A Motor City Excursion.. using only Rail (okay, and bus)

[Old MM]

A sunny Saturday in May. Son in town for a short while, and am exploration of downtown Detroit that was long discussed, suddenly became a reality. We wanted to accomplish a Motor City excursion with no motor... well, with no car motor anyway. We planned a quick trip using Amtrak, the Q Line, the People Mover, and a bus!
Many years ago, the late 1980s to be exact, this would have been difficult to put it mildly. I used to spend a fair amount of time in Detroit then, and it was a completely different world from the Detroit of today. For a short while I lived there, and interestingly, also with no car. It was demoralizing at times, I recall afternoons where I'd dig up my pocket change, take the tunnel bus to Windsor, playing hooky from my obligations, and sit in the park by the Detroit river gazing at the skyline and wondering what life would have in store. Well, we are decades past those days, and while my daughter went with me to try out the Q Line when it was launched, my son has not been there except to attend a hockey game with his Dad years ago. So a quick check of the Amtrak app on Friday night showed we could get 2 coach tickets the next day for 14$... that is out of Ann Arbor, and that is not per person, that was for both! We each threw a few essentials into a backpack and got to bed earlyish to have adequate time in the morning.

 

[Old MM]

In keeping with the theme of our trip, we were up early Saturday and used public transportation to the Ann Arbor train station. We thought of departing from Dearborn, however that would have been an even shorter train ride to Detroit, and we wanted to get a sense of the scenery towards the East which we don't see on our Chicago trips. We also would have had to drive to Dearborn and the whole idea was to avoid using the car.
Even so, the trip on the Wolverine was brief. Very few passengers were boarding going East, although there was a sizeable crowd detraining. The conductors directed us into a now-vacated car, I should have listened instead of wandering through the train, but it didn't matter, after a quick walk through we got our tickets scanned. The coaches were all the new car type, the cafe was in the front, and I presume business class in front of that. It was a sunny day and in all honesty I have to say that Southeast Michigan is only marginally more interesting to ride a train through, than it is to drive through, and that margin is due to being on a train. Regardless, we were happy in the moment, life being what it is, this was about doing something different for a day. We left Ann Arbor a couple of minutes late and made up the time, arriving in Detroit early. The Q line station is located conveniently just across the street from the Amtrak station, and we stopped to take a picture of the Wolverine as it continued east.

 

[Old MM]

Here is the Q Line approaching

 

[Old MM]

As we waited, and then boarded the Q line, I was already in awe over the difference in the Detroit of today. The service itself is a welcome change to the landscape, when launched some years ago there was a promotional period when it was free to ride, and I'm pleased to report that has continued. It is interesting that it shares the street with cars, but it wasn't an issue. Upon boarding we noticed the clean, bright interiors, with a mix of patrons riding. While this wasn't the Chicago CTA, it was free, and gave a sense of what cities can provide to its residents and visitors alike. The little streetcar continued on its route and the city was almost unrecognizable from the depressing environment of the 80s, with new construction and nicely planned landscaping along the way. We disembarked at the last stop, and walked a couple of blocks to our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott, across the avenue from the GM Renaissance center, and like the RenCen, with its own People Mover stop. The People Mover is also currently free of charge, runs around an almost 3 mile circular track, and stops at major points of interest, attractions, hotels, and eateries. There are a couple of stops that are served by both the Q Line streetcars and the People Mover elevated rail. Here is a shot of the RenCen:

 

[Trollopian]

"Southeast Michigan is only marginally more interesting to ride a train through, than it is to drive through, and that margin is due to being on a train. Regardless, we were happy in the moment, life being what it is, this was about doing something different for a day."

I'm loving your attitude and yes, any trip is better on a train!

 

[Old MM]

Upon arriving at the hotel, it was a little too early for checkin, and we had not eaten, so we ordered lunch at the onsite restaurant, an interesting co-brand that was both IHop and Appleby's. Not a big fan of either chain, but there was no disputing the convenience. Hotel front desk was literally steps away. We took our time over quesadillas and ice water, and returned to the desk to find that a double room was ready. We dropped off our backpacks in the spacious double room and headed back out almost immediately to get started on our sightseeing agenda. With only one afternoon and evening in Detroit, we planned to walk over to the Renaissance Center and look around, and then explore the People Mover stops before having dinner at the hotel. Here is a shot of the People Mover track, seen from the terrace outside the hotel fitness center:

