Initial Draw
I grew up in Metro Detroit. However, in the last ten years between my time in college and career, I spent nine years living out of state. One of the reasons I was drawn to Challenge Detroit was the opportunity to move closer to home and my family.
Favorite Part
While I love living in Detroit (there’s always something new to do or learn), and I have enjoyed being a part of Challenge Detroit (full of amazing people and partner organizations), one of my favorite parts about this year has been spending time with family and friends much more regularly. Instead of having to wait for a holiday or weekend, I can now meet up with my family for dinner and birthdays. Family events that I wasn’t always able to attend are now an option.
Sharing Detroit
When I moved to Detroit, I knew I would be close to home. However, I did not think about how much easier it would be for family and friends to come visit me. This last week, I had three groups come down to Detroit. We explored different parts of the city: Greektown, Midtown, Corktown, West Village and Belle Isle. A few of my favorite places to take visitors include:
- Sister Pie-I really enjoy the atmosphere of this cute bakery, and their buckwheat chocolate chip cookies are on point.
- The Red Hook Detroit-This coffee shop makes the most delicious lattes-especially their lavender latte. Don’t believe me? Try it out!
- Belle Isle-There is something to do every season whether biking around the isle, watching the sunset go down over the Detroit cityscape, listening to the frozen ice crack as it floats down the Detroit River, exploring the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory or the Belle Isle Aquarium (oldest in the United States).
While there is so much more to Detroit than just these few areas, I love getting to share a piece of Detroit with those unfamiliar to the city. Detroit has a story that needs to be told, and I consider it an honor to get to live in it firsthand and share with those close to me the impact that Detroit’s people and history is making on me.
