Detroit Travel- The Henry Ford_ Greenfield Village _ the Detroit Institute of Arts

							It was still dark outside when I woke up from my restful slumber at the Westin Book
Cadillac Hotel. There was some commotion going on outside on the street: thousands
of people were milling about in preparation for the Detroit Free Press Marathon, a big
annual event for runners. I got dressed and hurried outside to catch the start of the
race. Thousands of onlookers watched as the runners lined up behind the start line,
ready to kick off the long distance race. In addition to the traditional marathon, the
schedule also included a half-marathon, a relay and a 5 km fun run. The most unique
feature of the Detroit Marathon is its international course which takes it through the
Detroit-Windsor Tunnel into Windsor, Canada, and across the Ambassador Bridge
back to Detroit. The tunnel portion of the marathon is the only official underwater
mile in the world as most of the tunnel is under water. The entire downtown area was
packed with people, and I took the opportunity to go on an early morning photo safari
to the waterfront where I witnessed a breathtaking sunrise above the Windsor skyline.
This brisk walk at daybreak gave me another chance to capture some of Detroit 鈥檚
most photogenic spots, bathed in the warm glow of the rising sun. After another
scrumptious waffle breakfast at the Westin Book Cadillac we were ready for a trip out
of town to Dearborn to see 鈥淭 he Henry Ford 鈥? Also known as the Henry Ford
Museum and Greenfield Village, this is the largest indoor-outdoor history museum
complex in the United States. In addition to expansive museum grounds and
thousands of memorabilia, it also features an IMAX theatre. We started our
explorations in the indoor complex which had begun as Henry Ford 鈥檚 personal
collection of historic objects. The eastern side of the large historic building features a
display on the role of the automobile in American Life. Next to this area is a 1941
Allegheny Steam Locomotive. Children in particular like to climb in and out of this
historic machine. The crowning jewel of the automotive display is the 1961 Lincoln
Continental in which President J.F. Kennedy was assassinated. Another section,
entitled 鈥淗 eroes of the Sky 鈥? documents the first forty years of aviation with
photos, exhibits and actual airplanes. Other exhibits feature furniture and articles of
daily life as well as an area with displays of late 19th and early 20th century
machinery and power generation equipment. Very popular with young visitors is an
authentic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. In the area entitled 鈥淲 ith Liberty and Justice
For All 鈥? America 鈥檚 struggle for independence as well as civil rights is
documented. A popular display is the rocking chair on which President Abraham
Lincoln was sitting when he was shot. George Washington 鈥檚 camp bed is also on
display. The highlight of this area is the actual bus on which Rosa Parks was sitting
when she refused to give up her seat, effectively triggering the Civil Rights
Movement. I enjoyed the chance to stroll through the actual bus, events on which
kicked off one of the United States most important social movements. One of our
favourite displays was the Dymaxion House, developed by inventor Buckminster
Fuller who initially conceptualized the idea for this round, aluminum-clad suspended
house all the way back in 1927. His mass-produced and affordable house featured
about 1000 square feet of living space with two bedrooms and two bathrooms inside a
round metal shell. The house included a rain-water catching system as well as
low-energy construction materials and was supposed to be hurricane-proof. It was
conceived to be easily shipped and assembled on site, and its goal was intended to be
affordable for the masses. A tour in this house demonstrated to us what a visionary
Buckminster Fuller was. His groundbreaking ideas of affordable and environmentally
sustainable lodging are not even close to being implemented today. Some people are
just way ahead of their time. After exploring the indoor portion of the Henry Ford we
headed outside on this gorgeous late October afternoon. Greenfield Village is the
largest outdoor museum in America and covers a total of 240 acres. Almost 100
historical buildings were moved here to show how Americans used to live. Houses
date all the way from the 17th century to the present, and streetscapes are livened up
by costumed interpreters who demonstrate activities such as glass-blowing, pottery
and other crafts. Greenfield Village is particularly popular with families since it offers
rides in a horse-drawn omnibus as well as in authentic Ford Model Ts. Authentic
vehicles from the 1910s and 1920s were chugging around all over the place, giving
happy visitors a ride. A steam locomotive also takes visitors around the property, and
a carousel entertains the little ones. The surrounding environment is bucolic and
includes forests, rivers and pastures for sheep and horses. Around 2 pm we started our
drive back into the city since we wanted to explore another Detroit institution: the
Detroit Institute of Arts. In 2003 the DIA was ranked as the second-largest
municipally owned museum in the United States, and its collections are valued at
more than one billion dollars. The DIA underwent a major renovation and expansion
in 2007, and 77,000 square feet (over 7000 m2) were added to the existing 677,000
square feet (about 63,000 m2). We went on an organized tour with museum volunteer
Barbara Goldstein who started us off in the extensive African and Asian collections on
the lower level. Level 1 also holds Egyptian, Islamic, Native American art as well as
photography, prints and drawings. We then moved upstairs to see contemporary
African American artists, German expressionists, and other early 20th century works.
The museum 鈥檚 holdings include works by Albrecht D 眉 rer, Rembrandt, Vincent
van Gogh, Auguste Rodin, Franz Marc, Oskar Kokoschka, Edvard Munch, Pablo
Picasso and many other prominent artists. Frescos by Diego Rivera entitled 鈥淒
etroit Industry 鈥?surround the center of the museum.
  The Detroit Institute of Arts is also the location of the Detroit Film Theatre and
currently features a special exhibition entitled 鈥淢 onet to Dali 鈥? a collection of
Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. With its 65,000 works it is a
huge complex of art that spans the globe. Visually enriched yet physically famished,
we decided to check out the caf 茅 on the lower level and enjoyed a delicious soup
and chilli. Following our visit to the DIA we stayed right in the area: two blocks north
is the Inn on Ferry Street 鈥?a complex of six historic buildings which includes four
large Victorian mansions and two carriage houses that encompass 40 luxurious guest
rooms. This would be my home for the next two days. Pleasantly exhausted from
three days of discoveries I stayed in my luxurious two-bedroom suite and did some
web-based research via the inn 鈥檚 complimentary Internet connection. Tomorrow
would be another big day for discoveries in Detroit.