Hello from Detroit: A Bicycle Tour through
Corktown and Mexicantown
My discoveries of Detroit were slowly but surely coming to an end,
and I had seen so many interesting places already in my whirlwind
tour over the last four days. Just before I was ready to hop across
the border to Windsor again, I had one more adventure on my schedule:
a biking tour of Southwest Detroit to cover Corktown and Mexicantown.
Kelli Kavanaugh from Wheelhouse Detroit
After a filling breakfast at the Inn
on Ferry Street I took their complimentary shuttle downtown
to Rivard Plaza, right next to the Detroit Riverwalk. At 10 am I
met Kelly Kavanaugh, co-owner of Wheelhouse
Detroit, Downtown Detroit’s first bike rental facility
for more than 30 years. Wheelhouse also provides bicycle repairs
and service and offers a variety of tours of different Detroit neighbourhoods.
The Renaissance Centre, GM's word headquarters
Wheelhouse
Detroit was founded by friends Kelli Kavanaugh and Karen Gage,
two young women who have been active in the Detroit non-profit and
urban planning scene for years. Equipped with advice from fellow
entrepreneurs, start-up funding from the city’s micro-credit
program and their own savings they embarked on their entrepreneurial
venture and bought 30 bicycles which includes comfortable cruisers,
city mountain bikes, kids bikes, trailers and even a tandem.
View of the Ren Cen from the Detroit International Riverwalk
Their bikes are made by Kona, a philanthropically inclined manufacturer
that donates bicycles to non-profit organizations in Africa. Along
with other people I have met over the last four days, Kelli and
Karen are an example of the new breed of Detroit entrepreneurs who
combine their love for the city with hard work and entrepreneurial
creativity.
The Detroit Princess Riverboat
On a brilliant but rather cool and windy October day Kelli and I
headed off westwards along the the Detroit Riverwalk and quickly
passed the General Motor Renaissance Centre and Hart Plaza, the
civic centre of Detroit. The Detroit International Riverfront covers
an area stretching from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle and
encompasses numerous parks, restaurants, retail shops, skyscrapers
and residential areas along the Detroit River. Hundreds of millions
of dollars have been raised in the last few years to revitalize
this extensive area.
Hart Plaza
The Detroit Riverwalk is a recreational multipurpose path that stretches
5.5 miles (almost 9 km) along Detroit’s riverfront and provides
separate lanes for pedestrians and bicyclists or inline skaters.
Wheelhouse Detroit is located inside Rivard Plaza, an outdoor space
that features the Cullen Family Carousel, an inlaid granite map
of the Detroit River, fountains and gardens. Rivard Plaza was opened
in June of 2007 and also features the Riverwalk Café.
The Cullen Family Carousel
Cycling west on the Riverwalk, Kelli started to tell me about her
venture and about her passion for cycling in Detroit. As the city
is quite spread out and a lot of the traffic concentrates on the
city’s characteristic sunken expressways, the downtown area
is surprisingly free of traffic congestion and cycling-friendly.
In my past four days in Detroit I did not encounter any traffic
jams downtown, a surprising experience when you come from a congested
place like Toronto.
The Memorial to the Underground Railroad
As we pedaled against the wind we passed by several more Detroit
landmarks - Cobo Arena, the Cobo Convention Centre and the Joe Louis
Arena - home of the Detroit Red Wings. Leaving the downtown area
behind we headed into southwest Detroit.
The oldest church in Corktown
The first neighbourhood that greeted us was Corktown, Detroit’s
oldest neighbourhood, so named after the Irish immigrants from County
Cork that settled here. The houses in this area date back to 1834
and feature nicely restored Victorian homes, many of them brightly
painted. Corktown also has many cool gathering spots and eateries,
including the funky Zeitgeist Gallery, a bar called Nemo’s
which was voted No. 3 “perfect sports bar in the US by Sports
Illustrated , and LJ.’s – a hip karaoke place, as well
as a wide range of other diverse restaurants.
Colourful houses in Corktown
We snaked our way through this pleasant neighbourhood and crossed
over a railway bridge that provided a perfect view of one of Detroit’s
most stunning architectural structures: the Michigan Central Depot,
also called the Michigan Central Station. Although now abandoned
and in poor condition, the Michigan Central Station is a railroad
station that was built in 1913 for the Michigan Central Railroad.
Its main Beaux-Arts train station is flanked by an 18 storey office
tower, a monumental building whose outline dominates South-West
Detroit’s skyline. Due to its sheer size and its magnificent
architectural detailing, the Michigan Central Depot is still one
of Detroit’s most impressive buildings, despite its sad current
state.
View of the Michigan Central Depot from the railroad bridge
Past the railroad bridge we arrived in Mexicantown, a vibrant neighbourhood
that has undergone significant economic growth in the last few years.
