Category: United States

DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking, United States

One More FOREVER Thing Before Moving On

Jane Sadek

MEMORY PRESERVATION: IT’S A MULTI-GENERATIONAL THING

Good Concepts, But How Do They Do That?

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been sharing the differences in preserving memories with FOREVER and the rest of cloud providers. The bottom line is that you OWN your storage and so you get to decide what happens with it, because Memory Preservation is a multi-generational thing.

As to how they plan to do what they promise, you may not realize the company is already13 years old. What’s more it has a very steady and manageable growth plan that is working well. When you buy storage from FOREVER, a small part of your money goes into the cost of setting up your personal cloud, but the rest of it is poured into a trust which is set up to maintain that cloud into perpetuity.

The rest of the products and services FOREVER offers go to the bottom line, just like any other company, but the assumption is that the majority of their customers own a personal cloud with FOREVER and enjoy a relationship with the company that enhances all their other Memory Keeping activities.

The Way It Works

With such an out-of-the-box premise for the creation of the company, they went right ahead and did everything else differently, also. FOREVER does not advertise and that’s why you don’t find them when you google the products and services they offer. You don’t see ads in magazines or hear them on the radio. In fact, you may have never heard of them before and that’s OK, up to a certain point.

Instead of relying on traditional marketing, FOREVER is an e-commerce site with a team of independent contractors who spread the word and help support the clientele. However, this is not some pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing. Some of the contractors do choose to build their business by building a team and FOREVER has a model for that, but “recruiting” is not required for success with FOREVER. Many of FOREVER’s very successful independent contractors never recruit a soul – like me. For us, FOREVER is just integrated into a larger purpose. Some examples are professional photographers, organizers and genealogists. We’re busy offering our specialized services to our customers and we don’t have time to manage a team, nor do we want to.

What some people don’t want to admit is that they stick to the fish or the fly, because they hate those networking businesses. You know what I’m talking about. Kitchen Gadget Companies that want you to have a party to get free product. Skin Care Reps who want you to join their team to get a discount. Jewelry Salespeople who contact you at the end of the month desperate to meet some number. Guess what! I hate them to! I’m a scrapbooking artist and a memory keeping coach, not a salesperson. I don’t have time for that.

Mine is a service business. I create custom scrapbooks and photo books for people who want them, but want someone else to do them. I also consult with people who want to get their memory media under control, whether they want to do it themselves or hire me to do it. In providing these services I recommend two vendors – FOREVER & Creative Memories. I don’t have a team. I don’t want one. My business model is based on my own personal skills and preferences. Yes, I am a sole proprietor, so I also have to do my marketing, but that’s just how small business is.

So this is my Memory Keeping company. These are the vendors I trust and feel comfortable recommending to my customers. I’d love for you to learn more about my unique business. Can we talk?

DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Duke’s on Malibu

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: DAY TWO OF LA SIGHTSEEING

Family Business Before Monkey Business

Being a tourist and visiting family are two different things. I get that, so I cooled my jets, played with my new grandnephew and did the family things. However, when it was decided we were heading to Malibu, I was very happy to put on my tourist cap and jump in the car.

We took the route through Topanga Canyon and Nephew drove us to a favorite pier for some sightseeing. It was lovely. We enjoyed strolling along and taking in the beauty all around us. We took lots of photos. Here are a few.

Then nephew drove us by several of their favorite restaurants and though I can’t remember the reasoning behind the choice, if there was any reasoning behind the choice, we ended up at Duke’s.

Duke’s Malibu

Having been told by my husband that Nephew had our sightseeing all mapped out, I’d optimistically neglected my usual research. I knew nothing about beach bars on Malibu. When Duke’s got a strong recommendation from Nephew and Niece, we went with it.

I did not realize at the time Duke’s Malibu was an offshoot of Duke’s Waikiki. I wanted a true Malibu experience and Duke’s was more like the Pipeline meets Hollywood – very kitschy in a schizophrenic sort of way. There’s a storyline that justifies a Duke’s in Malibu. After making surfing popular with the tourists in Waikiki Duke did come to Hollywood. That doesn’t explain why there is a Duke’s Canton in East Texas that has nothing to do with surfing, but maybe I’ll go one day and see if I can figure it out.

