For reference on this page, here are a few major points:
- Renaissance Center
- Cobo Convention Center/Cobo Arena
- Joe Louis Arena (Detroit Red Wings)
- Lafayette and American Coney Islands
- Compuware Building
- Greektown
- Hart Plaza
- Joe Louis Memorial ("The Fist")
- Detroit Police Headquarters (for fans of "Detroit 187" and "Low Winter Sun")
- Fox Theater and Hockeytown Cafe
- Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
- Ford Field (Detroit Lions)
Below is an aerial view (which I stole from the web) taken from above the Detroit River. The big set of towers in the foreground is the Renaissance Center, which was built in 1973. The building in the center (with the blue square at the top that says "GM") is a hotel, and the 4 tall buildings around it are mostly GM World Headquarters. The round building at the far left is part of the Cobo Convention Center (Albert Cobo was mayor of Detroit in the 1950's). Above that, the building facing diagonally along the river is Joe Louis Arena.
Although it looks good from the air, there are more than a few downtown buildings in various states of abandonment. On the positive side, the downtown decay is beginning to reverse and there is a lot more activity than there was a few years ago.
In the picture below, we are looking south toward the river, with the Renaissance Center at the top center along the river. In the foreground is Comerica Park, and Ford Field (a covered stadium) is to the left. Across the river is Windsor, Ontario.
Below is a view of downtown taken from the southwest, from Canada. The Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, is in the foreground.
Driving along the Jefferson Avenue, which parallels the river, we encounter the memorial to Joe Louis, who was from Detroit.
On the riverfront is Hart Plaza, where concerts and other social gatherings take place. Over a million people come down to the river to see the 4th of July (and Canada Day) fireworks.
Next to Hart Plaza is City Hall and the Spirit of Detroit statue. The Spirit has been known to sport a Tigers or Red Wings jersey on occasion.
Joe Louis Arena, home of the Red Wings. Yes, we see the irony of having a hockey arena named after a fighter.
Possibly the two most famous restaurants in Detroit. Coney Island hot dogs are the National Food of Detroit (there are literally hundreds of Coney places in the Detroit area), and these are the two that started it all. Detroit is divided into Lafayette people and American people. The Kalts are Lafayette people. If you go to Detroit, you will have a Coney.
The MGM Grand Casino, one of 3 casino/hotels in Detroit. This one is on the west side of downtown.
The Compuware World Headquarters (below) was one of the first major new buildings in downtown Detroit in recent years, and has sparked a lot of activity and brought a lot of jobs downtown.
Below is Greektown, which is one of the major restaurant and entertainment areas downtown. The tall modern building is the Greektown Casino and hotel.
For those of you expecting to see lots of pictures of abandoned skyscrapers in downtown Detroit, I actually had a hard time finding one. I even did a Google search for "abandoned buildings in downtown Detroit" and almost every hit I got was for a building that had since been renovated or torn down. The building below (Metropolitan Building) is one of the few still-abandoned buildings downtown. Don't worry, we'll see lots of abandoned buildings as we move away from downtown.
A detour to Belle Isle.....
Belle Isle is the largest urban island park in the United States, and is located in the Detroit River, just off the lower right corner of the map at the top of the page. At one time it was one of the nicest parks in the country, but the city can't afford to maintain it, and it has fallen into some disrepair. Currently, the state of Michigan is trying to take it over and administer it as a state park, which I think would be a good thing.
Below are a few notable buildings on Belle Isle.
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| Belle Isle Conservatory, a botanical garden and greenhouse |
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| Belle Isle Fountain |
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| Belle Isle Casino, which was a dance hall, not a gambling casino |
At the north end of downtown is an area called "Foxtown", named for the Fox Theater. This area has become an entertainment destination, with attractions such as the Fillmore Theater, Comerica Park, Ford Field, and the Detroit Opera House.
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| Fox Theater and Hockeytown Cafe by Day |
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| Fox Theater at night, viewed from Comerica Park |
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| Comerica Park, viewed from the Fox Theater |
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| Inside Comerica Park |
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| Ford Field--Comerica Park is across the street on the right |
So, there you have downtown Detroit. I know you're disappointed that you haven't seen the crumbling empty hulks of buildings that you associate with Detroit, but they've actually done a good job of getting rid of them from the downtown area. There are still a lot of empty storefronts, and I wouldn't walk around downtown at 3:00 AM, but it's not what you think it is.
Next: Midtown
