3 Days in Detroit: A Photowalk Guide

More on Motor City

When I pulled into Detroit, I went straight to the Fisher Building, another art deco masterpiece in a city built up by auto money, and met up with the man known as Phat Kat.

That would be Mr. Ron Watts, the rapper by night and tour guide by day. He agreed to show me around “the other Detroit,” away from the usual tourist spots. Most notable: the Heidelberg Project, where artists took on abandoned homes and turned them into living art.

Yes, Detroit had changed. The Detroit we knew from the media was one falling apart, bankrupt, empty, crime-filled, hard times central. But as Ron noted, that image was created by people who hadn’t “been to Detroit.”

Indeed the place they called Motor City once upon a time to me was a proud, seemingly thriving, boisterous city with a lot to offer. Detroit is one of the biggest surprises I’ve had over 120 locations visited for Photowalks.

Namely the amazing art deco buildings that are the jewel of the midwest, a wonderful waterfront area with beautiful views of the Canadian skyline right across the way, fantastic museums, including one where you can take a ride in a vintage Model T Ford and some of the best pizza and Coney Dogs you’ll have anywhere.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I invite you to watch the latest edition of Photowalks, from Detroit, to follow this photowalk guide for your next visit to Detroit and to catch my interview about Photowalks with Detroit’s own WXYZ-TV.

Day 1

Guardian Building. Start here, in the heart of downtown, with the most impressive lobby you’ll find anywhere. The 40 story Art Deco and Mayan Revival skyscraper, built in 1928 is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The array of mosaics and murals are stunning. The bottom floor is open to visitors, and is a must photo stop. 500 Griswold Street

Detroit Riverfront: Stroll along the scenic 3.5-mile path that hugs the riverfront. You’ll pass the towering Renaissance Center (longtime home to General Motors) and enjoy panoramic views across the water to Windsor, Ontario.

American Coney Island: No trip to Detroit is complete without a visit to the Coney dog rivals that are right next to each other, American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island were both started by two feuding brothers. A Coney is a hot dog, topped with chili, onions and cheese. Be sure to say hi to Grace, the owner. She’s quite a character. 114 W Lafayette Blvd

Fisher Building: This is often celebrated as “Detroit’s largest art object”—an opulent Art Deco skyscraper and architectural marvel in the city’s historic New Center district, just down the street from the Motown Museum,. It was built in 1928, a 30-story tower constructed of limestone, granite, marble and terrazzo and like the Guardian Building, also a national historic landmark. Also home to the Fisher Theater, the showplace for many touring productions. 3011 W Grand Blvd

Motown Museum: Located in the modest house where Berry Gordy launched the Motown sound in 1959, this museum lets you stand in the same room where legends like Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross recorded their hits. 2468 W. Grand

Day 2

The Henry Ford: A short drive to nearby Dearborn brings you to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and companion museum Greenfield Village, where you can take a ride in a Model T and see history come alive through exhibits like a recreation of Thomas Edison’s lab and the Wright Brothers’ workshop. You will spend a good day here.

Buddy’s: For dinner, wrap up your food crawl at the original Buddy’s Pizza, where Detroit-style pie was born in the 1940s. Expect thick, crispy crusts made in auto-factory steel pans, topped with brick Wisconsin cheese and red sauce ladled on last. How does it compare to deep-dish pizza Chicago style. A little less heavy, and so good! 17125 Conant Street (original location.)

Day 3:

Belle Isle: The best place to get a shot of the Detroit skyline is right across the water in Windsor, Ontario. Did you remember to bring your passport? Probably not. So in that case, head over to Belle Isle, a 982‑acre island park situated in the Detroit River just east of downtown Detroit. Designed in the 1880s by Frederick Law Olmsted (the landscape architect behind New York’s Central Park), it remains one of the nation’s grandest urban parks—part history, part nature preserve, and also, the nation’s first aquarium. From here, you’ll get stunning, direct skyline views—especially beautiful at sunset or for time-lapse photography.

Heidelberg project: The bold outdoor art installation by Tyree Guyton, the Heidelberg Project turns a once-abandoned Detroit neighborhood into a canvas of painted houses, found objects, and philosophical musings about time and community. 3600 Heidelberg St

Detroit Institute of Art: One of the great museums, the Institute houses everything from Van Gogh to African American masters in a stunning Beaux-Arts building. 5200 Woodward Avenue

Also, beyond Ron, I met some really interesting folks in Detroit, most notably the Coney Dog Queen of the city, Grace Keros, who really tells it like it is, Paul, the Model T driver at the Henry Ford and has the perfect mustache for the job, Barry from WXYZ-TV who couldn’t get over that I actually produce an entire TV show on an iPhone and did a yeoman’s job pre-interviewing me for my TV segment, and Joe the pizza guy from Buddy’s.

So many great memories—I hope you enjoy meeting them in the episode.

And hey—we have an audio podcast too!

Questions about travel photography, taking photos with an iPhone or the Detroit experience? I’m all ears. I invite you to leave them in the comment sections, and thank you, as always, for taking the time to watch, read and listen.

Jeff