Kelly showed me the Michigan International Welcome Centre, a brand-new
commercial development in close proximity to the Ambassador Bridge.
85 businesses will welcome visitors in The Mercado, and they will
cater to locals and out-of-towners alike with a broad assortment
of merchandise.
The Mexican Village Restaurant
Further west we cycled by a long strip of Mexican restaurants that
include popular eateries such as Mexican Village, El Zocalo, Evie’s
Tamales, Lupita’s and Xochimilco. A ride through this neighbourhood
revealed an extensive collection of late Victorian homes fronted
by large trees. The main streets in the area are Bagley Street and
Vernor Street which are flanked by numerous storefronts and eateries.
Historic St. Anne De Detroit Catholic Church
Away from the main thoroughfares and tucked into the neighbourhood
is St. Anne De Detroit Catholic Church, the eighth church in this
location whose cornerstone was laid in 1886. The church was originally
founded on July 26, 1701, two days after Antoine Mothe de la Cadillac
(the founder of Detroit) and his French settlers arrived. Today
it is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish
in the United States. Nowadays the congregation includes many Hispanic
parishioners who come together to worship in this impressive Gothic
Revival structure.
Kelli in front of the church portal
One stop on our bicycling tour included the Hotel Yorba, which inspired
the hit single by Detroit garage rock band “The White Stripes”.
Today this former hotel provides subsidized housing. We started
cycling back to the main road and passed by Clark Park, a large
public park on Detroit’s southwest side. Cycling back east
on Vernor we saw another strip of Mexican-owned businesses.
Los Galanes
On the way back we made a stop in front of the Michigan Central
Station where Kelly explained that this is the departure point for
the annual “Tour de Troit” event, a 40-mile cycling
tour of Detroit that has been attracting biking enthusiasts since
2001. Both Kelli and her business partner Karen have been actively
involved in helping to organize this popular biking event. Attendance
increased from 650 participants in 2007 to 1100 participants in
2008. Kelly explained that biking is definitely taking off in Detroit.
The Tour de Troit event also raises funds for dedicated bicycle
trails.
El Zocalo, Mexican restaurant
We now turned onto Michigan Avenue, one of Detroit’s main
thoroughfares. Stopping regularly we had a look at various bars,
cafes and galleries that populate this stretch of the road. One
of our final stops was at the Old Tiger Stadium, the former home
of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. The stadium was originally
opened in 1912 and unfortunately partially demolished in 2008. A
group of dedicated local citizens is fighting to keep the remaining
portions of the stadium intact.
The old Tiger Stadium
Our tour concluded with a ride through Detroit’s downtown
business district and ended back at Wheelhouse's
location on Rivard Plaza. Given that I am an avid bicycling
enthusiast myself, exploring Detroit on two wheels was a real highlight
of my five-day stint in this city. Bicycling is simply the best
way of discovering a city – allowing you to cover great ground
at manageable speeds while getting much needed exercise. Being able
to easily stop anywhere is a great added benefit for an avid travel
photographer like me.
Mexican calavera puppets
Now thoroughly invigorated I thanked Kelli for introducing me
to a completely different side of Detroit and set off to have lunch
in the open outdoor space in front of the Wintergarden at the Renaissance
Centre. The “RenCen”, the international headquarters
of General Motors, consists of seven skyscrapers centered around
the 73-story central tower that holds the Detroit Marriot Hotel.
This structure has also been the highest building in Michigan since
1977.
View of the Renaissance Centre
The top of the hotel holds Coach Insignia, a fine dining restaurant
with the most fabulous views of the city. In 2003 GM renovated the
entire complex at a cost of $500 million which added the five-story
Wintergarden, a light-flooded glass-enclosed atrium that overlooks
the Detroit River. I grabbed my lunch, went outside and enjoyed
the fall sun and the magnificent view across the river to Windsor
while reflecting on my five action-packed days in Detroit.
The Wintergarden at the Renaissance Centre
Shortly after I called the shuttle service of the Inn on Ferry Street
and minutes later I got whisked away. I made a final stop in Greektown,
one of Detroit’s most popular entertainment districts. Most
of the houses along Monroe Street date back to the Victorian era
and today feature restaurants and cafes on the main level. The Greektown
Casino is a major attraction in the area.
Greektown, in the back the Greektown Casino
This exciting morning had concluded my visit to Detroit. I picked
up my suitcase, hopped in my car and took the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
back to Canada. On the way back to Toronto I reflected on what an
exciting and fascinating destination Detroit had been. During these
past few days I got to see so many different facets of Detroit,
and I had a chance to meet several people who are truly passionate
about their city. It’s always great to get to know a city
from the perspective of an insider.
I had had a thoroughly great time in Detroit and over the past five
days I had seen so many things I had never expected. And I realized
there were so many more places I didn’t get to see.
Well, I guess I’ll have to leave something for next time…
