Caught Up in my Detroit Love Affair

When I moved here nine years ago it didn't take me long to fall in love with the City of Detroit. I met my husband, a Detroit lover, and we spent a lot of time in the city. Our first date was at the Traffic Jam & Snug in midtown. At the time it was one of the only things on the block, and now It's part of a thriving neighborhood.

We spent our second date at the Detroit Zoo (technically in Royal Oak). We used to head to the D often for sporting events, to visit the Detroit Institute of Art or just to visit friends. That was our life before we had dogs and now a child, but Detroit is a place that has always captured both of our hearts.

Detroit has its challenges, and it's by no means perfect. But perfect is so boring! Its gritty resiliency is inspiring. Its spirit is contagious. We go to Detroit and daydream about what it would be like to live there. We love it, and if our professional lives allowed we'd move there in a minute.

Our son turned six months old last weekend, and in all that time my husband and I had not gone on a date by ourselves. We've gone out with friends, but mostly we just take our little dude with us. He's portable like that. For my husband's birthday I got him tickets to a Tigers game and the promise of a day together in one of our favorite cities.

A rainy walk through Capitol Park, my fav park in the city
We headed downtown early for brunch at Cliff Bell's. It's a phenomenal jazz club that has a great brunch with endless bloody mary's. Sold. It's a stunning art deco era establishment that makes you realize why people fell in love with Detroit in the 20s and 30s. It made me fall in love with it all over again.

Bloody's and brunch at Cliff Bell's

As we walked around downtown we were both struck by our extraordinary draw to the city. My husband said he recently heard a quote that Detroit is like jazz: you either get it or wish you did. We get it, and we love it. I started setting up the soft sell. I can work from anywhere. My office has its headquarters in Ann Arbor, so Detroit is definitely workable. Detroit is an hour closer to my family in West Virginia. Of course there's that little matter of having purchased a house last year, but houses are sellable.

At Comerica Park before the heavens opened
Living in Detroit is a dream of ours, and who knows if it will come true. On days like yesterday when we're wandering one of our favorite cities dreaming aloud, it feels like anything is possible.   

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