Anyway, in true Egyptian fashion, we’d shown up in the middle of the afternoon during that lull between lunch and dinner. It’s a constant dissonance I feel when I’m around my beloved Egyptians. I love them to death, but after 31 years of marriage, I still don’t understand their eating habits. Their meals rarely coincide with my appetite. Usually, because I have given up and snacked heartily out of desperation right before they decide to eat.

Duke’s was open, but it wasn’t really ready for us. They recommended we have a Lava Flow while the staff got ready for the dinner hour. We complied and enjoyed the view. I do not recommend the Lava Flow. For me, it was like drinking medicine, but Niece and Nephew swear by it – so it’s up to you.

We had a variety of appetizers and then a meal – all of which they loved. None of which thrilled me or Bill for that matter, but then we are picky.

So, beach & pier – marvelous. Duke’s, not so much. Next week I’ll tell you about LACMOA! Enjoy Memory Preservation and Memory Sharing for the rest of the week.

The famous Hollywood sign
DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

And We’re Off to Cali!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: CALIFORNIA 2024, THE FRIENDS & FAMILY TOUR

The Lure of California

I’ll confess, when I lived in California I couldn’t wait to get back to my beloved Texas. My mom told us before we left, “California is someplace you go on vacation, not someplace to live.” Well, for us she was right, and six years later we boomeranged right back to Big D, but a funny thing had happened. We left a part of our hearts behind. Yes, California is beautiful, but believe me, we’re happy enough just making visits. But there were friends and family who moved out there while we were there and friends we’d made while we were there who hold pieces of our hearts hostage in the Golden State. Them we miss. The land of fruits and nuts, not so much!

Our vacations usually result from a seed planted at an earlier time, but this time someone else planted the seed. We had a new grand nephew. He’d been born in late September of 2023, so come January 2024, it was time to go meet him. I’d love to show him to you, because he’s cute as a button, but his mom and dad have requested no social media images, so you’ll just have to believe me.

And since we were going to be in California to meet our grand nephew, we made plans to spend time with other dear friends. Come see how much fun we had.

The Rough Start

My alarm went off at 3:30 AM as I planned, but the music I’d chosen was so gentle, I snoozed on for 10 minutes. When I finally woke, Bill and I we both were in a panic. Bill, who’d planned to wake up about 3:40, set his alarm for PM instead of AM (Freudian Slip?) so it was by the grace of God we woke up at all.

It was Keystone Cops Revisited as we raced around to get out the door, but we didn’t make our 4 AM deadline. We were only 10 minutes late getting away and got to Love Field in plenty of time, but that was by the grace of God, too. Westbound I-30 was smooth sailing, but something had happened on the Eastbound and it was bumper-to-bumper, wall-to-wall semis as far as the eye could see. We said hallelujahs all the way to the airport.

We hadn’t needed to be so panicked. The Delta desk wasn’t even open when we got there. Everything else about the trip was routine. Even the Chik-filet biscuit I had for breakfast. Little did I know that it was going to be one of my last. (I was about to go gluten free, unwillingly, but necessarily). The other end of the flight was routine, too. We picked up the rental car and hit Mickey D’s.

At Our Nephew’s

For the next few days we were at our nephew’s home in Canoga Park. We loved getting to know the grand nephew and mostly we just hung out. We were on Egyptian time, which is always difficult for me, but it’s great for Bill to speak Arabic and return to his natural flow.

The first evening they grilled steaks for us and on the next they took us sightseeing. I appreciated it very much, but it did have it’s challenges. Nephew has a cute Mercedes and for the tour, Bill and Nephew sat up front.

I was in the backseat with Niece and Baby. First, there’s the issue of motion sickness. I have it if I ride in the backseat and there was the baby, too. I never babysat as a child and never had children myself, so as cute as a baby might be, I’m done after about 10 minutes and riding for hours around LA right next to one was an exercise in prayer.