 

[Old MM]

The Courtyard is connected to the Renaissance center (and the Marriott hotel) via a pedestrian walkway above the busy Jefferson Avenue. The walkway is shaped like a long cylinder, and I remember it being a haven from the weather if needed, back in the day, although it was not kept at a comfortable temperature. You could dodge the rain or snow, but it was freezing in winter and hot in summer. All these years later, as we strolled the walkway and the air conditioners were feebly trying to combat the effect of the sunlight magnifying its impact through the windows, it suddenly felt like the 1980s again. My son was seeing this architecture for the first time and it was fun explaining to him how these were my stomping grounds when I was exactly his age. As we exited the walkway and approached the RenCen, the now GM center, that's when the memories of the past came flooding back, but these memories were not in any way reflected in the building's redesign, and all I could do was try and describe what it used to be like. This wasn't easy! My son politely listened as we navigated the circular walkways and public areas. GM converted the lower level to a showroom of sorts, many areas by the office towers are no longer accessible. Back then all areas were open to the public, you could walk through all 4 of the towers surrounding the hotel towers, and there was a thriving retail space. It was rather fun to navigate the complete circuit of towers from 100 to 400 and find yourself at the beginning again. I especially recall the Big Boy where I had breakfast 5 days a week. On the mid-lower level there were circular pods, carpeted with comfortable chairs, glass tables with lights, providing a quiet, subdued atmosphere where you could write, meet a friend or read a book. (I once took a nap in one, but a security guard informed me that wasn't allowed. So I didn't do that again). While there was always a hotel, I didn't recall the setup for the hotel lobby, guessing this was also radically changed with the redesign, and for one thing, the riverwalk wasn't as developed so maybe this all happened as part of the same overall project. After completing our tour of the public/nonpublic area changes, including not being able to ride any of the towers' glass elevators, we walked through the Marriott lobby and crossed the street to the Riverwalk. There, we turned left and meandered along by the river for a while, enjoying the views, before turning back to the hotel. A surprising amount of time had elapsed and we agreed it was time to step up our pace and head for the People Mover.

 

[Old MM]

The Ren Cen has its own People Mover stop, and we followed the signage to access it without losing too much time wandering. The stop approaching the Ren Cen is actually the most scenic, as it travels along the river, so we planned to ride one complete loop, stay on the train as it passed oru boarding location, and then explore each stop. We did ride the entire loop, and met a second person who asked if that was Canada across the river (the first we met when outside on the Riverwalk) and I am somewhat surprised that the flag of Canada being visible wouldn't remove any question. Anyway, we found that there was not much purpose to disembarking at every stop. Some of the stops were so close together we chose to walk and explore the downtown without having to return to the stations. Detroit is definitely a more visitor friendly city than it was in the late 80s, so this was a positive. There is new construction and also, temporary pedestrian walkways that reminded me a little of Chicago, although not anywhere near the same acreage obviously. Still, it was nice to see so many people out and about, enjoying the weather. The sun was beginning its afternoon descent as we disembarked back at the Ren Cen, and traversed the walkway back to the Courtyard hotel.
Canada:

 

[Old MM]

We had talked of finding a place with local vibes for dinner, perhaps along the People Mover, and there certainly were options to do so. However, after returning to the hotel, we were happy to stay there and have another meal onsite. They were woefully understaffed for dinner and we waited a long time for our order, basic cheeseburgers and fries, which we took up to the terrace to enjoy outside with city views. The terrace view with more light was actually taken earlier in the afternoon.

 

[Old MM]

