Some highlights: The Detroit Institute of Arts and Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History are must-sees, as is the Henry Ford Museum. Great Lebanese food is everywhere, and trendy Ferndale makes for a fun night on the town. Bring your passport and have lunch in nearby Windsor, Ontario, just two miles away; the Canadian influence in everywhere in Detroit.
What to do
Check out the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in nearby Dearborn (aka the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village; https://www.thehenryford.org/). It features a collection of classic cars, including presidential limousines, in particular the one that JFK was assassinated in. The museum also explores the history of the automobile (not just Ford products) and features displays of trains, planes, motorcycles, trucks, and bicycles.
You can spend a day learning about Henry Ford's interest in aviation or how the automobile shaped (destroyed?) American cities. The museum is very open about how freeway construction caused havoc, displacing urban residents and destroying communities.
There is also a history of how Japanese automakers reshaped the American industry during a painful transition to more fuel-efficient (and safer) cars.
Be sure and stop for lunch at Zimmerman's Deli in the museum (the Ann Arbor sandwich shop that features great bread and cookies), which also serves street tacos. Wash it down with Faygo (the Detroit equivalent of Coke products). The Michigan Café features local treats like pasties, cherry salads, Coney Island hot dogs, and more.
In mid-town Detroit you will find the Detroit Institute of Arts (https://www.dia.org/events/), which features a large collection of paintings, including some by Van Gogh. Indeed, the DIA was the first American museum to recognize the works of Van Gogh and to begin acquiring his paintings. Its new exhibit, "Rethinking Monuments," opens later this year. Don't miss the Friday film series as well.
The Wright Museum of African American History (https://www.thewright.org/) covers the history of slavery as well as current events, including exhibits on the 1960s riots, Obama, and the Detroit jazz scene. You will also learn about the Motown music scene (and other great Detroit performers).
Belle Isle State Park offers great views of both Detroit and Windsor. The huge island in the middle of the Detroit River witnesses ice floes this time of year, and is home to a beach in the summer. Explore the nature center or the conservancy.
Nightlife
Pronto! Lounge and Showbar is a must, as is the Five15 Bar next door; both are on Washington Street in downtown Royal Oak.
Just down the road in LGBTQ+-friendly Ferndale, you will find SoHo (https://www.Ferndalesoho.com/) at 205 W. Nine Mile. "Ferndale's friendly gayborhood bar" has karaoke on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Next door is 215, which features tea dances and other special events. (Across the street is Affirmations, the LGBTQ+ community center.)
There's also Menjo's/The Eagle (https://www.menjoscomplexdetroit.com/).
There are a lot of nice restaurants and shops along Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, or grab a salad from Western Market (447 West Nine Mile).
Where to stay
I stayed at the Hyatt Place in Royal Oak (422 N. Main Street), a trendy, LGBTQ+-friendly suburb. The breakfast is excellent, and staff are top-notch. There's also a fun bar that serves food. The new property is steps from the restaurants and shops on Main Street and Washington Street (one block west) and walkable to Pronto, as well as the Detroit Zoo (and the Amtrak stop). The Emagine cinema is next door, and there's outdoor skating nearby, in front of the Royal Oak Library.
I have also stayed at the Town Place Suites by Marriott in Troy. You can work out at the nearby Powerhouse Gym nearby (1461 W. 14 Mile).
Where to eat
With its large Arab population, Detroit has healthy Lebanese food everywhere, including at gas stations, like the Mr. Kabob in the Sunoco station in Berkley (3372 Coolidge), which has a beef kabob wrap to die for.
Near the Hyatt Place in Royal Oak is Boukie's Grill (105 Main Street), which has excellent lentil soup, tabbouleh salad, and pitas. Try the fresh-squeezed carrot juice with spinach and beet.
Getting there
From Seattle, fly nonstop on Alaska or Delta. Then take a Metro Car taxi to the hotel, or take the SMART bus via downtown Detroit.
Travel tips
Detroit culture is heavily influenced by nearby Canada. Indeed, Toronto is just four hours a away (or you can take the VIA Rail from nearby Windsor).
So, enjoy Canadian culture during your visit. You can watch the CBC on channel 1009 on Spectrum Cable, or listen to French radio at 1550 AM (SRC from Windsor). Enjoy a Labatt's beer at the bar.
Bring your passport if you want to go to Canada for lunch or to pick up some English candy (the Cadbury chocolate treats imported from Britain are much better than the American ones, which use inferior ingredients). Try a Crunchie bar.
Your dollar is worth $1.36 against the loonie (Canada's dollar coin, which has a loon on it), so go on a shopping spree while in Windsor.
Native Michiganders have a heavy nasal twang. A friendly bunch, they will use their hand to tell you where they are from (the lower peninsula is shaped like a mitten).
Don't plan on making left turns. Michigan has a unique system: you go right instead, and then do a U turn.
Do plan on going 70 mph on the urban freeways, which are excellent.
Do you need something at a convenience store? They're called party stores.
Enjoy the local foods: pasties (pronounced pahstees), which are pocket sandwiches; or coneys (a hot dog with chili); or Detroit-style pizza washed down with a beer from Canada. And the best Lebanese food, available everywhere!
All of this is only in "the D," a unique and underrated American border city that deserves a second look.
For more information
Between the Lines is the biweekly LGBTQ newspaper (https://www.pridesource.com/). Metra Magazine is another similar publication (https://www.metramagazine.com/). You will also get nightlife ideas from Out Post (in print and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/opmag/), Detroit's LGBTQ magazine.
The Detroit area will surprise you. Plan your winter vacation now at https://www.visitdetroit.com/.
Bill Malcolm's syndicated LGBTQ+ travel column appears in publications throughout North America. He is a former resident of Royal Oak and worked downtown at the Renaissance Center in Detroit for six years. Special thanks to Visit Detroit for travel tips and hospitality.