I would be lying if I said that the last 48 hours were anything close to ordinary. Life is all about taking advantage of opportunities, right?
I’ll dive into that vague statement a little later this afternoon, but for now, I have a fun day of exploring Downtown Detroit to cover.
I am still so glad that Scott was able to take the day off on Monday. With an entire afternoon and evening free, we planned to take his out-of-town nephew, Connor, to Detroit (about thirty minutes from where we live) and show him some of our favorite stops!
Bucharest Grill
First up was a late lunch. I finished up my work at the gym around 2:30 p.m., so by the time I got home and ready to head out the door, our group was more than ready to eat when we arrived!
Our friends Alex and Alex (yes, a boy and girl couple… I absolutely love it) introduced us to a great in-and-out stop for original crave-worthy recipes called Bucharest Grill a couple of months ago. They are known for their shawarmas, which I have ordered a time or two before.
No matter what time of the day or week we frequent, the place is always jam-packed. This time, there were a lot of Red Wings fans hanging before a home game down the street later that night.
Wanting to try something new off of the menu (although Scott and Conner stuck to a couple of chicken shawarmas), I ordered the Stuffed Pepper with grilled Ribeye steak, ground beef, rice, and Romanian spices served with a zesty sauce and sour cream on the side.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but… whatever that was, it measured up and then some. I enjoyed every single bite and made a mental note to attempt making stuffed peppers at home sometime soon.
The three of us met a delightful older couple at the bar and spent a good hour chatting away with our new friends. It’s so fun when things like that happen. Another excellent Bucharest visit started off our wonderful day in the D!
Exploring Downtown Detroit
After lunch (well… linner), we took Connor to as many walkable spots as we could before the sunset.
We might have had to climb a few glaciers here and there, but we were determined to see the sights anyways. We started with a quick stroll over to Comerica Park, which is the home stadium to our very own Detroit Tigers!
Scott and I have been to two Tigers games now, but I would love to attend another one when it warms up a little more. I have yet to experience a game outside in “beautiful weather!”
Just in the distance, we spotted one of the rare Wyland Whaling Walls right on the side of a high rise in the heart of our city. Some of you might already be familiar with his work, but for those of you new to Robert Wyland’s masterpieces, he hand-paints giant pieces of artwork to bring awareness to the importance of sea life preservation all around the globe!
After doing some research, Scott found that Wyland is from Detroit! While most of his work is seen on the coasts and closer to sea life, this one was painted in honor of his true home city of Madison Heights, Michigan. Pretty neat!
Scott has a serious love for his work, and we now have a goal to see as many of the Whaling Walls in person as we can find!
Contrary to what most people think about the city of Detroit, it’s actually pretty safe and walkable if you know where you are going.
Of course there are more questionable areas than others, but the same goes for most downtown areas of all major cities. Both Scott and I have really gotten into exploring more of the city any chance we get!
Here are some of the highlights from this trip:
The new Luxe Whitney Condos Lobby
Spirit of Detroit Statue
Panoramic View of Windsor, Ontario, Canada from the Detroit Boardwalk
Canada selfie!
Dodge Memorial Fountain at Hart Plaza
I always love the excuse of a houseguest that gets us to take a walk down to the Detroit Boardwalk. Scott and I plan to come back and explore more more places here throughout the summer!
Sugar House
On the hunt for something new, the small group of us walked into a new-to-us specialty bar called Sugar House. Located right next to Slow’s Bar-B-Q on Michigan Avenue, we have passed this sign at least a handful of times. This was our first time going in and checking it out!
Tucked into a dimly lit and upscale lodge looking ambiance, this bar offers an experience with their wide selection of craft and classic cocktails, along with a fantastic selection of beers and wines.
They kindly ask you to abide by their “house rules” which includes keeping your cell phones away from table conversations and avoiding the act of fighting or even talking about it.
We each ordered a different drink, which wasn’t easy for any of us to choose. They had quite an impressive collection, including smoked beverages.
Scott’s smoked (some version of an) old fashioned pictured above is also pictured on the top and bottom left below.