The city views were fun, but it was rapidly getting chilly on this May evening after sunset. We finished eating and disposed of the takeout trash in one of the nearby receptacles. My son wanted to check out the fitness center, which had apparently been recently remodeled, and I headed back to the room to relax for a few minutes. We agreed to take a final People Mover circle trip to see the city at night, and laced up our walking shoes one more time. This was well before the listed closing time, which, I'm forgetting it now but I think 10 pm for the most part, later on Fridays and Saturdays, earlier on Sundays. We noted that the People Mover was co-located with the Q line at Grand Circus Park, and in the morning, we needed to be at GCP in order to catch our bus back to Ann Arbor. We could take either mode of transportation, or walk. When we disembarked again at the Millender Center station, which also serves the hotel, we had tired feet but had thoroughly enjoyed the day. Back in the room, I had the first shower and was soon in bed watching TV, while son stayed up later and tended to his emails after getting clean. We both had a very restful night and slept well in the comfortable hotel beds.
In the morning, I also woke up earlier, ahead of our alarms, and headed down to the lobby level in search of coffee. The takeout counter was again, understaffed and the employees were hustling to try and seat people, take orders for carryout, and it was mystifying to see how many different hats were being worn by the few people who were there. I sat and watched for a while, but knew I wasn't going to add to their burden. It isn't fair to them, honestly. Especially since there was a coffeemaker in the room! I decided to return to the room and do just that, trying not to wake up my son, who has always been a sound sleeper so that proved to not be any kind of issue. In fact, he only woke up shortly before we had to be on our way, and we decided to use the People Mover instead of the Q Line, to get to Grand Circus Park. It was another lovely morning! We checked out of the the hotel and followed the now familiar connected access to the station, and exited at our stop. We grabbed bagels from a nearby Dunkin and enjoyed the city stroll to the bus stop. It was close to a city bus depot and the entire area was well designed, maintained, and welcoming. Going home, it was 6$ per person. We would have preferred to take the train, but since the times didn't line up, we decided to try the express bus and this is, I am happy to say, a solid option with good frequency of service. It is so nice to see improved public transit of this nature, and choices between rail and bus, so that yes, it is possible to enjoy a Motor City excursion... without a car. We really loved our combo Amtrak, light rail, and bus adventure, and look forward to more excursions in the future.

 

[Asher]

The city views were fun, but it was rapidly getting chilly on this May evening after sunset. We finished eating and disposed of the takeout trash in one of the nearby receptacles. My son wanted to check out the fitness center, which had apparently been recently remodeled, and I headed back to the room to relax for a few minutes. We agreed to take a final People Mover circle trip to see the city at night, and laced up our walking shoes one more time. This was well before the listed closing time, which, I'm forgetting it now but I think 10 pm for the most part, later on Fridays and Saturdays, earlier on Sundays. We noted that the People Mover was co-located with the Q line at Grand Circus Park, and in the morning, we needed to be at GCP in order to catch our bus back to Ann Arbor. We could take either mode of transportation, or walk. When we disembarked again at the Millender Center station, which also serves the hotel, we had tired feet but had thoroughly enjoyed the day. Back in the room, I had the first shower and was soon in bed watching TV, while son stayed up later and tended to his emails after getting clean. We both had a very restful night and slept well in the comfortable hotel beds.
In the morning, I also woke up earlier, ahead of our alarms, and headed down to the lobby level in search of coffee. The takeout counter was again, understaffed and the employees were hustling to try and seat people, take orders for carryout, and it was mystifying to see how many different hats were being worn by the few people who were there. I sat and watched for a while, but knew I wasn't going to add to their burden. It isn't fair to them, honestly. Especially since there was a coffeemaker in the room! I decided to return to the room and do just that, trying not to wake up my son, who has always been a sound sleeper so that proved to not be any kind of issue. In fact, he only woke up shortly before we had to be on our way, and we decided to use the People Mover instead of the Q Line, to get to Grand Circus Park. It was another lovely morning! We checked out of the the hotel and followed the now familiar connected access to the station, and exited at our stop. We grabbed bagels from a nearby Dunkin and enjoyed the city stroll to the bus stop. It was close to a city bus depot and the entire area was well designed, maintained, and welcoming. Going home, it was 6$ per person. We would have preferred to take the train, but since the times didn't line up, we decided to try the express bus and this is, I am happy to say, a solid option with good frequency of service. It is so nice to see improved public transit of this nature, and choices between rail and bus, so that yes, it is possible to enjoy a Motor City excursion... without a car. We really loved our combo Amtrak, light rail, and bus adventure, and look forward to more excursions in the future.

Thanks for the excursion. I’ve enjoyed it.

 

[jiml]

Great report. I had planned to visit Detroit for a couple of Tigers games before pandemic cancellation and may have to consider that again in the future based on your positive commentary. The Blue Jays recently visited Detroit with several players who had never been before and they marveled at the stadium, downtown and proximity to Canada - including one shocked to learn they were looking south at Windsor.