I also couldn’t see out of the backseat. Nephew and Bill were having a grand old time, going through neighborhood after neighborhood discussing real estate, architecture and potential business plans, while about all I could see was the retaining wall in front of all the homes.

Nephew made every effort to please me and there was no way I was going to complain, but it was a tough few hours. Specifically for me, we visited the Hollywood sign and Rodeo Drive. It was late on a Sunday afternoon, so Rodeo Drive was not exactly humming, but it was very chilly for LA.

Below are some of the shots we took at Rodeo Drive. Next week we’ll head to Malibu. Don’t miss that and remember to check by for Memory Preservation and Memory Sharing on Wednesday and Friday.

DESTINATIONS, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Scrapbooking, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

A Few Snippets Before Heading Home

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: HANGING WITH THE GIRLS

Yes, We Were There for The Love Life Conference

Before abandoning the conference completely, I will share a couple of incidents. One was good and one was bad. Let’s start with the good. On Friday morning we were running a little late and as we struggled to find a seat, someone approached Deb and asked her if we wanted to sit up front. Are you kidding? Would we rather be front and center or up there in the nosebleed section. Of course we wanted to move up front.

I’m guessing some group wasn’t making it to the session and they wanted it to be filled up for the people watching online and the videos which I am sure they sell. We certainly weren’t invited back up front for the rest of the conference, but it was exciting to be so close you didn’t even need to look at the monitors. It’s the only time in my life I’ve been glad I was running late!

The second incident of note was not as pleasant, but it was the same day. When we left that night we were ragged. Stomping all over San Antonio in the heat, eating big meals and drinking margaritas had taken their toll. It didn’t exactly energize us to sit for hours in the dark, listening to the various speakers.

We made our way across the parking lot and the car was in sight. I was going to drive, so I wanted to put my stuff in the trunk. I squeezed between two cars parked nose to nose and suddenly I was down. It was one of those bone jarring falls that leaves you stunned and my leg was really hurting. What’s more I was concerned about all my stuff. Where were my glasses which had been on my head? Was the traveling tiara in my tote bag? Billfold? And so forth and so on.

The fall had been bad enough to draw the attention of others who were wanting to call 9-1-1. I didn’t want that to happen, but I wondered what was the matter with my leg. I had on a pair of jeans which had not torn, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt something had scrapped up my leg and knee. Then I started looking for the reason I fell. Lord knows I can be clumsy, but even though I didn’t know WHAT it was, I knew I’d been kneecapped.

While everyone else discussed my need for a hospital, I looked for the culprit. On the front bumper of the car I squeezed past was some sort of implement. I have no idea what it was used for but it was sharp and it was at least four inches long – just enough to trip me up!

Being the brave soul that I am, I drove back to Shana’s just as I had said I would do, even thought Deb was wishing I would drive to some hospital. When I got to Shana’s and looked at my leg, things were worse than I thought. I had scrapes and bruises from falling and whatever the implement on the front of the car had been, it was sharp enough to actually cut my leg. By the time we got there, things were swelling. Nurses Deb & Shana got to work on me. In the morning I was much better, but it had been quite a fall.

A Return to Palmer’s

Back in 2016, my friend Shana was thinking of starting a coaching/retreat business. She now runs a very successful concierge business with three Texas locations, but back in 2016 she was in transition. Deb and I went to the retreat and had a great time. It’s when we discovered the wonders of the San Marcos Outlet Mall and we ate at Palmer’s.

Shana, Deborah and I had set aside Saturday night for ourselves. Shana had a local watering hole she wanted to take us to, but for dinner we wanted Palmer’s. Deb and I adore anything al fresco and Shana had warm memories of it from her college days, so that’s what we planned on doing.

On this particular visit, the service was a little off and the food was not the best, but their patio is so amazing, I’d go back tomorrow. The picture you see at the top of this post is one I snapped. Totally awful pic of me, but sharing for the other two.

