Motown, Murals, and Mechanization
June 2025
After landing in Detroit at midnight we immediately began our whirlwind tour of this great and oft-forgotten icon of American industry at Lafayette Coney Island, an institution where class boundaries blur and Detroit’s drunks dine on chili dogs in the egalitarian glow of fluorescent lights.
Saturday began with a visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts, an expansive museum showcasing Diego Rivera’s massive murals and the usual portraits of dead royals. We then watched the .500 Reds demolish the AL-leading Tigers 11-1 at Comerica Park. The home run derby (including a grand slam) was a thrill to watch while devouring delicious shawarma fries, a nod to Dearborn’s Arab-American population.
Next, we admired the Art Deco and Modern downtown architecture comprising the current and former headquarters of automotive giants on our way to a stroll along the river that separates Detroit from Windsor, Canada. We finished the day with dinner at Freya which featured an incredible tasting menu focused on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
On Sunday we visited the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, a fascinating if disjointed homage to machinery, mechanization, and mass production. We burned our mouths with the supposed best Detroit-style pizza at Michigan & Trumbull (honestly, the inspiration for this trip) en route to the craft fair at Eastern Market. We spent the afternoon on Belle Isle, enjoying the variety of vegetation at Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory and the marine life at the small aquarium next door.
We capped the weekend with a tribute to the icons of Motown at Berry Gordy’s Hitsville, USA. Here we toured the legendary Studio A, birthplace of countless hits. The original instruments, recording equipment, and even Stevie Wonder’s favorite vending machine are displayed as they would have been used by Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Michael Jackson, and so many more. The worn patches of flooring in the mixing room, eroded by engineers’ foot tapping, are preserved untouched. If there’s such a thing as a musical Mecca, make the pilgrimage to West Grand Boulevard in Detroit.
After a pit stop at Brewery Faisan, we were on our way back to the airport with the city in the rearview. Detroit evokes shades of my hometown New Orleans: Echoes of historical wealth reverberate in a city recovering from disaster, in this case economic rather than natural.
Detroit is not yet a primetime tourist destination, but the bones of a proud city with amazing architecture, great food, and ardent defenders offer a window into the history of American culture and industrialization.
Recipes: Reggie’s Portra, Newspaper B&W
