Detroit’s come back is pretty evident, however one common criticism I often hear is that it’s still not a place for tourists.  This past weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to stay at the Westin Book Cadillac in Downtown Detroit and put that theory to test. To be fair I do spend the bulk majority of my day Downtown, working in the Renaissance Center, so my knowledge of the area is beyond that of a normal tourist. I was however, pleasantly surprised at what I experienced.

We spent our Friday night, after dinner at 24 Grille in the Westin, at Campus Martius watching ‘American Authors’ (singers of the hit song “Best Day of my Life”) perform a free show to a packed house.  As you can see in the photo, the park was full of people taking in the show and having a great time.

On Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and set off on foot to Hudson Cafe for a delicious breakfast that i’m still full from days later.  Afterwards we walked back toward the City Center to see people practicing aerobics in the park, and families playing in the Sand Pit.  A walk over to the riverfront revealed plenty of actual tourists, braving the heat to take a photo in front of the Detroit River and iconic Ren Cen.

My weekend taught me that while there’s more work to be done, Detroit is a city that tourists can in fact enjoy.  I’ll be excited to revisit this in mere months when M1, The District, Detroit Bike Share, and of course Shake Shack are all up and running.