Underground Detroit
by Toughluck
Not that you can get there, I've never found a way, with one exception. But there are some major underground excavations that few people ever see.
1. The Salt Mine: Yes, there is a huge salt mine under the city. The entrance is supposed to be down in the River Rouge industrial district on the south side.
2. The Railroad tunnels (more than 1 I've heard of, but only one shows up on the maps. It runs from Detroit to Windsor. Probably the Amtrak/Via Rail route from Chicago, Illinois to Toronto, travels under the river here. More likely, they use the tunnel up at Port Huron-Sarnia.
3. The Windsor-Detroit Auto Tunnel. Yes, here's were you can get underground. I remember the time, we drove through the tunnel to Windsor. It was a strange trip. In Detroit, you enter just south of the Renaisance Center. It looks like you're entering an underground parking garage for Riverfront Park. The signs make it clear that you're entering the tunnel to Canada.
The road makes a long slow turn down and clockwise. It's just 2-lanes with a yellow line separating you from the on-coming traffic. Around and around you go, deeper and deeper, then the road straightens out and continues a gentle slope down hill. The walls are covered with ceramic tile. All white. Open the windows. When traffic is light, the sound is unlike anything you'll hear above. The air is cool and damp. There is the sound of water dripping through the entire length of the tunnel. The tiles look like they will give way at any moment and the Detroit River will rush in on you. You pass a black stripe of tile rising on your left, over the top and down on the right. One side says USA, the other side Canada.
Welcome to the underbelly of Ontario. Then the road begins to turn upwards. Shortly, you enter another helix of road, climbing upwards towards the daylight (I've not done this at night yet). At the top, the road widens out to numerous lanes and you meet the Canadian Customs/Immigration. Now you're really in Canada. A right turn brings you to the road to downtown, and you can see Detroit across the river.
Hit Greektown for some...
by sassyshell
Hit Greektown for some delicious food and grand entertainment. The Music Menu has the best of local jazz, blues and R&B The greatest aspect of Detroit is the vast mix of cultures. Walking one block is almost like entering another country.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH - GREEKTOWN
by LoriPori
A Michigan Historic Site, ST. MARY'S CHURCH is located in the heart of Greektown. It is very beautiful inside and out. I went inside to take a peek and there was a Mass going on.
A lovely plaque in front of the church reads:
"St. Mary's Parish was founded by Father Martin Kundig in 1835 for the German-speaking Catholics in Detroit and is the third oldest Catholic Parish in the city. The cornerstone for the original church was laid on the Feast of Corpus Christi June 19, 1841 and the church was consecrated in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on June 29, 1843. This High Victorian Romanesque style structure was designed by German parishioner Peter Dederichs. The cornerstone was laid in 1884 and the Edifice completed in 1885. St. Mary's founded the city's first Black and Hispanic Catholic Missions. Since 1893, this Parish has been guided by the Fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost."
The Renaissance Center and the People Mover
by yooperprof
In Detroit-speak, a Renaissance occurs when big corporations spend millions of dollars on office buildings - and receive special tax breaks for their investments. In my Western Civ class, however, the Renaissance of the 15th century was a resurgence of creativity and the humanistic spirit inspired by a renewed emphasis upon the potential for individual accomplishment.
HART PLAZA
by LoriPori
Located on Detroit's Riverfront, HART PLAZA was named in honor of Senator Philip A. Hart and is the site of many of Detroit's most popular festivals and events. It features several amphitheaters and an ice skating rink. There is also a cruise ship dock and passenger terminal at Hart Plaza ( very near the site where Antoine Cadillac landed in 1701 when he founded Fort Pontchartrain).
The 14 acres Plaza opened in 1975 and has a capacity of 40.000 people. At the center is the Horace E. Dodge & Son Memorial Fountain.
When we were at Hart Plaza, there were still some Food Wagons left from the Huge Fireworks Display that were put on a few days before. That is a huge event for Detroit/Windsor area, where millions line the shores of both cities to watch the Fireworks over the Detroit River.
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delta airlines galore
Greektown
Monroe St. Entrance to Casino
The New Parthenon