A Return to Brahmin

Then Sunday morning it was time to return to the Metroplex. We said farewell to Shana and our first stop was the Brahmin store at the San Marcos Outlet Stores. We got there a few minutes before the store opened, so we waited. As soon as they opened, Deb swooped in, grabbed her clearance bag and we were on the road back home.

And that’s the end of this tale. Next week we’ll move on to Cali 2024, the Friends and Family Tour. Don’t miss Memory Keeping on Wednesday and Memory Sharing on Thursday!

Image of Joyce Meyers 2023 Love Life Conference in the Alamo Dome
DESTINATIONS, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Scrapbooking, TRAVEL, United States

Joyce and San Antonio

Jane Sadek
Fall Photo Opp at San Antonio Plaza
Crowning Around

MEMORY MAKING: JOYCE MEYERS’ LOVE LIFE 2023 IN SAN ANTONIO

It Wasn’t Love Life 2022 in St. Louis

There, I said it. There were a few great moments, but the impact I experienced in 2022 just wasn’t there, even if all the loud music was. We did not sign up for 2024.

That’s not to say there weren’t some good moments. I just didn’t feel as if I got as much out of it as I did the year before. I can’t point to a single moment or thought that impacted me significantly, but lightning rarely strikes twice.

But I Loved Life in San Antonio

If you’ve been around this blog long, then you know I love San Antonio. If I could only have one travel destination for the rest of my life, it would probably be San Antonio, but I’m glad I don’t have to make that choice.

Staying in New Braunfels with Shana and being at the Alamo Dome kept us from our usual center of activity, but we loved the time with Shana and the walking was good for us. All in all it was a great trip. Here’s a few highlights.

signs on the walls and ceilings of Guadalajara Grill in San Antonio
We loved reading all the signs!

Guadalajara Grill for Lunch

When Love Life broke for lunch on Friday, job one was to find a restaurant that wasn’t already filled to capacity with other Love Life attendees. That meant we walked and walked and walked and walked a little more, but finally we landed at Guadalajara Grill. Google is trying to tell me it was a four minute walk, but we must have gone the long way.

It was a fortunate stop. The food was great, but the best part was the signs all over the walls and the ceiling. Even though the restaurant was not as inundated with as many people as some we’d passed, this was a popular lunch spot, so we plunked down at the bar, margaritas and decided to enjoy ourselves.

We explained out conference dilemma to the man behind the bar and while he didn’t seem all that sympathetic, we did seem to get seated pretty quickly. On our next trip to San Antonio (and there will always be more trips to San Antonio) we’ll certainly eat at Guadalajara Grill again.

Chart House Restaurant in Tower of the Americas

So, one of my favorite places to eat, bar none, is the Chart House Restaurant in The Tower of the Americas. Not that I could find any of my own photos of it. I stole this one from their website. I love the food and the view is wonderful. And it’s a special place. People get dressed up to go there. Not all of them anymore, unfortunately, the usual grunge was visible on this visit, but it’s everywhere, so I have to live with it.

Deb and I tried it first in 2015 and we still feel the same way about it. So much so, that on the way back from Guadalajara Grill we stopped at the Tower and made reservations for dinner. Take that all you Love Life attendees filling the other restaurants. We had a reservation.

I did a good job of describing the the experience in the post linked above, so no need to go over it all again. Just click the link. Was it still as good Yep, for me it’s a must-do every time I go to San Antonio.

Lunch on Saturday

By Saturday we were a little tired of shuffling around the Hemisfair Plaza battling for dining space. We squeezed out of the morning session as soon as we dared and made a beeline for the first luxury hotel. I can’t remember which one we landed at. The meal was both mediocre and expensive – well at least the margarita was expensive – but we enjoyed the break and headed back to the final session, which we also scooted out of early. We were going out with Shana that evening.

Check in Wednesday for Memory Keeping and on Friday we’ll be creating something fun for Memory Sharing. Then next Monday I’ll wrap up a few details from this trip and we can start thinking about California!

DESTINATIONS, Fashion, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Scrapbooking, Shopping, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

What a Girl Loves!

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: OUTLET SHOPPING & MARGARITA DRINKING

Woman wearing a crown in a McDonald's
Me wearing the Traveling Tiara

WHY ARE YOU WEARING A CROWN?