 

[caravanman]

Thanks for a very well written report.
I visited Detroit a few years ago, just a day trip there and back, when staying in Chicago. I remember the astonishing "Fisher Building", and another tower block, maybe the "Cadillac" building? (Memory is not so hot these days, I also thought I had a trip report written here on AU, but it seems not). Still a bit of an "edgy" feeling back then to downtown.

 

[Eric in East County]

Michigan Mom,

Thank you for another great trip report. (Detroit should hire you to help attract visitors and promote tourism. Your positive comments on conditions in the city today would certainly encourage many people to want to visit there.)

Your report also served to point out that one doesn’t have to travel long distances, need a car, or spend a lot of money to have an interesting and enjoyable few days’ sightseeing excursion.

Thank you again for allowing us to share in your experiences.

Eric & Pat

 

[Old MM]

Great report. I had planned to visit Detroit for a couple of Tigers games before pandemic cancellation and may have to consider that again in the future based on your positive commentary. The Blue Jays recently visited Detroit with several players who had never been before and they marveled at the stadium, downtown and proximity to Canada - including one shocked to learn they were looking south at Windsor.

Jim I can confidently recommend, you would enjoy it. I didn't mention it above, but the late afternoon terrace view from the hotel overlooks the Tunnel Bus station. It is that close! Although you and many others knew that anyway.
If one arrives from Windsor on the bus, it's an easy walk over to either the Marriott or Courtyard. I don't recommend arriving by car, unless someone really prefers that option. The downtown hotel parking rates are pricey, and you really wouldn't need the car if you are in Detroit for a sporting event, concert, or most other events. Most of the venues are near a People Mover or Q Line stop. Speaking of which, I also recommend some preliminary research to find a hotel by one of these stops. There are a few choices among the major brands, and some independents too.

 

[Old MM]

Thanks for a very well written report.
I visited Detroit a few years ago, just a day trip there and back, when staying in Chicago. I remember the astonishing "Fisher Building", and another tower block, maybe the "Cadillac" building? (Memory is not so hot these days, I also thought I had a trip report written here on AU, but it seems not). Still a bit of an "edgy" feeling back then to downtown.

Not nearly as edgy as it was in the 80s... and I have some even fuzzier memories that weren't pleasant, of the 60s and 70s.

 

[Old MM]

Michigan Mom,

Thank you for another great trip report. (Detroit should hire you to help attract visitors and promote tourism. Your positive comments on conditions in the city today would certainly encourage many people to want to visit there.)

Your report also served to point out that one doesn’t have to travel long distances, need a car, or spend a lot of money to have an interesting and enjoyable few days’ sightseeing excursion.

Thank you again for allowing us to share in your experiences.

Eric & Pat

Thank you Eric & Pat! You are so spot on, we didn't travel for a long ways, need a vehicle, and definitely didn't spend much. The hotel was really the only expense, and I used cash and points for that. It was really heartening to experience new, low cost options in transportation, while Michigan is still lacking in light rail, the bus network has expanded considerably. This includes in and out of Detroit Metro airport. We have had the Michigan Flyer bus service for a while, good frequency connecting DTW with Lansing and Ann Arbor, very recently they have also started an express bus from DTW to downtown Detroit (the DTX I think it's called). Both of these services are a good savings from taking Uber/Lyft, drivers love the airport surcharge but it can be a dent in one's budget to spend 60$ to get to the airport.
Thanks as always for the kind comments, I do hope that these improved options for getting to and from Detroit will benefit the city, residents, students, and visitors alike.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Not nearly as edgy as it was in the 80s... and I have some even fuzzier memories that weren't pleasant, of the 60s and 70s.

Ditto for me from those days when we would visit my Late Brother in Law in Windsor, and would only cross the River to Detroit in the daytime!

 

[mermaidofthenorth]

This trip report was extremely interesting and informative. I, too, would like to explore Detroit! Has anyone on this forum taken either the CL or LSL from Cleveland to Toledo, using the Thruway service? I’d never do it if they were Greyhound buses but might consider doing it otherwise. Where do people disembark in Detroit?

 

[Old MM]

This trip report was extremely interesting and informative. I, too, would like to explore Detroit! Has anyone on this forum taken either the CL or LSL from Cleveland to Toledo, using the Thruway service? I’d never do it if they were Greyhound buses but might consider doing it otherwise. Where do people disembark in Detroit?

Yes, the Thruway service first stop after leaving Toledo is the Detroit Amtrak station…which has the Q Line stop adjacent.