In early August, I celebrated my 33rd birthday! To continue the celebration Luke and I planned a trip to Detroit to do all of Luke favorite things… ok, my favorite things. First on the list was the historic Eastern Market in downtown Detroit, which has origins dating back to 1841. Throughout the years, I’d heard wonderful accounts of this market, but had been warned of the massive crowds. There can be up to 45,000 people shopping each Saturday.  We arrived early, and wandered the stalls of mouthwatering fresh produce and beautiful flowers aimlessly. Parking was easy as there are several free lots around the market.

Taking a break from the market, we wandered around the corner to the Eastern Market Brewing Company. Unfortunately they did not have food but we enjoyed a beer before going to one of the food trucks in the market to have lunch.

After a delicious lunch, we hopped back in the car to head to the Detroit Institute of Art. I’d never been to this museum before but I’d been wanting to visit ever since reading that  a traveling art exhibit was in residence until October that contained several works by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Seurat. The exhibit did not disappoint as it was easy to see why these artists are held in such high regard. Luke and I enjoyed the other exhibits, with Luke particularly finding one focusing on early baseball cards and the history of baseball in Detroit fascinating. The museum itself was stunning, with ornate details and murals throughout.

Our last stop of the trip was a short walk across the street from the DIA to the Detroit Public Library Main Branch. This beautiful library had been on my radar since compiling my list of 150 most beautiful libraries in the world to celebrate my 4,000 follower. I have  detailed a previous account of my visit to the library in a separate post last week. I was excited to finally see this library in person, however upon walking into through the main doors it was not at all what I was anticipated with wall to wall marble. You have to make your way to the second floor to reach the ornate ceilings and murals. Outside, Michigan was experiencing a toasty, summery 83°F. However, due to the air conditioning being broken within in the library, it was a humid, glistening 88°F. We loved our time exploring, especially finding the jewelry box that used to be one of the Romanov’s in the Burton Historical Collection. Toward the end of our wandering we came across a picture of the Old Main Branch that was opened in 1877 and closed/demolished in 1931. I highly recommend that you follow the link below to see photos of this stunning library. I wish that it had been preserved for the ages!

https://www.historicdetroit.org/galleries/detroit-public-library-old-old-photos

I had a wonderful birthday exploring a few places in Detroit I’d always wanted to visit! The Detroit Public Library and DIA were beautiful and delightful to explore. We are already plotting to bring a cooler to our next trip to the Eastern Market so we can bring home some of the fresh produce and flowers. I can’t wait till our next trip to Detroit when we will be exploring Belle Isle!