At the DSO and Around D-Town

I had the pleasure of taking another outing with my older children yesterday. This trip was to 3711 Woodward Avenue, otherwise known as Orchestra Hall in Detroit. Through our home education co-op came the opportunity to attend a morning performance of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Headed by imaginative conductor, Thomas Wilkins, the DSO led the audience, mostly comprised of school-aged children, on such ventures as a thrilling ride through a rain forrest and a frenetic chase between a dog and a cat. What a great field trip and cultural opportunity it was for us to experience art on this level!

Keegan, Hannah and Cullen face the wind across Woodward from Orchestra Hall.

With such fabulous weather in D-Town yesterday I simply could not bring myself to shuttle the crew home right away. Besides, how often do we get to go downtown? So we headed to Greektown for lunch (coney plates for the guys, a gyro for me at the Plaka Cafe) and a pastry (I always have to stop at the Astoria Pastry Shop). We then walked down Monroe a few blocks to Campus Martius Park and from there a few more blocks down Woodward to Hart Plaza and the riverfront. It was fun to see the kids taking in the sights and sounds of a big city.

One stop that will bring us back again was the Underground Railroad Reading Room of the Second Baptist Church. Located just South of Greektown on Monroe, the church was the last stop on the Underground Railroad before traveling slaves reached Canada. The church still offers tours of the original building constructed in 1836 and still has the wall in which the slaves were hidden. We did not take the tour yesterday but plan on returning for it (and the requisite visit to the Astoria).

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