So, one of my all-time favorite networking groups is Polka Dot Powerhouse . My particular chapter had a little thing they called the Traveling Tiara and I’d been selected to wear it for the next month. Most of the women get it and they don’t do much with it. Not me! I carried it everywhere I went and posted lots of photos. This first one was at a McDonald’s somewhere between Dallas and San Marcos.

SAN MARCOS OUTLETS

The next stop was the San Marcos Outlet Mall and we got there just as the stores were opening. We were girls on a mission. Deb needed a Brahmin bag. The last time we’d been down this way, back in 2015, I’d convinced Deb she should invest in a Brahmin. It was a little out of her intended price range, but she did it and she loved it. Eight years later, she was still carrying her Brahmin during the fall and winter, but now she needed one for spring and summer.

We parked out front and went in to handle all their stuff. I helped Deborah pick out a beauty from the clearance department and then went to see the billfolds. I didn’t really need one, but it was about the only item in the store I might fit into my budget. Eventually, I became aware of the fact that Deb’s purchase was not going smoothly. In fact, I’d handled all the billfolds several times and Deb was still waiting to check out. There was only one lady in front of her, but the cash register was down.

We waited a little longer, but nothing was happening. Finally, our stomachs let us know it was nearing the lunch hour, but Deb really, really wanted that bag. At least she did for a while and then she decided maybe the hold up was a sign from God. She’d put the bag back on the shelf and if we had time, we’d stop back by on the way home. If we had time and the bag was still there, then she was meant to have the bag.

GRUENE’S GRISTMILL

To begin with, for the uninitiated, “Gruene” is pronounced like the color, green. It’s a lovely little shopping and eating town right next to New Braunfels and the Guadalupe River. The Gristmill is a wonderful riverside restaurant that I try to eat at every time I pass by on nearby I-35. It’s like getting kolaches in West, you just do it.

Is it the best food you can get in Gruene? No, but it’s good enough and while you wait for a table (you ALWAYS have to wait for a table) you sit in their great little beer garden and the margaritas are marvelous. The Gristmill did not disappoint. It was a gorgeous day for the beer garden, so I enjoyed my margarita while we waited for a table.

I can’t remember what we ate, but I bet it included the onion rings. We love them and used to always get them. (Now I’m gluten free, so I wonder what I’ll eat next time! I won’t be having my usual burger either.)

HEADING ON DOWN THE ROAD

Next stop was Shana’s house where we got situated for our stay. Deb took a nap and I marveled at her cat who looked just like our Princess, who we’d lost not all that long before this trip. So, it almost seemed like I was seeing a ghost! FYI – the top one is Princess!

Joyce’s conference was going to begin at 7, so the nap ended and we got back on the road. Doors opened quite a while before we got to the Alamo Dome, so we didn’t exactly have optimal seats, but we enjoyed the opening festivities.

Afterwards, we made our way back to Shana’s, so we could turn around and do it all the next day. I hope you’ll turn around and read my blog post on Wednesday. We’ll be doing some Memory Keeping and on Friday, we’ll Memory Sharing!

DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Any Excuse is Good Enough for San Antonio

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: SHANA, DEBORAH & JOYCE

How Trips Happen!

So, in 2022 Deborah and I went to see Joyce Meyers in St. Louis, Missouri. It was a crazy road trip via Little Rock, Arkansas, the Clinton Presidential Library and one of the best restaurants we’ve ever been to.

The Love Life Conference was great. A little too much rock music and we skipped out on Joel Olsteen, but Joyce was on point with us and I decided I’d give Deb a repeat for her next birthday. So, I booked the next conference while I was in St. Louis.

A few months later, I passed through New Braunfels for a quick visit to my friend Shana. I mentioned Joyce to her and she was excited by the thought of it. So, we had a plan. Shana, Deborah and I were going to see Joyce in October of 2023 and we’d stay with Shana.

How Things Change!

