This may sound like a funny title for a city that is misaligned in the news but my experience a few weeks ago bears out that the city is indeed for lovers.


Okay I’ll explain. To get there from Chicago is a hop and a skip on American, and actually from other cities it’s not too long a flight either. I loved the short flight, and the convenience it afforded me in getting to Detroit quickly – more time to do more things.


For Mothers Day my hubby asked if I wanted to go to Detroit and have a romantic weekend. He mentioned dinner on a river boat that featured a Motown review, lunch at a Detroit legacy BBQ joint, brunch at the Detroit Institute of Art, and a trip through African American history at the Wright Museum. He also said we could check-out the dream houses in Grosse Point and maybe drive down the 8 Mile Road. Who could say no?


I’ll start with the river boat cruise we took on the Detroit Princess. It was a huge flat bottom boat built similar to the old Mississippi paddle …

When you enter the Detroit Institute of Arts, the first thing that may shock you is the mural by Diego Rivera. As you continue through the building, you may realize the best kept secret is that this is the 6th largest museum collection in the United States. Pay special attention to the African-American works which are divided into periods and themes throughout.

During my trip to Detroit, I almost forgot that I was in a city with that famous stretch of road, that is perhaps best known in pop culture for being the area where White Rapper/Recording artist Eminem is from. I didn't see the movie, but I do know Eight Mile Road is the stretch of road the separates the suburbs from the city.

What I didn't know until my trip here, is that it's the stretch of road that separated middle class Whites, from those perceived to be lower class....Blacks. The road is a literal and metaphorical symbol of segregation. According to residents who live along the Eight Mile Road, Whites maintained the division by not selling homes to Blacks on the suburban side of the road, which is still significantly segregated today.

One African American man who lives near Eight mile told me as a child in the 60's he remembered a white wall that stood 12 feet tall and he couldn't understand why it was there. He said his mother had to explain to him, “Son, some people just don't like us”. The White Wall is still there, in a small park not …