EXCITED ABOUT DETROIT
from SFS Past President Dave Strayer
I've been hearing some rumblings that some SFS members aren't excited about coming to Detroit, which honestly surprises me. Detroit had a bad reputation a few years ago, but it's coming back strongly, and has a lot to offer us as a meeting site. It's easy to get to by air, train, or car, and is relatively economical. The conference center is really nice (I was there for the IAGLR meeting in May) - it has great meeting spaces and a spectacular view of the Detroit River and exotic Canada on the other shore. And there are a lot of restaurants, bars, and fun things to see and do right around the conference center, or readily available via mass transit (the Q line).
To further entice you, I've listed some things that you might like to do when you're in Detroit, depending on your level of hipness.
I'm very hip (I own at least 2 ironic hats).
Look at the recent article in Lonely Planet magazine, which singled out Detroit as one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit in 2018 (https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel/cities#2), and listed a bunch of places to visit or eat, including night spots. Or look at https://visitdetroit.com/destinations/downtown-detroit/. I'm not hip enough to be able to help you out more than this.
Detroit Destinations | Downtown Detroit | VisitDetroit.com
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I'm an SFS member
Check out the Q line for getting around the city (https://qlinedetroit.com/) - it is cheap to ride and runs from the conference center up to the Detroit Institute of Art, Wayne State University, and other alluring destinations. Like to try some local beers? Visit https://visitdetroit.com/10-breweries-try-metro-detroit/ for some ideas. Cut out of the sessions for a few minutes (I know that you do this, so don't pretend to be shocked) to walk along the beautiful Detroit River right outside the conference center. Take a tour of Ford's Rouge Truck plant to see a real assembly line in action (https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/) - I thought this was fascinating. Visit the lovely Belle Isle aquarium, which has an especially nice display of the world's garfish, and admire the lovely sea-green ceramic tiles on the ceiling.
10 Breweries You Have to Try in Metro Detroit
Homepage - QLINE Detroit
Visit Ford Rouge Factory Tour
I'm pretty nerdy
Don't settle for seeing garfish in the aquarium, go out and see them in nature. Longnose gar should be running in local rivers like the Huron, Raisin, and Maumee during our meeting, and often are readily visible right at the surface. Local rivers, including the Detroit River, should also be full of white bass, which provide excellent fishing, so bring along your fishing rod. Or take a hike along the dikes through one of the big marshes at the west end of Lake Erie (Point Mouille and Sterling State Park are nice) and watch some birds. Sure, you've seen lakes before, but until you've been out along a lake like Erie, you haven't seen a great lake. Or take a little extra time and visit Lakes Michigan or Huron, both of which are spectacularly beautiful, and not that crowded in May. Visit John K. King Used and Rare Books (http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/), a huge bookstore just a few blocks from the conference center.