So, confession! I’m not always the person I wish I could be. I have a tendency to be caught up in the here and now. That means I don’t check in with people as often as they wish I would, sometimes. And that happened. I sent Shana the link to sign up for Joyce and I thought we were set. Several months later, I sent something else, mentioning how excited we were about seeing her later than year, but she wasn’t on board. I’d disappointed her. After a couple of touchy conversations, we established she’d made other plans, but we’d bunk with her in New Braunfels and get in a good visit. I don’t like touchy conversations, but I value my friends above all else and if I need to eat some crow to save a friendship, then I will have sautéed, roasted, fried and baked (or anything else necessary) to do so.

How Things Went!

Well, it was a great trip! Shopping at the San Marcos Outlet Mall, great food, fun times and oh yes! We did also attend Joyce Meyer’s Love Life Conference in the Alamo Dome.

Come along for the next few Mondays and I’ll share that fun with you. And don’t miss Memory Keeping on Wednesday or Memory Sharing on Friday!

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Detroit Institute of Art

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE DIA IS A FEAST FOR THE EYES

Finally, An Art Museum

I am the Museum Girl. I want to get up early, to be there when they open, and I could happily stay until they close, especially if they have cool restaurants to enjoy. While this little trip to Detroit had been lovely in a number of ways, the schedules of my top choices were not cooperating with me.

If I’d had my druthers, we’d have been to the Motown Museum, the living museum of Greenfield Village and more, but they weren’t open when we had time to see them. Some of the things I wanted to see, like the Conservatory on Belle Island were being remodeled. What I had seen was nice, but it was secondary and tertiary selections, because the family events took first place and keeping Bill happy took second.

I had one non-negotiable though. If I did nothing else, I wanted to see the Detroit Institute of Art and finally the time to do that had arrived.

Remnant of a Glorious Past

About the time they were building The Guardian Building I enjoyed so much downtown, Detroit was almost the center of the world. Americans flocked there for vacation like we go to New York, Chicago or San Fran. It’s where all the best shows were performed, the shopping was wonderful and the Detroit Institute of Art reigned the cultural world. The men went to smoky offices to discuss commerce and the women spent their money after a visit to the museum.

The DIA retains all the beauty of her former glory and she’s making a comeback in the world of museums. The city of Detroit went through some pretty tough days. It wasn’t just the Renaissance Center and the Guardian Building which seemed like a ghost town. The whole of Detroit almost disappeared and her cultural jewels could have been up for grabs, but she held on and now her art museum is back to its former glory and bragging about all the improvements they have in the works.

The DIA is a wonderful place to go if you want to see classical art in America. They were one of those museums which bought all the good stuff up before later cities could get their share. I once heard a curator at the Dallas Museum of Art answer a question about their lack of important classical pieces, “How could an important, wealthy city, like Dallas, have so few recognizable classical pieces?” The curator explained that when the DMA started collecting art, those recognizable classical pieces already had home in Europe and a few American museums – museums like the DIA.

If you ever get the opportunity to go, I hope you’ll do so and leave plenty of time, so you can see it all. My husband took about 100 pictures and then he took almost that many more of the tags that went with them. I won’t show you all 100 or the tags, but I thought you might enjoy these portraits of women.

Heading Homeward

Far too soon, it was time to go. There were a number of unfamiliar variables, so I had allowed plenty of time in my schedule for trouble. I checked on the travel time from the museum. I added a little time for traffic, for finding a gas station, for fueling the car, for returning the car, for getting transported to the terminal from the remote rental car and so on and so forth.

Well, none of that happened. There was no traffic. Bill pulled off the road at an exit, found a gas station within a block and filled up without having to wait. We returned the car in moments and the bus took us immediately. We checked our luggage without a single delay and there was no line at security. Bill wasn’t happy, because he doesn’t like to wait. I was happy! After what we went through getting to Detroit, I was happy to be all checked in and ready to board. A vast difference in priorities there.

