Subject:
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Re: ILTCO @ NMRA '07 National Train Show - July 27-29 Detroit, MI
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.events
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Date:
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Fri, 25 May 2007 06:16:58 GMT
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Well since I only live 12 mile from Detroit's Cobo Center, I too will be there.
For anyone worried about Detroit, you needn't be. After sponsoring the
SuperBowl and All Star Game in the last 2 years the city has really been on a
comeback. Over $4 billion in new construction (including 3 large casinos for
those who like to gamble with their bricks).
One of the things you will notice about downtown Detroit is the number of
historic large buildings. In the 1920's skyscraper boom, Detroit was only
behind New York City and Chicago when it comes to the number of office towers
built back then.
Detroit also has the worlds largest surviving 1920's movie palace, the absurdly
opulent and spacious 5,174 seat Detroit Fox Theatre:
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18638_20846-54585--,00.html
And it has what is labeled America's foremost Art Deco Bank Building, the 535
ft. tall 40 story Guardian Building (which is only 2 blocks from Cobo Center in
the financial district of downtown). The lobby to this building is a MUST SEE!!
It's soaring lobby looks like Gotham City in a Batman movie. When it was built
in 1928-29, it was called "The Cathedral of Finance":
http://www.guardianbuilding.com/
Another downtown Detroit landmark, also only 2 blocks from Cobo Center is known
as ONE WOODWARD AVENUE, and will give you a chilling reminder of the World Trade
Center towers. The late Minuru Yamasaki, a Detroit architect, designe One
Woodward Ave. in 1963 as sort of a smaller prototype for the later World Trade
Center towers he would design. The window styles are nearly identical to those
of its illfated sibling.
For those of you going do take the opportunity to take the Detroit People Mover
(which goes right thru Cobo Center). It is a 3 mile long looping elevated
monorail type system that'll take you right back to Cobo Center. It will show
you the Detroit riverfront (with Canada across the river), as well as many
historic buildings throughout the downtown area.
When at the NMRA, be sure to check out Detroiter Jim Garrette's Lego creations.
He has built in LEGO several of Detroit's largest Art Deco Skyscrapers, and they
are magnificent!
For those with extra time to spare, be sure to visit THE HENRY FORD in nearby
Dearborn Michigan. This is a 200 acre museum and village complex that was the
collection of the late great Henry Ford (died 1948). He collected not only
historic items, but also buildings. His complex has a vast museum building
(with a replica of Independece Hall, since Philadelphia refused to sell him the
original). It houses over 30 acres of historic cars, trucks, trains, airplanes,
machinery, and everything imaginable. The Museum contains the chair in which
Abraham Lincoln was shot, the Lincoln Limousine win which President Kennedy was
assassinated, the Alabama bus in which Rosa Parks made her civil rights stand
(her tomb is also located in Detroit).
In the village portion of THE HENRY FORD, known as Greenfield Village, you will
find some mind boggling structures... the entire Menlo Park laboratory complex
of Thomas Edison moved from New Jersey, the Wright Brothers home and Bicycle
Shop moved from Ohio, the home of Daniel Webster, the Harvey Firestone farm, a
Maryland Plantation, from England... a Cotswold Cottage & Windmill... over 200
building in all, including a paddlewheelboat, antique trains, and a carrousel.
THE HENRY FORD is the 2nd largest museum of Americana in the country, after the
Smithsonian.
There is so much to see, that one short trip is not enough!
Also, one last trivia item... Detroit, founded by the French in 1701 (by orders
of French King Louis XIV, "The Sun King"), is the oldest continuously occupied
city in the United States between the East Coast and the Rocky Mountains.
Cheers and enjoy your stay!
Gary Istok
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