Check out the size of that ice cube and stamped Sugar House lemon skin!
Connor and I got some kind of apple cider beer which tasted delicious both hot and cold. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a little nightcap after dinner. We will certainly be back!
Astoria Pastry
Before heading home, there was one more important stop to make at Astoria Pastry Shop in Greektown.
Even though we had been in once before, I still got overwhelmed but the variety of dessert choices. They have a little bit of something for every sweet tooth!
This time I settled on a Michigan Cherry Chocolate Chunk cookie and thoroughly enjoyed every single crumble. Yum!
Well friends, it’s been one heck of a morning so far, so I’m going to wrap up here and get some rest. I’ll be sure to check in later this afternoon with a fun entertainment post.
See you then!
![[in our elementary school era] 🚌😭
Skyler did great walking into KINDERGARTEN with a big smile on his face this morning. I, however, was a bit of a mess on our walk home. 🥹
It’s wild how fast these 5 years with him have gone … 7 since we moved to NYC and into our apartment, dreaming of the day our kids would someday go to the *awesome* school right down our block. 🏫
That day is today, and I still don’t believe it — feeling allll of the emotions and thanking God for placing us here and for being able to trust His timing through the journey. 🫶🏼 #hbshinnyc
SO proud of you, SK - you are going to rock your first year at your “big boy school” - WE LOVE YOU !! 🩵👑](https://lifeinleggings.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Love for Detroit! I always go to Slows but will have to try Sugar House soon!
Slows… YUM! I need to go there again soon!
Have you been in the Guardian Building yet? It is absolutely stunning. We had some of our wedding photos taken there 🙂
No, I haven’t! That building looks gorgeous! We’ll have to find it and stop by next time, thanks for the suggestion!
That pepper….holy yum!
Right? I need another one… like now. 😉
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A weekday adventure is always fun! And there are some smoked beverages out here too, but I haven’t tried any yet. Good times! 🙂
I wasn’t a huge fan of Scott’s… mostly because the drink was way stronger than anything I care for… but it was pretty cool to see getting made, nonetheless.
My husband and I were going to go to Bucharest Grill on Saturday afternoon but it was packed and there was nowhere to park (and it looked like there was something going on at the Fox which didn’t help) so we picked up takeout from the location on Michigan Ave instead. It’s so good!
It’s always so busy! I guess that goes to show that the food is on point. Good call on the carry-out. I had no idea there was another location! Thanks for the tip 😉
Wow those stuffed peppers look amazing! And those desserts – OH MY!!!!
I know… it’s like drool overload every time I go into that bakery!
I love the “Canada selfie” – so fun! And is it bad that I now really want that cookie for breakfast? 🙂
Hehe, that cookie was pretty amazing!
These are the kind of days you will remember! Spontaneity is one of the main roots of happiness, in my opinion. I am so glad to hear you branched out of routine. It is something I struggle with, so it always brings a smile to my face when I hear of someone doing something exciting and motivates me to do the same!
I have never heard of the Whaling Walls before, and I have now been sucked down into that hole. SO interesting! I am on a mission to see one for myself now. Also, that picture of the Spirit of Detroit Statue is awesome!
I LOVE the house rules for the Sugar House! My friends and I have the same rule at dinner. No cell phones and it honestly enriches our conversations so much more.
I love that. If there’s one thing my husband is good at, it’s being spontaneous. I wish I was more like him in that regard. Aren’t the Whaling Walls amazing? We saw another one in Key West and now want to visit as many as possible! <3
I love love love that yo are enjoying Detroit so much and take advantage of all it has to offer. Reading these posts make me miss it!!
Yay, me too! Honestly, both Scott and I were hesitant of Detroit at first. It took a while to finally branch out and really give the city a chance, but once we did, we fell for the culture and unique buildings and restaurants. We love it!
What a fun day! I love being a tourist in my own city and discovering (or finally getting around to trying) new places! I always forget y’all are literally right across the river from Canada. The panoramic photo is stunning!
Isn’t that nuts? It still peaks my interest every time I see a sign “to Canada” in the downtown area. So crazy!