We got home safe and sound. Come back next week and see what we got up to next.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Photography, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Detroit’s Art Deco Treasure

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A STROLL IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT

The Guardian Building

We’d started our day in an empty world headquarters, had breakfast in ghost town food court and taken a ride on an abandoned monorail. We were beginning to wonder if anyone actually lived or worked in Detroit. Still, finding gems off the beaten path is one of my favorite things to do, so this hunt for The Guardian Building was just my cup of tea.

It was Travel Advisor which clued me in on the existence of a pristine Art Deco skyscraper in Downtown Detroit. Once we got off the People Mover I asked Google Maps to find The Guardian Building and as I thought, it was just around the corner from the monorail stop. Instead of trying to describe it, I’ll just share some of the photos we snapped.

Gorgeous, right? Like the Renaissance Center, there wasn’t much in the way of human occupation. There was a security guard behind a desk in the central lobby and up the stairs was a large open area. A barista lurked behind a coffee bar and there was a tour company office on the other side and that was it. Where were the rest of the inhabitants of Detroit?

Campus Martius Park

While the Riverfront and Greektown are obviously popular areas in Detroit, we’d be seeing those with the family later in the weekend, so I wanted to focus on things we wouldn’t see with them, which took us to this downtown park.

It was here we finally connected with humanity. As we strolled along a well landscaped path between the skyscrapers, we happened upon a beach bar. Yes, I said a beach bar. Sand, lounge chairs and drinks with fruit in them. Don’t believe me?

It would have suited me fine to take a load off and sample their wares, but Bill was not in lounging mode. He was doing his best to play tourist, but he was distracted. Not only were most of our credit cards compromised by hackers, but the market was open and we’d just turned over our real estate photography company to the new owner. We were supposed to be celebrating that last bit, but after nursing our enterprise to success for six years, we were having some separation anxiety. Was this guy going to be able to handle it? It’s not that we weren’t happy to see it go. We just didn’t want it back!

At the end of the park is One Campus Maritus, the Compuware headquarters, famous for this 14 story waterfall.

And that left one final stop along Woodward Avenue we wanted to visit, The Grand Circus. It’s not a circus with a tent, but a park in a circle. It was a much quieter venue than Campus Maritus with its beach bar and perhaps we would have skipped it altogether had we known, but it was right next to a People Mover station, so it turned out to be quite convenient.

On to our Next Accommodations

The People Mover took us back to Renaissance Center, where we claimed our rental car and headed to Pontiac/Auburn Hills. That was the location of the Residence Inn which would be our home away from home over the next few days. It was close to all the family events and had just what we wanted.

Certainly the Renaissance Center Marriott was more glamourous, but the Residence Inn offered a comfort the swanky hotel did not – a separate sitting room I could escape to each morning. I wake up so early out of habit, but Bill knows how to sleep late and I like to give him that luxury. On the way, we stopped at a grocery store to get some items to enjoy during our stay – wine, bottled water, fruit, protein bars etc.

I’m a pretty easy-going traveler. I don’t think I have ever rejected a room, even though there have been a few times I should have. Bill on the other hand is a little harder to please. He will go down to the desk and complain when he doesn’t like something. At the Residence Inn, he didn’t like the view. It’s a suburban Residence Inn, so I didn’t expect a view, but he did. We got a different room and don’t tell him, but I sort of liked the first one better. It seemed a little more convenient and not quite as dorm-like, but Bill did like the view better, so we stayed.

The Family Weekend

Over the next few days, we were involved with family. We had a get together at a local restaurant Friday night and the big Gender Reveal at a Country Club Saturday. Sunday we hung out at the Riverfront, had lunch in Greek town and a game of golf in the afternoon. On Monday, the main event was an absolute feast, fit for a Pharaoh with all our Egyptian favorites. While it was a lot of fun, it wouldn’t be of much interest to anyone outside the family. (It’s a boy by the way. Our Grand Nephew will arrive in October.)

After the feast, we went back towards Detroit and stayed at the Smithfield Westin. It was a nice hotel, but we were just there to sleep. In the morning I was finally getting to do something that had been on every version of my itinerary the Detroit Institute of Art. Come back next week and enjoy our visit.

