34 | KEEPING IT FRESH IN MICHIGAN
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mention a full BBQ smokehouse offering
top
quality ribs, pulled pork, chicken nachos to name but a few. You will ACTUALLY struggle to make a choice! If you are more of an American Football
“You LOVE going to the USA don’t you? BY THE HOLIDAY NINJA
THAT’S exactly how this latest NInja trip came about – visiting the state of Michigan in the USA, commonly referred to as the “Mitten State”, over a five day period.
Most people will have heard of the largest city in the midwestern state, Detroit, but we didn’t know too much else of the wider state, so were delighted when the itinerary took in a multi-day clockwise road trip around the four other main areas – Grand Rapids,
Traverse City, Mackinac
Island and Bay City – while starting and finishing in Detroit. There are no direct flights from Belfast or Dublin to the State of Michigan,
however, United
Airlines offer daily flights to Washington, Chicago and Newark – with all 3 destinations acting as hubs to seamlessly travel onwards
Have you ever considered visiting Detroit and the wider Michigan area to see what is on offer? I GUARANTEE you will be surprised!”
to almost 200 destinations across North, Central and South America. Newark, in particular, is one of the most popular routes offering that seamless quick transfer into the bright lights of Manhattan and New York City. First stop was Detroit. As a frequent flyer to the US, I can only describe the experience of arriving into Detroit airport and hiring my car as being smooth and hassle-free. Driving in some US cities can be stressful but it was a very easy drive from the airport to downtown Detroit taking 25 minutes door to door. We stayed at the Aloft at the David Whitney Building – a hotel mixed with residential apartments / living space – the perfect base to explore Detroit. The hotel is located a stone’s throw from Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers – meaning only a
few minutes dander from the hotel to attend the baseball game on our first evening, with the Tigers hosting the Baltimore Orioles. Having
experienced many
across America, I can safely say without any exaggeration that Comerica Park has BY FAR the best food choices for the fans! From the standard hot dogs, burgers and chicken tenders, to Detroit-style pizza, gyros, and tacos.
Not to ballparks all
July/August 2023
fan,
then Ford Field, home of the local NFL franchise, Detroit Lions, is located right next to Comerica Park, so again, only a few minutes walk from the hotel. A few minutes further and you’re at Little Caesars Arena, home of the city’s NBA and NHL teams, the Pistons and Red Wings respectively. A top NInja recommendation for breakfast in Detroit is Dime Store, located on Griswold Street. My only complaint, which is in fact a not so subtle compliment, is that there was TOO much choice. Our city tour around Detroit started on Woodward Avenue, which interestingly was the very first paved road in the US, and also had the first set of traffic lights in the country. From there we travelled south towards Hart Plaza, taking in the Spirit of Detroit statue and The Fist (the memorial to former Heavyweight champion Joe Louis), along the way. Hart Plaza annually hosts the largest free jazz festival in the country. Next to Hart Plaza are the intimidating skyscrapers that make up the headquarters for General Motors.
Architecture fans will love the Guardian Building and Fisher Building, fine examples of Art Deco design with
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