I used to live 27 stories above downtown Detroit. While there was plenty I didn’t like about living there — being pretty much stuck at home during game days due to traffic, for one — I loved our balcony and how it overlooked downtown, the Detroit River, and Windsor.
Of course, this meant our apartment was a very popular place to hang out the last week of June, during the Detroit River Days festival, and especially for the fireworks that followed the event. (This year, the River Days go through Sunday, with the fireworks Monday night.) We’d order in food and hang out in our apartment, then crowd out on the balcony to watch the fireworks. Everyone would hang out for another hour or so until traffic cleared, and then everyone would file out until the next year.
The River Days and fireworks were also something my now-husband brought me to years and years ago to impress me during our early days of dating. I remember meeting his sister and her friends out there, wandering around the attractions, and finding a spot in the grass to watch the fireworks show from our blanket. If we were lucky, it was a nice, warm day, and we had a good time.
This year’s River Days are free for today until 5 p.m. Attractions include musical acts and carnival rides, and festivalgoers will be able to see the new Port Authority Terminal and Dock, which will allow Detroit to accommodate cruise ships, ferries, tall ships and naval vessels. Also new to the 2011 edition is a partnership with the Windsor Summerfest, which will open the door to more maritime activities.
What do you think? Will you be celebrating summer at River Days?
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Image courtesy of cseeman via Flickr
This article brought to you by the good folks at Urbane Apartments Royal Oak Michigan, Urbane Apartments Ferndale Michigan,Urbane Apartments Birmingham Michigan, and Urbane Apartments Dearborn Michigan