Architecture, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Day Tripping in Detroit

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: TOURIST TIME FOR BILL & JANE

Finding the Right Mix

Confession, Bill and I are happy when it’s just us two. It’s not that we don’t love our family and friends, nor does it have anything to do with not wanting to spend time with them. We just like to find the right mix of time for us and time with them.

Our weekend in Michigan was going to be full to bursting with family time from a happy hour on Friday evening to a family feast on Monday evening. So, Friday morning we decided to play tourists on our own.

Plans Are Made to be Changed

I cannot count the times I rearranged our itinerary in the months before our trip, but I thought I had a pretty good plan put together a few weeks before our arrival. Then I did some double checking, just in case – and it was a good thing! The hours posted in March for my chosen attractions had changed in May! I had to completely revamp my schedule in the days just before we left.

My plan, when we departed on Thursday, included getting up early and heading off to Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford on Friday morning. Well, after the bumps in the road on our travel day, getting Mr. Bill up early the next morning to go to a historical amusement part, didn’t sound as good as it had back in Dallas.

If I had been traveling with my bestie, we’re both early risers by nature, so it would have just been another day of fun for us. However, getting an exhausted Bill up early and out of our hotel room, to go to an amusement park, wasn’t going to kick off our vacation with the right foot.

Because of the accumulated travel difficulties, we’d missed out on a walking tour of Downtown Detroit I’d planned for Thursday evening. So, I changed my plans again. We’d take our time getting up and checking out of our hotel room and then do our Detroit walking tour, beginning with the People Mover.

Breakfast in Renaissance Center

In 1996 General Motors opened the first phase of Renaissance Center in homage to itself. This was to be, and still is, their world headquarters. It is a beautiful grouping of buildings, but it is also a ghost town. On a Friday morning it should be abustle with the comings and goings of the world, but it seemed virtually empty. It was us, a few maintenance people and a group of rambunctious children meeting for a field trip.

It was a little spooky wandering around in the vast empty lobby of the Renaissance Towers. Just outside the Marriott lobby, a sign promised several dining choices, but we just wanted to grab a quick breakfast, not have dinner at a steak or seafood venue. The People Mover Food Court sounded like what we needed, especially since we were also looking for the People Mover, but getting to it was a new challenge.

With a little direction from the cleaning crew, we took an elevator to a lower level and found the epicenter of the ghost town. The ambitious plans of the designers were evident, as were the resulting disappointment. An attractive seating area for hundreds of patrons with spots for many food vendors filled a large portion of the lower level, but it echoed emptily with a few orders from the field trip participants to the last food vendor standing.

Their menu was a cross between a short order grill and a gyro stand. The menu offered schwerma that didn’t actually exist, so Bill settled on something else from the Mediterranean menu and I got a grilled cheese sandwich. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that good either. Time for the People Mover.

The People Mover

I missed the People Mover in my initial Detroit research, but our family mentioned a free monorail in some of our correspondence, so I looked a little further because free city transportation sounded like a great thing. The sign announcing the presence of the People Mover Food Court led me to believe the Food Court and the People Mover would be adjacent to one other, but after breakfast we discovered my assumption was wrong.

The signage in the building is awful and as I mentioned, there were hardly any fellow humans walking around in it. The cleaning people, who had sent us to the Food Court, seemed a little vague about the People Mover’s location, but then we ran into an elevator repairman. He got us going in the right direction, but it was still hard to find. We went through a little trial and error before we actually found it.

Bill was ready to just walk where we wanted to go, because it wasn’t far, but I wanted to include a report on the People Mover here, so I pressed on. We did eventually find it, but the discovery was like happening up on an abandoned amusement park. As we waited, we’d just about given up again, when a security guard arrived and assured us we were in the right place. The monorail would arrive shortly.

To my dismay, I discovered the monorail traveled in only one direction and that direction was in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. However, the circular route isn’t all that long, so we boarded the car when it came and took in an aerial tour of Downtown Detroit.

It wasn’t long until we’d made it all around and were arriving at our stop. I got my bearings and headed to the Guardian Building. Come back next week, because you’ll want to find out about that Art Deco beauty.